Memorial honors slain students Ying Wu, Ming Qu

Students and faculty dedicated a tree and plaque Thursday during a memorial service in honor of the one-year anniversary of the murders of Ming Qu and Ying Wu, two Chinese international Viterbi School of Engineering graduate students.

Remembrance · A memorial outside the Seaver Science Library honors graduate students in electrical engineering Ying Wu and Ming Qu, who were killed west of University Park Campus on April 11, 2012. — Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

The memorial took place around Viterbi’s new Chinese bauhinia blakeana tree, which was planted in honor of Qu and Wu. Members of the university’s administration, the Dean of Religious Life and the president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association spoke during the service.

At the base of the tree is a plaque that reads “In memory of Ming Qu and Ying Wu” in English and reads “May they rest in peace”  in Mandarin.

Qu and Wu, both 23 years old, were shot dead in a car west of the University Park Campus on April 11, 2012. Bryan Barnes and Javier Bolden were charged last May with first-degree murder in connection to the case.

Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Elizabeth Garrett stood in front of the tree, telling attendees to not remember what the USC community lost in their passing, but to remember what we gained in the way that the students lived.

“While their lives were tragically cut short, their drives in many ways were achieved,” Garrett said. “They still inspire all of us to follow their examples by pursuing those possibilities that make us the most happy, the most productive and the most fulfilled.”

Viterbi School of Engineering Dean Yannis C. Yortsos said the tragedy hit him very deeply on several levels, as he is  a former international student and is now a Viterbi parent. Yortsos said he hopes the new tree, with pink petals resembling hearts, can provide a positive place to reflect.

“I like to imagine in the months and years to come our students and faculty will … pause and think under the heart-shaped flowers and be peaceful,” Yortsos said. “That, in truth, is our greatest debt to our absent friends: to live deliberately, to revel in the possibilities of every moment.”

Yortsos said the university will establish the Ming Qu and Ying Wu Memorial Scholarship in their honor to support future generations of international students from China. Yortsos said the scholarship will academically assist and inspire Chinese students.

Biao Yang, a third-year electrical engineering graduate student and friend of Qu and Wu, said he was happy with the event’s turnout, because it let him know that Qu and Wu were still in many people’s thoughts. Yang said he looks forward to visiting the dedicated space on campus.

“When I come to school, I will come to see this tree every day,” Yang said. “This tree will help me very much. It’s beautiful. It will let me think of many things with them.”

Amy Xhao, an electrical engineering graduate student, said the tree will not only serve to honor the students but also serve as a reminder to prioritize community safety as much as possible.

“I think this should help out the students and the faculty from the university to learn from this,” Xhao said, “and prevent anything bad in the future, and that’s more important.”

Yifan Zhu, a first-year graduate student in journalism, said the memorial service will have a lasting impact for future students.

“This has made a dent on the university’s history,” Zhu said. “So having this tree and plaque will help students coming long after know from the moment they decide to come to USC that we all really have to be careful and spread awareness to make this whole environment better.”

Though the memorial service highlighted other changes in campus security policy made by the university since Qu and Wu’s deaths, the focus of the service largely remained on the students’ memory. Yortsos, in particular, spoke of them endearingly.

“To Ming and Ying: We miss you, we cherish you, and we are truly honored to honor you,” Yortsos said.