UChicago to hold candlelight vigil for Yiran Fan on Jan. 14

Campus community invited to Main Quad, live broadcast to remember PhD student

The following message was sent Jan. 12 to members of the University of Chicago community from Michele Rasmussen, Dean of Students in the University:

The University will hold a Candlelight Remembrance Vigil on Thursday, January 14 for Yiran Fan, a fourth-year Ph.D. student who was the victim of a homicide on January 9. The vigil will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the center circle of the Main Quadrangle, and may be attended in person or remotely through a live broadcast.

To maintain COVID-19 safety requirements, we ask that all attendees who join in person adhere to the UChicago Health Pact, including wearing a face covering during the vigil and maintaining 6-foot distance from others.

Our campus community is deeply mourning the loss of Yiran, who was an alumnus of the University’s Financial Math program and was enrolled in a joint program of the Booth School of Business and the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics. He will be remembered as a generous classmate, a superb research and teaching assistant, a promising scholar, and a kind friend. 

We in the University community extend our deepest sympathy to all those who knew Yiran, and to his family members and friends who are grappling with this terribly sad news.