[Untitled]

Leslie Cirineo, a Salem State freshman, signs a tribute poster for Virginia Tech at the college's dining hall on Wednesday [April 18]. Several of the posters were placed around campus for students to write messages to the VT community. They bear the message '4-16-07 Today We're All Hokies.'

Photo by Lisa Guerriero

--

Original Source: <a href="http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354">http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354</a>

Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5</a>.

Brent Jesiek

2007-05-30

Brent Jesiek

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

eng

Salem State rallies behind Virginia Tech

By Lisa Guerriero/salem@cnc.com
GateHouse Media
Fri Apr 20, 2007, 04:30 PM EDT

SALEM - The flags at Salem State College flew at half-mast for three days this week in a show of solidarity for the 32 victims of the tragic shooting at Virginia Technical University on Monday. The gesture was perhaps the subtlest undertaken on a campus that was deeply affected by the shootings in Blacksburg, Va., the deadliest campus massacre in the nation&#39;s history.

"It&#39;s sad and kind of shocking, because you don&#39;t know if it could happen here," said SSC sophomore Jenn Runyan.

Police have identified the shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, a South Korea native and VT senior who went on a brutal shooting rampage and then turned the gun on himself, bringing the death toll to 33.

The tragedy hit home for Salem State&#39;s faculty and students, as it did at other colleges, and even more so because one of the victims was a Saugus resident, 20-year-old Ross Alameddine, a graduate of Austin Preparatory High School in Reading.

A number of SSC students have friends at Virginia Tech, and one professor taught there before coming to Salem State, said Bruce Perry, the director of the SSC campus center.
"So there&#39;s ties and connections," he said.

The president of the Student Government Association, Michael Mitchell, helped coordinate several events and tributes in response to the tragedy and received some 50 e-mails from students offering to help organize a memorial.

"We had a meeting (of the Student Government Association) and it came up that we, as students, can&#39;t sit by and let this go unnoticed," said Mitchell.

Salem State was on break for Patriots Day when the shooting happened on Monday, and when students returned Tuesday, campus was buzzing as students exchanged information and pieced together what had happened in Blacksburg. By Wednesday, the effort to support Virginia Tech was already under way.

Perry received an e-mail from Julie Walters-Steele, the director of university unions at VT, asking colleges and universities across the country to send cards and messages. A spot had been cleared at VT to display the tokens of support, and Salem State is doing its part to fill that spot.

"I think people were looking for something positive to do, some way to express their emotions around it," Perry said.

Salem State rolled into action, setting up posters at hotspots around campus. Large posters bore the outline of the Virginia Tech logo, with ribbons decorating the inside of the letters "VT." The posters read, "4-16-07 Today We&#39;re All Hokies," in honor of the name of Virginia Tech&#39;s turkey-like mascot. That day, students in the dining hall crowded around one of the posters to write messages and pin on flowers and white ribbons.

"To the Virginia Tech community - Salem State will keep you, the victims and their families in our hearts," one wrote. Students in the dining hall on Wednesday evening told the Gazette the shooting summoned feelings of sadness, sympathy and even a degree of fear.

"We relate to it more. Just because we&#39;re on a campus, and it could happen here," said Emily Marte, a sophomore who will be a resident advisor next year. She noted that an RA was one of the first killed during the Virginia Tech shooting.

"It makes you feel different when you look at people," added Stephanie Baez, a sophomore.

Students and faculty found another outlet to express themselves and show support through Facebook, the social networking Web site used by colleges around the country. Mitchell, the Student Government Association president at SSC, had seen a Facebook group created after the 1997 high school shooting in Bowling Green, Ky. Mitchell took the lead from them and created a Facebook group called "Salem State Remembers Virginia Tech." The image for the group is a hybrid of the Salem State and Virginia Tech logos.

Mitchell sent out a message to about 300 people affiliated with his Facebook, who in turn passed the information along to their friends and peers. Within a day, 700 Salem State students had joined the group, posting messages of sympathy for the VT community and making suggestions for how Salem State could contribute.

