Westminster College deals with loss of student

September 16, 2011 at 8:39 a.m. | Updated September 16, 2011 at 8:39 a.m.

Estefania Morera, president of Westminster College's International Club, shows junior Daniel Grundl how to fold paper to make an origami crane Thursday at the college. Students folded the cranes, which had prayers on them, in memory of Ruslans Petrovskis, an international student from Lativa, who died Thursday morning.
Estefania Morera, president of Westminster College's International Club, shows junior Daniel Grundl how to fold paper to make an origami crane Thursday at the college. Students folded the cranes, which had prayers on them, in memory of Ruslans Petrovskis, an international student from Lativa, who died Thursday morning.

Westminster College students, led by members of the International Club, spent Thursday morning and afternoon writing prayers and folding them into origami cranes as symbols of hope for the family of classmate Ruslans Petrovskis who died early Thursday morning.

Petrovskis, a 22-year-old international student from Latvia, had been critically injured in a bicycle accident early Saturday morning in which he fell from the bridge over Stinson Creek on West Seventh Street onto the walking trail below. The Fulton Police Department have said the incident appears to be an accident.

"Ruslans was an important member of our Westminster family. His loss will be felt especially hard in a close-knit community like ours," Westminster President Barney Forsythe said in a press release. "It is at times like this that we must support each other.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.