Students, faculty and other members of the NIU community can continue to pay tribute to the victims of the Feb. 14 tragedy at the new home for the NIU Memorial Center.

At the new Memorial Center visitors can sign albums, watch videos of memorials and vigils, and even read a letter from Virginia Tech and boards describing each of the victims of the tragedy with personal memories by their loved ones and teachers.

In roughly two weeks, the memorial will move from its current location, Altgeld Hall room 125, to the Holmes Student Center, where students and anyone else who wishes to visit the center can take advantage of what it has to offer in its new location.

A specific room number and hours of operation have not yet been established, but the new location will be somewhere between the One Card and the TCF Bank offices.

Brandi Hephner LaBanc, assistant vice president for Planning and Operations, is optimistic about the move.

“The Student Center has more student traffic and students can access it more easily being in the heart of the campus,” LaBanc said. “We’re hoping for it to get a higher level of exposure here.”

Along with LaBanc, Brittany Brzezinski, a senior corporate and organizational communications major and Feb. 14 memorial committee member, is excited about the Memorial Center’s move.

“I work in Altgeld Hall and pass the Center every day while walking to the office. I never see any members of the NIU community walking around the room,” Brzezinski said. “By having the Memorial Center in a central and familiar location, the members of the NIU community will be able to access the center during their free time in between classes and work.”

However, Ryne Erickson, a junior business marketing major and victim of the tragedy, had a different view on the relocation of the Memorial Center.

“I think the Memorial Center should be in front of Cole Hall,” Erickson said. “But as long as there’s a memorial up I guess it doesn’t matter too much where.”

LaBanc hopes the new space will inspire visitors to reflect and use the space as they need it to remember Feb. 14.

“I hope this Memorial Center provides a space to reflect, a space to honor, a tribute space,” LaBanc said. “I hope the space provides people with whatever they want it to be or whatever some need it to be.”

Students are urged to visit the Memorial Center. The university wants students on campus to know it’s being moved, and that it’s available for them to come pay tribute, LaBanc said.

Brzezinksi believes members of the NIU family will appreciate the Memorial Center more with it being in the Student Center, and urges students to visit it as well.

“I believe by moving the Memorial Center, students will be able to look back on the events of Feb. 14 and remember the purpose of life,” Brzezinski said. “We lost five beautiful people in the NIU community, and constantly we should be reminded of our purpose to live our lives through those individuals.”