"It&#39;s really powerful to see in one day, one-fifth of the campus come to stand behind Virginia Tech," Mitchell said.

SSC student Pat Reidy said many Salem State students changed the images on their Facebook profiles from their own photos to the VT logo. "It got around really quick," Reidy said.

One of the most important messages shared was a call for the college to organize a vigil. Just as quickly as the posters were created and the Facebook group formed, faculty and students at SSC organized the vigil, which is scheduled for Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m. outside the Central Campus residence hall. Organizers made the decision to open the vigil to the public, to anyone who wants to show support and reflect on the tragedy.

"It&#39;s a time for the community to come together to express their emotion in regard to the tragedy that happened," Perry said.

The student government and the college pooled some money to purchase 1,100 white T-shirts that say the VT logo and the phrase "4-16-07 Today We&#39;re All Hokies," as well as 1,000 white ribbons for participants to pin on their shirts or bags.

The college plans to line up participants to spell out the VT that is the Virginia Tech logo, and take an aerial photo to send to the university. SSC President Nancy Harrington will attend, and several student leaders will offer brief remarks. Mitchell hopes one of the deans, who is also a pastor, will lend his services.

Perry said his office teamed with the Residence Hall Association, faculty members and the Student Government Association to coordinate the events, but students were the driving force.
"The whole idea has sprung from the students," Perry said.

Mitchell said he hasn&#39;t seen the student community so collectively moved since the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He sees a few core reasons for the outpouring of support. It hits home that a victim was from a neighboring town and that students and a professor have ties there.

"That, coupled with the fact that the victims are all their age," Mitchell said, "and it happened on a campus - it could have happened here. It really could have."

The public is invited to a vigil for the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting and their families, hosted by Salem State College. The vigil will be held Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m. outside the Central Campus residence hall.

A memorial fund has been established to remember and honor the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. The fund will pay for counseling, memorials and other expenses. To contribute, visit www.vt.edu/tragedy/memorial_fund.php.

--

Original Source: <a href="http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354">http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354</a>

Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5</a>.

Lisa Guerriero / GateHouse Media

2007-05-30

Brent Jesiek

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

eng

VA Tech shooting - Collegiate Newspaper - class takes cover

Students gather in Holden Hall during the massacre at Virginia Tech

License
The statement below was made by the photographer:

I hereby license the attached photo under the GNU Free Documentation License with the following statement:

Copyright (c) 2007 William Chase Damiano. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Chase Damiano

2007-05-24

Chad Newswander

License
The statement below was made by the photographer:

I hereby license the attached photo under the GNU Free Documentation License with the following statement:

Copyright (c) 2007 William Chase Damiano. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

eng

Emails to VT STS 2154 students dated Mon Apr 16 to Sat Apr 21, 2007

On 4/16/07 12:21 PM, "jlehr@vt.edu" <jlehr@vt.edu> wrote:
Subject Line: DO NOT COME TO CAMPUS

All, please do not attempt to drop off the paper that is due today. I will send an update.

BE SAFE. I AM SO SORRY.
Please be safe. I hope that you are all okay.

Jane Lehr

--
Dr. Jane L. Lehr
Department of Science & Technology in Society
Virginia Tech, Mail Code 0247
Blacksburg, VA 24061
IM/IChat: janengcult


On 4/16/07 7:57 PM, "jlehr@vt.edu" <jlehr@vt.edu> wrote:
Subject Line: today&#39;s events

Students,
I am very worried about you all. If you have a moment, and if I have not already spoken with you by IM/phone/email, I would very much appreciate it if you would send me an email letting me know that you are alright. I very much hope that you all are. I wish there were something I could do. And if you wish to talk, etc., if I can be of any assistance, feel free to call at the number below.

JL

-----

Blackboard Announcement [Posted by Jane Lehr at 1:55 pm]
Mon, Apr 16, 2007 -- Papers, etc.
Students, your primary responsibility today is to yourselves, your friends, and your family. Please do not come to campus to drop off your papers. You can turn in hard copies on Thursday in class (assuming classes are not canceled). I understand if you are unable to turn in electronic copies by 5 pm. Please just do so as soon as possible.

