Family, Friends Of Slain University Of Texas Student Hold Memorial Service

AUSTIN, TX -- A memorial service took place this Saturday morning for Haruka Weiser, the 18-year-old University of Texas-Austin freshman who was killed by a runaway youth on campus grounds earlier this month.

The 9 a.m. memorial service took place at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Weiser's hometown of Beaverton, Orgeon, reports KPTV News. Days before the service, friends and family gathered for an April 17 candlelight vigil at the Arts and Communication Magnet Academy where she had been a student for six years before transferring to UT on a full dance scholarship.

At today's memorial service, family members formally launched Haruka Weiser Memorial Scholarship as a living tribute to the fallen student. The memorial fund will award scholarships to students pursuing their artistic talents -- just as Haruka was enthusiastically pursuing hers at UT.

The memorial service in Beaverton was open to the public in a church that seats 900 people.

The young woman's death has prompted an outpouring of grief for the young dancer who had traveled more than 2,000 miles to pursue her own artistic dreams at UT-Austin. And earlier vigil at UT was attended by just about as many people as the distance in miles Haruka traveled to pursue her education -- about 2,000 students, faculty and others descending upon the East Mall area of the UT campus to honor her memory.

In response to the killing, university officials have asked the Texas Department of Public Safety to assess security on campus. The report won't be available until August, leaving many to wonder why more emergency security measures -- even temporary ones ahead of the formal assessment -- haven't been installed at UT-Austin in the wake of the unprecedented death of a student on campus.

The young student was killed along the small stretch of Waller Creek that runs through campus. The darkened, heavily landscaped path has been an area of concern among students and parents long before the tragic death of the promising dance major.