Soren Spickna118¢ Genevieve Hummel
TECHNEWS WRITERS

Late last week, many of us here at
Illinois Tech lost a friend, collaborator, and
inspiration Iay Morris was killed by a fellow
classmate outside Keating Sports Center
in the early hours of Thursday morning,
followed by a series of commemorative
events demonstrating the impact he had on
the student community He was a dedicated
student leader at the university, and will be
missed Here are some brief observations from
many here at IIT who came in contact with
him at one point or another:

Angie Iarka

“I had the pleasure of watching Iay
progress through his education at Illinois Techl
He was one of the kindest, most dedicated,
generous, respected, intelligent, and positive
gentlemen that I’ve ever had the pleasure
of knowing I remember him bringing his
adorable young daughter in the computer lab
and they were both working on homeworkl
He was an amazing father, diligent student and
a true representation of a brilliant and hard
working young man He went out of his way
to help other students and was the first one
to volunteer and take on new projects This
senseless tragedy still seems like a bad dream
I can’t imagine not seeing his smiling face on
campus He had so much left to offer this world
and I’m heartbroken for his family and the
world at what a lossl I miss you lay and hope
you are at peace I will never forget your Gone
too soon my friend"

Arlene Hayes

“Jay was a man to be admired His
passion, drive and commitment inspired me
every time we spoke As a representative of the
students he was always trying to find a better
way to reach out to people and to provide the
best for them He would send me messages at
1 am because he had just thought of a way
around a problem we were having, or he just
remembered something from a meeting he
had attended and wanted to get my feedback
as soon as possible He was dependable and
reliable but nothing came before his girls The
night before an event he would send me a quick
text full of apology because something came
up and he had to be with one ofhis daughters
“I gotta be there for my girls" or “My girls
need me" was a common thing to hear him
say It always made me smile just to hear him
talk about them because the dedication was
palpable There would always be a look of pure
joy on his face, just knowing that he was doing
everything he possibly could for them

He had so many hopes and dreams
He oftentalked about his plans after graduation,
the comp any he was aiming to work for, the life
he wanted for himself and his family He was a
simple man with a heart that seemed too big
even for his body We would be carrying items
from the RHA office to one place or another
and he would see me organizing boxes and
offer to take them all himself “I’m just trying
to make it easy for you," he would say, then he
would still try to open the door for me with his
arms full There was no rejecting his help A
true gentleman in every sense of the word

I could go on and on as more of
our brief interactions come to mind but every
single person who has come into contact
with this man has firsthand knowledge of the
impression he leaves with you I can only hope

 

 

Student newspaper of Illinois Institute of Technology since 1928

Illinois Tech remembers Jermiron ‘Jay' Morris

that lay knew how loved he was, how much
easier he made the lives of everyone around
him and the smiles he still brings to our hearts
as we remember him now and always“ May
his beautiful soul find comfort in a place
beyond this world Rest in peace Jay"

Khadijah Muhammad

“Jay was like a big brother to me He
always told me I was doing a good job even
when I didn’t thinkI was He was a member of
BSU that I am president of, but to be honest he
really was a special part of the exec board He
really help ed me push and talk about the topics
that I was scared about and he introduced me
to people I never would have thought to meet
He was such a fun person and was always the
life of the party I feel that he was doing what
Jill Scott sang many years ago He was living his
life like it’s golden with the people he loved"

Soren Spicknall

“Jay was one of those people who
truly didn’t care what other groups you were
a part of or where you came from; if you were
ever on a team with him, he was an immediate
friend and resource Though my interactions
with him were mostly through organizations
like RHA and SGA, it was clear that on a
human level, he was a genuinely kind and
determined person Iay had the combination
of high spirits and work ethic that we should
all aspire to, and the world is certainly better
off for him having been here?’