I have spoken with a number of you by IM. I sincerely hope that all of my students are safe, as are your friends. My thoughts are with you. If for any reason you need to speak with me, you can call me at 540-320-5137. You can also reach me by IM/I-chat at janengcult.

I also understand that may need to reschedule your online chat.

--
Dr. Jane L. Lehr
Department of Science & Technology in Society
Virginia Tech, Mail Code 0247
Blacksburg, VA 24061
IM/IChat: janengcult


On 4/19/07 4:48 PM, "jlehr@vt.edu" <jlehr@vt.edu> wrote:
Subject Line: Thu, Apr 19, 2007 -- Procedure for the Completion of the Spring 2007 Academic Semester

Dear Students,
I can only begin to convey my sorrow and grief regarding the events of last Monday. Like many of you, I have struggled to find words -- and found it a nearly impossible task. My attention is now focused on developing a plan of action for the rest of the semester. You will find a copy of university procedures for the completion of the Spring 2007 academic semester below. I will be posting an updated schedule and list of assignments shortly, for students who wish to complete all or a portion of the Humanities, Technology and the Life Sciences class.

Our challenge, as a class, is to determine how, if at all, perspectives and tools we have explored and/or were scheduled to explore in this course can assist us in beginning to imagine the post-April 16th world. We are also encouraged by many to return to &#39;everyday life&#39; and &#39;everyday tasks&#39; -- even though there is nothing &#39;everyday&#39; about the situation in which we find ourselves. Building off of Dr. McNamee&#39;s statement below, I want to emphasize that I recognize that different students will have different needs and desires -- as well as differing abilities to return to campus or to our class. I am committed to a policy and practice of flexibility. I am committed to supporting you in any way in which I am able. I am committed to you and this university. We all are -- amidst all the diversity of this campus and within our course -- Virginia Tech.

If you did not attend the convocation, and have not done so already, I strongly encourage you to read the transcript of Nikki Giovanni&#39;s convocation address: http://www.vt.edu/tragedy/giovanni_transcript.php

Finally, Governor Kaine has declared Friday, April 20, 2007 a statewide day of mourning for the victims of Monday&#39;s tragedy. In many communities, this will include prayer services beginning at noon. In many cases, these prayer services will be predominantly or fully-oriented within the Christian faith. I recognize that there are some students who either are not involved in a faith community or who do not identify as Christian. I recognize that these students may feel particularly challenged in locating resources or support options. Thus, again, I wish to state that my door is open to all, whether or not you continue in the course; that my door is open to students of all faiths, practices, and philosophies; and that I will work with you to assist you in locating the resources you need, no matter what these are.

With much sorrow ...

--
Dr. Jane L. Lehr
Department of Science & Technology in Society
Virginia Tech, Mail Code 0247
Blacksburg, VA 24061
IM/IChat: janengcult



On 4/21/07 3:55 PM, "jlehr@vt.edu" <jlehr@vt.edu> wrote:
Subject line: Important Update: Humanities, Technology & the Life Sciences

Dear Students,
In the past day or so, I have begun to reflect on how privileged I am, in a way, that I, as the instructor of 2 Spring 07 classes, have been forced to turn my attention away to logistical considerations.

I realize that, to date, I have responded to this tragedy primarily as an &#39;educator at Virginia Tech&#39; -- seeking to track down all of &#39;my&#39; students, feeling immense relief each time I hear from one of you, crying when I read your IM away messages (my poor student from Engineering Cultures who was lab partners with Henry Lee ...), even starting a website for other educators entitled &#39;Teaching After April 16th&#39;.

While not yet announced, the wiki section of this site will be located at:
http://www.cddc.vt.edu/after.april.16/wiki/

This has protected me, I think, from being overwhelmed by my response to these events as a former student -- as someone who spent 8 years here earning two degrees; as someone who surprised herself while living in London by answering that she was "from Virginia, from Blacksburg, from Virginia Tech" ... As someone who was thrilled when the men&#39;s basketball team was invited to play in the NCAA tournament this year ... How surprising to me, a northeast girl who grew up mainly in PA who eschewed Penn State as an undergraduate college because it was "too big," because it was "too football," because it was "too ..." to find that I, in fact, love this university.

