The Burrus Hall

A banner from Anderson University, on display in front of Burruss Hall, reads "We are all Hokies today as we share in your grief, may God grant you strength for the dark days ahead, solace for your pain and suffering, and courage for a brighter tomorrow."

Jinfeng Jiao

2007-08-14

Na Mi

eng

Sports can help ease pain at VT

By: Matt Sohn
Posted: 4/20/07
Nobody's quite sure what to expect when the Miami University football players don the Red and White for Friday's annual spring scrimmage. On the one hand, injuries have continued to decimate a team still smarting from its 2-10 campaign of 2006, but on the other hand, the RedHawks return the core of the fastest team in the MAC.

The question of whether they're reeling or ready will soon be answered.

No such questions exist for the football team of Virginia Tech. Led by one of the nation's elite defenses, the Hokies stand as the overwhelming favorite to win the ACC next season.

Thousands of fans were expected to pack Lane Stadium for Saturday's spring game in anticipation of a banner season in Blacksburg, Va. But, because of a cascade of bullets that ripped through the heart of the Hokie nation, no such game will be played.

Shouts of "Hokie Hokie Hokie High!" have been replaced by the tearful hysteria of a campus coming to grips with the fact that their lives will never be the same.

When looking back at my college career, the one constant I could always count on was change. Midway through my first year, I was assigned a new roommate. I've switched my major. I've fallen in love and have had my heart broken. I've been praised for my writing and have received hate mail.

Nowhere has the concept of change been more pervasive than in the world of sports.

As a wide-eyed first-year in 2002, I was among the tens of thousands in the Yager Stadium bleachers as Miami was just a few minutes shy of toppling an Iowa team that would go undefeated in Big Ten play. Two years ago, I was one of just a couple hundred to witness Bowling Green pound the RedHawks in a 42-14 romp in tornado-like conditions. I've seen the North Dakota hockey team shut Miami out in the opening game of 2005, only to watch Miami climb to No. 1 in the polls later that season. There was the nostalgic farewell to Goggin, the groundbreaking of the Steve Cady Arena and hard times on the hardwood followed by Doug Penno's heroism.

In sports and in life, hope springs eternal.

So what do you say to a Virginia Tech community whose indelible image of college is that of their classmates, friends, professors and lovers senselessly slaughtered? How does a mother cope with seeing her son's farewell to Blacksburg be in a body bag instead of on a graduation podium? The sad truth is that for the grieving Hokie family, there's no salve for their wound.

Even with all the advancements in medical science, there's no painkiller for this kind of hurt - no stadium construction, buzzer-beater or championship ring that will ever change the reality of those dealing with premature death.

What these men and women can do is remind themselves that to make the most of every moment as the universal healing power of time runs its course.

A similar lesson applies to everyone, everywhere. For those of us biding our final days in Oxford, let's not bemoan our imminent departure, but rather celebrate our journey. For those continuing your collegiate experience, make plans for making the most of your time here.

And this is where the beauty of sport lies for everybody. For the majority of us, our life's course won't be affected by athletics. It won't give us a raise or get us fired, won't find us happiness or despair in romance, nor will it ease the agony from the families of Virginia Tech and others coping with tragedy.

What it can do, however, is provide us with a needed respite from the constant grind of life. When the Hokie football team storms the field Sept. 1 for its season-opening clash with Eastern Carolina, nobody will forget the massacre that afflicted their campus months earlier. But, for a three-hour stretch on a Saturday afternoon, they can turn their attention away from grief, schoolwork and jobs, and onto the raucous adulation that transpires on the field.

As Tom Cochran's song reminds us, "Life is a highway," and as sports remind us, there are many rest stops along the way.

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2007/04/20/Sports/Sports.Can.Help.Ease.Pain.At.Vt-2870599.shtml>The Miami Student - April 20, 2007</a>

Matt Sohn

The Miami Student

2007-08-14

Sara Hood

"Skotzko, Stacey Nicole" <skotzksn@muohio.edu>

eng

Mourning of Va. Tech loss not over

By: Elizabeth Miller
Posted: 4/20/07
I am rarely at a loss for words. But now, as I approach this column after a week of tragedy - both at Miami University and nationwide - I can hardly form a rational thought. Somehow a 500-word column needs to be written on a topic that I cannot find one suitable word for.

I don&#39;t need to recall the events of Saturday night at Miami, or Monday afternoon at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Nothing that I say can express the individual grief, confusion and frustration that we feel. Like you, I&#39;ve been watching the news and discussing it in class. Sometimes the facts are accurate. Sometimes they&#39;re just pieces of rumor that patch together some semblance of truth. I guess when you&#39;re desperate for answers, almost anything helps.

But as I&#39;m flipping through the channels of repeated footage, I&#39;m shocked to hear how quickly the actual disaster has been swept aside. The news is flooded with debate about Virginia gun sales and the failure of campus crisis communication. Somehow CNN and ABC find it appropriate to spark these debates right now. Gun control. University communication policy. The horror of this tragedy cannot be simplified into a policy debate. Not yet, anyways. This is about people. People were murdered, first and foremost. The aftermath should be filled with reverence and condolences for the victims. The focus should be for the families left behind, the campus that will be shaken forever and the lives that were taken.

We have to let ourselves grieve. We have to take time to hurt, to sympathize, to feel, to pray. This isn&#39;t a time to blame. Yes, there will be a time to discuss methods of prevention. That time is not now.

