Evergreen students demand answers at emotional vigil for student who died Monday
A large crowd gathered at The Evergreen State College at noon Wednesday to mourn a student who died in student housing Monday in a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
Students, faculty and administrators met for a vigil at Red Square in the heart of the campus located northwest of Olympia.
The event occurred two days after Jonathan Rodriguez, a 21-year-old student from DuPont, died and two others were hospitalized. Investigators suspect carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas, poisoned the students around 8 p.m. Monday in their modular housing unit.
About a dozen attendees lined the center of the square and held signs, including some that read, “Admin kills,” “Evergreen doesn’t care about students” and “TESC has blood on their hands.” Many of them demanded justice for Rodriguez and accountability from campus administration.
Dexter Gordon, executive vice president at Evergreen, addressed the crowd at the start of the vigil. He called the event a “sacred space” to honor Rodriguez and the campus’ “shared community.”
“We come together to hold each other and hold space for each other,” Gordon said. “These developments are heartbreaking. They’re devastating to all of us. And we want to stand as a community, a community that cares. A community that affirms our common humanity.”
Counselors, a therapy dog and Washington State Patrol chaplains were on hand to support students at the vigil.
Gordon said Evergreen is supporting an ongoing WSP investigation and working to ensure students in the rest of the “mods” are safe.
“Mods” are smaller, modular buildings with larger bedrooms and two bathrooms. Each mod houses six students per building, according to college information.
Just as Gordon finished his initial speech, an attendee threw a bottle that spilled red liquid across the square before landing near his feet.
Some attendees cried. Many called for answers about the incident and questioned the administration’s version of events. At one point, the crowd began chanting, “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.”
In response to the crowd, Gordon returned to the microphone and said administration will provide information as soon as it becomes available.
Later during the vigil, organizers allowed attendees to come up to the microphone and share thoughts and memories about Rodriguez. Several people spoke about his interests as a computer science student and praised his personality.
Faculty member Dion Gouws said Rodriguez was an exemplary student in the campus’s Changemaker Lab and entrepreneurship program.
“All Jonathan wanted was justice, food justice, for people who couldn’t afford it,” Gouws said. “He wanted to bring the campus community together with doing that.”
Gouws then introduced Lise Dauble, 20, and Owen Scanlon, 23, two graduates who said they met Rodriguez on his first day at Evergreen.
“He was just an immediate draw, just someone that you could connect with instantly,” Dauble said. “He was just so kind and empathetic. I really miss him. I still can’t process. I can’t believe it, right now. We loved you, Jonathan.”
Scanlon said Rodriguez was a joyful person with a memorable laugh. He added Rodriguez was one of the few people he wanted to keep in his life after college.
“I feel bad for anyone who didn’t get to spend time in a room with him or have a day alone with him because he was there,” Scanlon said. “He was so helpful and willing and just ready to do whatever. I didn’t get to know him long enough.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Evergreen students demand answers at emotional vigil for student who died Monday."
