Some students transcend university culture, but still are simultaneously misunderstood by it.
Riley Cole was a senior global politics major and history minor who was always around other students, and could be found on campus constantly at the gym, or riding his bike.
According to NBC 29, last month Riley passed away after he ran off the side of the road, overcorrected, and hit a tractor-trailer on his way home from exams.
Riley had an almost famous presence on campus, everyone knew who he was. His professors thought of him as brilliant; someone who put all his cards on the table.
“Usually he was better than prepared,” said Dr. Steven Isaac, a professor of History, who taught Riley in multiple classes and was his roommate for two weeks during a study abroad trip in Greece. “He read the material, and he thought it through. You couldn’t help but respect, and fall in love, with a student like that.”
Isaac made it clear Riley was a very dedicated student, “He always did the readings, and he was fully engaged. I definitely had to step up my game.”
Riley loved people. It only took one interaction to realize that some of his favorite things to do were to spit off trivia, talk politics, and tell jokes.
He was a student of the Longwood University Cormier Honors College where he found an on-campus family. Isaac said Cole was very close with many students in the program. “Riley had a great home because of the Honors College; those students spent a lot of time with him,” said Isaac. “They respected him as a peer, and an intellectual.”
Riley was clearly passionate in his love for Longwood, though some of his closest friends say many times other students didn’t quite understand him.
“We all know Longwood suffers from a lack of diversity,” said De’jon Bryant,a senior business major who was one of Riley’s closest friends. “A lot of people ‘knew’ Riley, and had encounters with Riley, but they might not have really known him.” He later added, “I definitely think he was an outsider at some points in the sense that it was intimidating for him because there were not a lot of people willing to step out of their comfort zone and meet him where he was.”
Riley had a different way of doing things, and often spoke his mind, being very straightforward with his opinions. Bryant mentioned, “He said a lot of thought-provoking things.”
According to people that knew him, Riley’s presence was always felt. He was often fearless when it came to talking to people on campus, and always made himself known. “Riley wasn’t someone you could overlook, because he wouldn’t let you overlook him,” said Isaac. “The first time people met him, they might not have known what to do. Once you got time with him, and understood some of his mannerisms, then you really engaged with him.”
Isaac said, Riley was a free spirit who held people accountable, and held diversity to a high accord. “He knew that not everybody got him. He knew that he was a unique individual, and he sounded like he was tuned into what his qualities were,” said Isaac. “If somebody didn’t want to get his jokes, he shrugged that off; it entertained him.”
According to Bryant, there were many times when students “just didn’t understand” Riley. “One particular incident occurred when he was upset with a grade he had gotten in one of his classes,” he said. “I noticed that he had been off to the side, planking face down on one of the benches in Ruffner (Hall). There were so many people just walking by not even acknowledging his presence. I was so disappointed that no one else asked him if he was okay.”
Bryant said Riley was a catalyst for change on campus because of the fact that he pushed people to adjust. Bryant challenged Longwood students to look at themselves, and not discount anyone. “We are considered Lancers…what does that really mean?” he said. “The values and morals that we have established early and including everyone; making sure everyone feels part of the Lancer family.”
After a long pause Bryant added, “And that’s not just through namesake and regretful posting on social media, it’s putting these things into practice.”
“It boils down to looking at yourself in the mirror. Did you do right by anybody? Did you treat him or her the way you want to be treated?” said Isaac stressing the importance of making sure everyone is accepted. “It’s utterly foundational, we study differences everyday in the classroom, so that has to translate over to everyday life.”
The Longwood University basketball team honored Riley by wearing shirts during warm-ups in a game against Presbyterian College on Jan. 14, which said “In memory of Riley Cole” on the front, and “#RileyStrong” on the back. Bryant believed the message was “powerful”. “Even though they might not have known him personally, I still think it was still a great message,” he said.
Those who knew Riley best will remember him for his warmth, thoughtfulness, and unique outlook on life. Isaac said, “You don’t get many individuals in this world, and he was totally what he was.”
Riley Cole’s vigil will be held tomorrow, January 29, at 5 p.m. in Jarman Auditorium to honor his contributions to Longwood University.
