To the Campus Community,

We are grateful the terrible events that unfolded Monday evening have been brought to a close with the

apprehension of the suspect in the shooting death of our student ChenWei Guo. This senseless act of violence has shaken our community and ended the life of a dear son, true friend, and promising scholar. By all accounts, ChenWei was a wonderful young man, and we mourn his death.

To honor him and recognize the impact this violent event has had on our campus community, the flags of the University of Utah will be flown at half-staff through Friday, Nov. 3, until sunset.

We want to thank our University Department of Public Safety, Salt Lake City Police, and all the other law enforcement agencies that responded quickly last night and worked so well together to solve this crime. Staff members across campus also reacted with compassion and professionalism and we appreciate everything they did to assist our students and law enforcement.

While classes will resume tomorrow, we understand a tragic event like this has a lasting impact and that members of our community will require time to heal. For students, faculty, and staff who would like to talk to someone please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Counseling Center at 801-581-6826.

Our thoughts are with ChenWei’s family and friends during this sad and difficult time.

David W. Pershing
University of Utah President

Ruth V. Watkins
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs