ORLANDO, Fla. — The University of Central Florida’s communication school is offering counseling and support for students and faculty coping with alum Dylan Lyons’ murder.

Journalism faculty members at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media have invited grief counselors into their classes, said Robert Littlefield, PhD, the school’s director.

“We need to continue to provide help and support because grief comes in waves,” Littlefield said. 

Lyons, a News 13 reporter, was among those gunned down in a string of shootings in Pine Hills last Wednesday. Five people were shot and three people were killed.

UCF Senior Caroline Brauchler, the editor-in-chief of NSM Today and vice president of UCF’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, explained the grief counselor in her capstone class wasn’t there to guide the discussion but to be there if any student needs help. 

“To be there in case any student wants to meet with them afterwards or whatever contributions that the counselor could make to our discussion to help us to identify our feelings and to understand why we feel this way,” she said.

Counseling is also available to faculty and staff, says Littlefield.

Lyons' family has reached out to discuss a potential scholarship in his honor, said Littlefield. He said other people have reached out with ideas for how to honor him.