Noa Cadet | Staff Writer
Photo Credit: Hampton University | HU News
There is no such thing as being too careful.
As students fly from one party to the next, they must always keep in the back of their minds that anything can happen, and the important part is to know exactly where you’re going, and who is going to be there, in order to ensure your own safety.
Thursday marked the fourth anniversary of the devastating loss of Hampton University journalism student Joseph K. Bose.
According to the Daily Press, Bose was shot and killed by an unknown assailant outside of a party near West 35th Street and Killam Avenue in Norfolk on Oct. 31, 2015. While law enforcement has been working to find the killer behind such a cold and senseless act of violence, no culprit has yet been found.
In a one-on-one interview with B. DàVida Plummer, dean of the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, she revealed that the Joseph K. Bose Endowed Scholarship was created after his death to keep the memory of the young man alive and to “encourage young men to pursue goals of higher education.”
The scholarship is under the jurisdiction of the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, and the journalism school website describes eligibility for the scholarship as going to “a well deserving Hampton University junior male student majoring in journalism with a grade point average of 2.5 or better.” This in particular, was meant to honor Joseph Bose, who was a junior journalism major.
To this date, there have been three recipients of this award: Phillip Jackson for the 2016-2017 school year, Donald Huskey for the 2017-2018 school year and finally Randall Williams for the 2018-2019 school year. A decision has not been made on who will receive the the award for this school year.
The Joseph Bose Scholarship is a way to keep Bose’s memory alive and to remember him as he lived. In addition, Hampton students must remember to take great caution when venturing outside the boundaries of the university, and to be aware of what is going on around the venue where these parties and celebrations are being held.
When asked what message she would like to send to all Hampton students in light of such a life changing tragedy, Dean Plummer was quick to respond.
“Each year, we want to remind our young men, and students in general, to be safe and aware of their environment,” Plummer said. “This is the time to remind anyone who knew Joseph and knew what happened to please offer their information to the police, and to continue to seek goals of higher education.”
Even if you don’t have any information to give, any support given would be much appreciated. If you, or anyone else, wish to donate to the Joseph K. Bose Endowed Scholarship, the website for the Scripps Howard School of Journalism adds insight by saying that one can write a check out to “Hampton University – Joseph K. Bose Endowed Scholarshipi.”
The death of a young individual was heartbreaking for Hampton University. This is just one of the many ways that his memory is kept alive—by how he lived and who he was, rather than how he left us.
The Hampton Script 