Temple plans ways to remember murdered student Jenna Burleigh

Temple Student Government will host a vigil in Founder’s Garden today at 3:30 p.m., among other events to help students heal.

A sign reading "Rest in Peace Jenna. Gone, but not forgotten" lays among candles and flowers at a memorial service for Jenna on Tuesday morning. | SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Different student and university organizations are joining together to remember junior film and media arts major Jenna Burleigh, who was killed last week.

Burleigh, a commuter student who transferred to Temple from Montgomery Community College, was killed nearby Main Campus last week. Former advertising student Joshua Hupperterz, 29, has been arrested for her murder among other charges.

Temple Student Government and the Temple Progressive NAACP will host a vigil today to remember Burleigh at 3:30 p.m. in Founder’s Garden. According to the Facebook event, the vigil will include a space to write letters to the Burleigh family and an open mic session to grieve the loss of the Temple student. Candles and flowers will be provided.

This is one of the latest ways students will gather to remember Burleigh. Students gathered on Polett and Liacouras walks on Tuesday to leave Burleigh notes and remember the Temple student.

The Klein College of Media and Communication invites students in the school to attend a group session facilitated by Tuttleman Counseling Services to discuss Burleigh’s death. Hupperterz is a former student in the Klein College.

Klein students who are interested are encouraged to attend one of the options available on Friday at 4:30 p.m., Saturday at 9 a.m. or Tuesday at 9 a.m. Students who wish to attend should email Vice Dean for Student Affairs Kimberly Guyer with your desired date and time. She can be reached at kguyer@temple.edu.

“Given that we are part of the same community and are closely connected, I understand that many of you may be personally or deeply affected by this tragedy, and I want to offer support to each and every one of you,” Guyer wrote in an email to all Klein students.

President Richard Englert sent an email to all students, faculty and staff informing them of the vigil today. His email also invited relatives and friends of Burleigh’s to attend her viewing and funeral.

A viewing will be held at Williams-Bergey-Koffel Funeral Home at 667 Harleysville Pike, Telford, Pennsylvania, 18969 from 5 to 8 p.m. today and on Friday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church at 1601 Derstine Road, Hatfield, Pennsylvania, 19440. The funeral mass will occur at the church at 11 a.m.

“I spoke with Jenna’s father earlier this week, and I was most impressed with the family’s strength and their commitment to continuing Jenna’s legacy,” Englert wrote.

Englert encouraged the Temple community to make a memorial donation to Jenna’s Blessing Bags for the Homeless, a charity created by Burleigh’s family. Checks can be made to “Univest Foundation – Jenna’s Blessing Bags” and mailed to Univest Foundation, 14 N. Main St., Box 197, Souderton, Pennsylvania, 18964.

“We join with you in mourning the loss of a remarkable woman whose passion for serving others, especially the most vulnerable in society, is a model for all of us to follow,” Englert wrote.

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