That said, I am writing with an update on our course.

* We will meet on T Apr 24 at our regular time. I encourage all of you, whether or not you believe you will complete any more assignments, to come to class.

* Many of you have already submitted Analysis #2 in Blackboard, and I have received a number of hard copies in my mailbox. If you have not done so already, please, if you are able, bring a hard copy to class when you return. If you have not yet completed Analysis #2, it would be fantastic if I could receive these by F Apr 27th -- however, I am also flexible on this, so please get in touch to discuss.

* If you decide to not complete any additional assignments, for most of you your grade will be based on:
1) Blackboard Homepage 1 point
2) Class Lead 5 points
3) Analysis #1 (5-7 pages) 5 points
4) Analysis #2 (5-7 pages) 10 points
5) Online Discussion 1 (IM) (2) 4 points
6) Blog: Reading/Class Discussion Responses 15 points
7) Blog: Film Diary 7.5 points
8) Blog: Participation Journal 5 points
9) Blog: Responses to Cohort Members 7.5 points
10) In-Class Participation 10 points

That means that, for most of you, 70 points are currently possible.

Some of you may have already posted responses in your blog about one or more cultural event(s). Each cultural event is worth an additional 2.5 possible points.

Some of you have not yet done a class lead. If you were scheduled to do a class lead after April 15, your total possible points, to date, are 65.

* Remaining Assignments: As you know, you have the option of choosing to complete any or all remaining assignments. These include:
1) Class evaluations: 1.5 points
2) IM Chat 2: 3.5 points
3) Feminist/Anti-Racist Sci-Fi Project: 10 points
4) Analysis #3: 10 points
5) Blog: Cultural Events: 5 points

Any additional blog postings will only boost your grade. I encourage you, if you wish, to transform your blog into a site of reflection regarding recent events. They are your blogs -- you own them. Do with then what you will.

* Sci-Fi Presentations: On Tuesday, you will have the opportunity to talk with your cohort, if you have not done so already, about whether or not you wish to complete this assignment either as a cohort or individually. So far, I have come up with a number of different completion scenarios. These include:
1) You can choose to present in class on either Th Apr 26 or T May 1;
2) You can choose to present to me (and any other members of our class who want to come) on Reading Day (Th May 3) -- off-campus location TBA;
3) You can create a webpage or powerpoint presentation by Fri May 4, that I will make available/link to on our Blackboard site for other people to look at.

* 2nd IM Chat -- again, on Tuesday you can discuss with your cohort.

* Current grades: I need to go through all of your blogs as soon as possible to determine your current blog grades. If you have been completing all your required postings and responding to your cohort members, your blog grade will be in the B+ to A+ range. I will do this as soon as possible.

I also expect that grades on Analysis #2 will be no lower than a B/B- (based on past work) and that a large number of you will receive As, as was the case with Analysis #1.

* Updated reading schedule: Please see Blackboard. If you are scheduled to do a class lead, please let me know as soon as possible if you plan to do so. (If you have not yet done a class lead and are not scheduled, yet want to do one, please let me know, too.)

Students, you each are so precious -- I can only begin to imagine the pain and grieving of those who have lost someone close.

I am so sorry.

I very much hope to see each of you again in class. If you cannot come to class, please remember that you are still welcome to come speak with me.

I am so sorry.


--
Dr. Jane L. Lehr
Department of Science & Technology in Society
Virginia Tech, Mail Code 0247
Blacksburg, VA 24061
IM/IChat: janengcult

Jane Lehr

2007-05-04

Jane Lehr

eng

In Honor and Remembrance

Memorial to nine student victims from Virginia Tech&#39;s Department of Political Science and International Studies Program.

Karen Nicholson

2007-04-26

Brent Jesiek

eng