"We do not forget".
On the phone, Gaëlle Rochenoir weighs each of her words.
The legal manager of the association which manages the Leonardo da Vinci university was already in post two years ago when John Dowling, a “formidable and full of humanity” English teacher, was killed by a former student in front of the La Défense university center.
READ ALSO>
The murderer of John Dowling suffers from "a paranoid psychosis"
“We were all deeply shocked at the time of the incident,” she recalls.
But above all saddened by this immense loss.
John was an extremely appreciated, available, open teacher.
"" I thought it was a bad joke when it was announced to me, says Pierre
(the first names of the students have been changed)
, a former student at the engineering school of the university center.
He was the last person I would have imagined such a thing for.
"
This appalling murder took place on December 5, 2018, on the forecourt of the Leonardo da Vinci university hub.
A little before noon, when he was leaving to buy some lunch, John Dowling had been attacked by a former student who had stabbed him several times, fatal.
Two years, to the day, have passed since then.
"John was someone who was greatly appreciated"
This Saturday, despite the confinement and the absence of the students at the pole, a tribute will be paid to the professor disappeared on the internal networks of the university.
The word in his honor will remain online for several days.
“We can't do much more at the moment because of the context, regrets Gaëlle Rochenoir.
But it's important to remember.
We all remember it.
We are very united.
"
Last year, on the same date, a text and a photo of the professor were displayed on all the screens of the pole.
“It's no wonder.
John was someone who was highly regarded, even by those who were not his students, observes Pierre, one of the few students who agreed to testify.
When we had English, we hoped to have it as a teacher.
"
“It was a shock to learn of his death and the reason for his death.
We talked about it a lot at the time, adds Martin, who knew John Dowling during his second year of studies at the pole.
I think I remember it all my life.
"
At the time of the facts, a tribute had been paid to the professor, present since the creation of the pole in the 1990s. “It helped us to move forward because we were able to meet, discuss it, explains the legal manager.
We remembered what John was, what he brought to the pole.
"
The psychological cell is still active, security increased
At the time, an exceptional psychological cell had been created to "take calls from students and staff".
Two years later, it still exists.
“The first unit was active for a few months then another took over.
We couldn't see each other stopping everything and we did well to keep it.
Today, she supports students in all difficulties, ”explains Gaëlle Rochenoir.
Hauts-de-Seine newsletter
Every morning, the news of your department seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
Professionals are available 24 hours a day on a telephone line for students and staff.
And a psychologist also comes to the pole once a week.
"We have also seen that security, which was already very present at the pole, was reinforced after the tragedy", observes Pierre.
"We have increased vigilance", abounds Gaëlle Rochenoir.
Two years later, teachers and students have therefore resumed the course of their lives, as best they can.
“I sometimes think about it from time to time,” Martin admits.
At the sight of messages on groups of former students or even current events get involved, such as the assassination of Samuel Paty, last October.
"I immediately made the link and it inevitably brought up this bad memory," says Martin.
I talked about it with my friends.
We don't understand how we can end up killing someone just for that… ”
This Saturday, everyone will therefore have a thought for John Dowling, this “peerless” teacher.
And Gäelle Rochenoir concludes: “what matters to us is his memory”.