University community honors the
memory of senior Suzanne Jovin

Members of the University community, family and friends gathered Dec. 10 in Battell Chapel at a memorial service for Suzanne Jovin '99, who was found slain in the East Rock section of the city on Dec. 4.

Jovin, 21, was majoring in political science and was a member of Davenport College. In a special tribute to her in the Yale Daily News, she was remembered by friends and classmates for her intelligence, spirited personality and optimism, as well as for her dedication to and compassion for others.

Jovin was the student leader of the Yale College chapter of the Best Buddies program, which pairs college students with adults with mental retardation. She also volunteered as a tutor through TIES (Tutoring in Elementary Schools). Other groups she was involved in during her time at Yale include the Freshman Chorus, the Bach Society Orchestra and the German Club, which she cofounded.

Raised and educated in Goettingen, Germany, before coming to Yale, Jovin was the daughter of American scientists Thomas and Donna Jovin. She had three sisters. Friends said she was fluent in German, English, French and Spanish.

In the days following her death, Yale students also mourned the loss of their friend and classmate by holding candlelight vigils on campus.