EDITOR’S NOTE — Mental health support is available to SIU students through Counseling and Psychological Services at 618-453-5371. An after-hours support line is available at 1-833-434-1217.

The Carbondale community came together on Sept. 30, 2024 to remember the 19 student deaths in the last three years during the “Once a Saluki, always a Saluki” event. Students, faculty, staff and community members gathered at Becker Pavillion by Campus Lake to honor the deceased students. The event was organized by Undergraduate Student Government. 

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As electric candles flickered during the dim evening, they stood and listened to stories about those lost.  

Henry “Hank” Souders was one of the students honored. His friends, Edin Alili and Miller Johnston, both spoke at this vigil. Alili described Souders as a hard-working student who was always ready to help others. Hank was the most recent of three students who died this school year. 

“He was just a very cool guy,” Alili said. “He was in our drivetrain class and he carried us… He was a very helpful guy.”

Johnston was roommates with one of Souders’ close friends. He remembered coming home from class and watching Souders and his roommate play Magic the Gathering. He also had multiple classes with him.

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“He would ace through pretty much every auto class we had,” Johnston said. “He just knew all of the material.”

Joseph Cervantez, the Jackson County State’s Attorney, spoke to the crowd. He reassured the crowd that he was working closely with the SIU Safety Department behind the scenes to assure the safety of the SIU Community. 

“It’s very, very important to me to be involved and to try and find out what happened,” Cervantez said. “And it’s most important for me to make sure that the community, the SIU community and the local community knows that there are a lot of people here that support you.”

Penny Bordewick, the SIU Undergraduate Student Government President, also spoke at the gathering.  

“We wanted to make sure that we memorialize all of our students that have passed over the last couple of years,” Bordewick said. “It’s for people to share their stories and honor and respect those lost.”

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