Genevieve Hummel

“I only met lay a couple weeks ago,
at the student organization fairl We were
at adjacent tables and we ended up talking
about what we were involved in on campus
He had seen me around and had noticed me
at the senate meetings He told me that he
appreciated that I covered the meetings for
TechNews We only talked for a couple of
hours, but our conversation stayed with me I

remember thinking to myself that lay was the
kind of guy I wanted to get to know better In
the couple of hours we spent talking I already
knew that lay was the kind of person everyone
wanted to have as a friend When I found out
what happened I was shocked and incredibly
sad The world has truly lost a great person
and an amazing friend My thoughts and
condolences go out to everyone that knew Jay,
may he rest in peace"

I. Echols

“I had the opportunity to assist Iay
during the admission process to IIT and saw
a tremendous amount of potential from the
startl He has truly been an asset to IIT and his
legacy is a strong motivation for many who
want to do better I count it as an honor to
have known him and hope his journey serves
a positive example for all especially for the

 

Photo by Snren Spicknall

African American male, young and old“

Katrina Matusak-Errant

“I knew Iay as a gentleman, friend,
and former classmatel I reflect on all the
people’s lives he could have changed if he was
still with us This was a senseless loss"

Wallace Muhammad III

“What I admired about Iay was his
spirit, person, and impact on those around
him He was the embodiment of greatness
and righteousness and one of the greatest and
most inspiring people I have ever met in my
life Many people whose lives he’s touched
looked upon him as a mentor, not just for his
wisdom, but for his humanity His spirit was
an inspiration to everyone that knew him,
even for a short period One conversation or
interaction with him was all that was needed
to appreciate this great man along with all his
credentials His involvement and leadership
at Illinois Tech was unparalleled He was a
man purely devoted to the best and the good

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in all people He worked tirelessly without
falter during the entirety of his career at our
university for the best of the university He
was a completely selfless man and had a level
of strength and resolve that was rare to find
The trials he had to face were very challenging,
but you would never know as it never showed
He had the strength to remain at peace with
himself and maintain the love of everyone he
met All you’d see is a happy face and peaceful
spirit when you talked to him His humility
was so presentl Nothing weighed him down,
and that is something I personally have been
motivated to aspire to because of him But
it’s not only me, the characteristics of this
man were something everyone who has met
and known him aspire to He inspired me as
the community service chair to grow in that
position His vision for me and everyone
was always hugel His ambition just showed
his strength and he always had a game plan
for large scale greatness He never expressed
any deterrents, and encouraged everyone he’s
met of their capacity and potential He knew
everyone had the ability for greatness and was
always there to remind and encourage them
of it He was fearless in his pursuit for large
scale improvementl His vision for the future
and our future set numerous milestones for
our community For me, he always told me
the importance of establishing relationships
and I believe there is so much wisdom in
that That, I believe, is so overlooked The
gifts of knowledge that he had and worked
for were always given and used to the best of
its ability The insight that he had was very
powerful and I have to always thank him
for giving me a piece of it He told me that
companies and top employers were actively
looking for those underrepresented, he knew
this from experience and the relationships
that he established He didn’t just talk the
talk, he walked the walk, he was a man of his
word and always lived by what he said He
had established relationships with numerous
people and leaders and always made an effort
to share what he could to those who needed
it, the younger generation He also told me his
desire to have us reach out to other schools
and form a coalition, and connection of BSUs
and businesses in our neighborhood We can
have such a big impact on things outside of
our university too and he saw and expressed
that on a regular basis He had a vision for
the capacity of the students here, a very large
vision, one that would intimidate most, but he
always believed in it and believed in us without
fear, but with only desire and drive But because
of his humility he never forced on us, he would
always say that it was just what he believed,
and that we should do what we thought was
best But we all knew that we should follow his
words, his ideas were incredibly beneficial to
everyone, so we made it a point to force it on
ourselves and continue to do so today and for
the future The groundwork he has laid will
never be forgotten and will be used to help us
grow for the end of time? '

Antoinette Wright

“On the behalf of his family, we
really appreciate all the kind words and the
time taken out to acknowledge the good deeds
that he accomplished in his life He was truly a
blessing to us and we see that he was a blessing
to others also His legacy will continue to live
on through all of the good that he has done?’