Less than 24 hours after Wen Xu collapsed during a swim practice and later died, shock waves were still being felt throughout the Drury University community.
The soft-spoken senior from Shanghai was remembered by faculty for her smile, her warm heart and her commitment to excellence.
At the same time, those faculty members were asking the same question students on campus were posing to them.
Why?
“Your students aren’t supposed to die," said Brian Shipman, an instructor in the communications department. “You’re supposed to see them graduate, go on, raise families and have careers, then get back to you about how great things are going.