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Milligan Community,
The past 24 hours have been unimaginable for our campus and have left a hole in our community. Eli Cramer was our friend, classmate and teammate. Above all, Cramer was a stranger to no one. He held a contagious energy that was integral to his team and our campus community. Like many of you, I shared classes and countless laughs with him. He was the type of person that always brightened your day. Cramer was a man who knew when to put his head down and work or when to steal the room with a sarcastic comment. Cramer was one of the best, but he never looked down on anyone. He saw people for people and loved them for who they were.
Words cannot adequately describe the sorrow and heartbreak that is flowing rampantly across our campus today. The next few days and coming weeks will bring a great deal of emotion and heartache for Cramer’s teammates, friends, family and our entire community.
We are one family at Milligan and now a part of us is forever missing. This tragedy reminds us how short and fragile our lives are. Life will always be ready to catch us off guard, storms will come and go, and trouble will always find its way into our lives. But, it’s how we respond to times of trouble that define who we are.
Finding people to share our lives with, people who show up day after day and people we trust, is rare. Yet somehow, we found an entire campus full of people ready to stand with us when we need it the most, and that time is now.
God has always had a special plan for Cramer since the beginning of his life. I think we could all speak to what he has meant in our own personal lives, but for me, Cramer was a friend. He was someone who pushed others to be the best versions of themselves and someone who brought light to any dark day.
I know we are all filled with questions and disbelief, but I hope that we can all find some peace in knowing that through all of this, we have each other. We all want to make sense of the pain and the hurt. We want there to be a purpose. God is still in control and is working inside each and every one of us.
Over the next several weeks, we must continue to show up for each other, love each other, and continue to be the Milligan family from last night’s prayer gathering. We must live fully and love deeply right now; Cramer would have wanted this. As hard as it is to process what has happened, we will get through this together with God’s timing.
Because we live on this side of life, where we’re always saying goodbye, our pain today may feel unbearable. However, I’m sure Cramer already has found his place in Heaven and is planning to meet us again someday.
Please continue to pray for Cramer’s family as they begin to make sense of yesterday’s tragedy. Pray for our entire cross country/track & field team, their coaches and our entire community.
I also ask that you continue to lift seniors Alex Mortimer and Eli Baldy up in prayer as they and their families begin to recover and make sense of what has happened.
Hold on to each other tightly today and every day. Take care of one another.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” 2 Timothy 4:7
Chase McGlamery
Student Government President
The counseling center will be open and available all day today, beginning at 8:00 a.m. There will be counseling professionals available in the resident halls throughout the weekend. We will continue to keep you updated with available resources during this time.