ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 12, 1996 TAG: 9602120054
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY AND LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITERS
Professional counselors and staff members at Radford University worked around the clock this weekend to help grieving students deal with the death of freshman Valerie Cole.
Cole, 18, was found Saturday in her Peery Hall dormitory room by another student, who called campus police at 10:32 a.m. to report Cole was not breathing. She was dead when medical personnel arrived. An autopsy will be performed today to determine the cause of death, said Chief Medical Examiner David Oxley.
University officials are waiting for the autopsy results before releasing any more information.
Kenneth Lott, assistant vice president for student affairs, said students have been using available counseling services throughout the weekend. The fact that this tragedy occurred during the weekend, Lott added, has made the grieving process more difficult.
"Students were away beginning Friday night," Lott said. "As they return to campus and hear this, it's as if we have to repeat the grieving again.
Cole, who grew up in Manassas, was a business major and a member of the university's swim club. John and Diane Cole, her parents, said the university notified them Saturday of their daughter's death. The Coles said they had no clues as to the cause of her death.
Diane Cole described her daughter as a "very popular young lady" who chose Radford for its "small, friendly environment."
"All of us are in pain," she said. "But we are not grieving for Valerie. We are Christians and we know Valerie's in heaven. It's the other kids that we're worried about - the students at Radford and here in Manassas and other universities where her friends attend."
"It's a difficult time," John Cole said. "We just lost our 18-year-old daughter. Our lives have changed forever."
A memorial service will be held Wednesday at the Manassas Saint Thomas United Methodist Church. Lott said students will decide when to hold a memorial service on campus.
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB