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Spartans Take to the Stage to Celebrate Byers’ Life Student Performer Remembered with ‘Tear-Filled Eyes’
By ARIELLE WALDMAN News Reporter
A photograph of Tessa Byers wearing a lime green sweatshirt, a colorful headband and a huge smile rested on an easel in the doorway of Falk Theatre. A line of people signed their names around the photograph before entering the theater for her memorial service on March 30. Byers, 19, a freshman, was killed in a car accident on March 5. She and five other University of Tampa students were driving to New Orleans for Mardi Gras during spring break. According to a report by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), freshman Russell Colleran, 19, was driving a 2009 five-passenger Dodge Caliber. The vehicle overturned several times after veering off the road onto a grass shoulder of Interstate 75. FHP investigators say that Byers was not wearing her seat-belt during the time of the accident. Alongside her photo sat a dish of Jolly Ranchers, Byers’ favorite candy, and fanned-out pamphlets. On the wall rested the Greek
letters of the national theater honor society, Alpha Kappa Alpha, (UT’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega) that Byers was set to be inducted into this spring. Inside the theatre, a slide show of pictures and quotes from Tessa played in the center of the stage. One quote read, “I never pay attention to time.” “Tessa lived her life on stage, so it is fitting to celebrate on stage,” said Stephanie Russell Holz, associate dean of students and director of the Office of Students Leadership and Engagement. Arthur Hollist, associate professor of English, spoke after Russell Holz. Before he spoke, he had tallied the number of hours he had spent with her in class. “I knew Tessa for 22 hours and six minutes,” said her former English professor. “You only need one or two encounters to know she is special.” He spoke about her passion and how comfortable she seemed with herself. Byers was supposed to travel to Ghana with Hollist and a group of UT students this spring. He dedicated the trip to her memory. A group of 17 students sang
Samantha Battersby/The Minaret
At Tessa Byers’ memorial service on March 30, a group of 17 students sang one of her original songs entitled, “Tearfilled Eyes.” The memorial focused in part on Byers’ passion for theatre.
one of Tessa’s original songs, titled, “Tear-filled Eyes.” Two guitarists joined in during the chorus. The audience looked around at each other through teary eyes while some grabbed hands. Four of Byers’ friends also spoke at the memorial. Tamara
Austin created a documentary from all of Byers’ photo and video footage. “I’ve been going through a lot, and making this video not only celebrated her but helped me,” said Austin. “Tear-filled Eyes” played in the background of the documentary as
images of Byers with friends and family flashed across the screen. There were several interviews in which people talked about the first time they had met Tessa.
See Top Story , Page 5
Chmura, Filloramo Elected to Lead Student Government in Fall Incoming Officers: ‘We didn’t need flyers, or banners, just word of mouth’ By JEFFREY PALMER News Reporter
Joshua Napier/The Minaret
Finance major Nick Chmura, right, and business management major Luke Filloramo, left, will be taking over SG as the president and vice president.
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Student Government President Chris McCarthy and Vice President Elbin Keeppanasseril are passing the torch of leadership to juniors Nick Chmura and Luke Filloramo this upcoming semester. Chmura, a finance major from Ohio, and Filloramo, a New Yorker studying business management and minoring in finance, met their freshman year and built a friendship through mutual friends and a wealth of shared interests and activities. First a participant in the UT Finance Committee and then its chair, newly-elected president Chmura was the first to encourage
the involvement of his vice president in student government as a senator. The motivation of the two friends in running for their current position was rooted deeply in their desire to represent and address the concerns of the student body in which they had become so heavily invested. Both aspiring business owners, Chmura and Filloramo felt they could at once serve their fellow students and develop invaluable management skills by taking up the mantles of president and vicepresident. They stated that it was not the outward prestige or accompanying stipend of heading student government that excited them the most, but rather the opportunity to
grow as effective leaders. “This is a great chance to learn management experience and build a businessman’s toolbox of skills,” said Chmura. Chmura intends to put these skills to entrepreneurial use sooner rather than later this August and is establishing betterboo.com, a social networking site devoted to helping people select gifts for friends and loved ones. Because of the heavy involvement of the two juniors in campus activities and their extensive contacts within student government and the larger UT community, Chmura and Filloramo had no need to use
See SG, Page 3
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