It is simply disrespectful to ignite any heated policy debate that supersedes the mourning for the lost lives. Of course, it&#39;s natural to seek blame and explanation when such an event happens. So, yes, we can point fingers. We can assume things about the school, the policies, the killer, the situation at-large. It&#39;s a natural reaction to assign blame at a time like this. But assigning blame won&#39;t bring those students and faculty back.

Like I said, I&#39;m at a loss for eloquent words that can articulate the disaster. Words alone will not solve the confusion, they won&#39;t mend the grief. I&#39;m at a loss for words, but I&#39;m not at a loss for feeling. And perhaps that&#39;s all we can do for now. We can feel. We have to let ourselves grieve. This isn&#39;t a time to blame the state of Virginia for gun control policies. This isn&#39;t a time to question the administrative communication of the university. We will have months, maybe years, ahead for that. This tragedy isn&#39;t about policy. It&#39;s about lives. And for now, the respect for those who died and the sympathy for the families left behind should be the forefront of our concern.

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2007/04/20/OpedPage/Mourning.Of.Va.Tech.Loss.Not.Over-2870733.shtml>The Miami Student - April 20, 2007</a>

Elizabeth Miller

The Miami Student

2007-08-14

Sara Hood

"Skotzko, Stacey Nicole" <skotzksn@muohio.edu>

eng

Ribbons of remembrance

People tied maroon and orange ribbons on trees to express grief and remembrance a week after April 16.

Na Mi

2007-08-14

Na Mi

eng

EDITORIAL: Consoling Virginia Tech

By:Anonymous
Posted: 4/17/07

On one of the most celebratory Mondays on Boston&#39;s calendar -- a day when students forget about classes and hit the streets for a citywide party -- the Virginia Tech campus was in shock and mourning.

In the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, a gunman murdered 32 community members and wounded 15 others before taking his own life yesterday.

This page can barely begin to express its deepest sympathies to the Virginia Tech community. When Boston University loses any one of its members, the campus has a difficult time recovering. To lose 32 community members in fewer than three hours is unimaginable.

The most frightening element of this tragedy is that it was virtually unpreventible. No matter how much money a university pours into its security plan, no matter how often safety procedures are rehearsed, little can prevent a suicidal gunman from going on a rampage.

This mass murder is part of the violence this country has been forced to become accustomed to. Many may not consider Monday&#39;s shooting an act of terrorism, but that is exactly what it was. Ever since Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher in Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, this sort of terrorism has been part of our reality.

But that doesn&#39;t remove the distress and pain felt after it happens. Blacksburg, Va. may be more than 700 miles from Boston, but the emotions still hit close to home. College students have a connection to universities across the country. Most students know someone, or have a friend of a friend, or have some other tie to Virginia Tech.

Even if students don&#39;t have these personal connections, they have the bond of being college students -- going to class, sleeping in late, going out on weekends and being close to friends. And sadly the thought about the possibility of a gunman coming into their classrooms and opening fire is a concern that crosses many students&#39; minds. But no one can possibly fathom what this horrific experience would actually feel, sound or look like. Hopefully, most never will.

Virginia Tech will likely never fully recover from what happened yesterday. Coping with the most destructive shooting this country has ever seen will be a slow and seemingly impossible task. Though it may sound insincere or contrived because it will be so difficult, this message isn&#39;t meant to be such: We wish the speediest recovery to the Virginia Tech community.

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/04/17/Opinion/Editorial.Consoling.Virginia.Tech-2846306.shtml>The Daily Free Press - April 17, 2007</a>

Anonymous

The Daily Free Press

2007-08-14

Sara Hood

Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>

eng

Grieving nation copes with tragedy

<b>BU assessing safety, mental health concerns</b>

By: Barbara Rodriguez
Posted: 4/18/07

Boston University officials are still assessing how Monday&#39;s deadly shootings at Virginia Tech will prompt any changes in BU&#39;s security and mental health services.

Officials will be monitoring the campus "climate" during the next few days, speaking with the Office of Residence Life and other departments that work with students, said Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore.

More than 100 BU community members gathered on Marsh Plaza yesterday afternoon at a candlelight vigil to remember the victims, many of whom were Virginia Tech students and a few professors.

Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech senior from South Korea, shot and killed 30 people in an academic building around 9:15 a.m., two hours after he killed two students in a residence hall Monday morning on the Blacksburg, Va. campus. Cho injured more than 15 others and shot and killed himself following the second shooting, police say.

Marsh Chapel officials have been talking with students in person and through email, said Marsh Chapel dean Robert Hill. Representatives from the Florence & Chafetz Hillel House and the Newman House, which houses the university&#39;s Catholic Center, were also available at the vigil.

"I was surprised by the number [of people at the vigil]," Hill said.

Elmore and BU Police Department Chief Thomas Robbins attended a city safety meeting at the Boston Police Department headquarters yesterday afternoon where representatives from 19 area schools discussed ways to improve safety protocols and communication among city and local agencies, Elmore said.

"We will be in a continual assessment," addressing BU&#39;s training response, how departments communicate with each other and the various city and state agencies they work with, he said.

"We know we&#39;ve got a network of public safety," Elmore said. "It is still important to assess [BU&#39;s] crisis response."

BU officials are continuing to offer chaplain and counseling services. Marsh Chapel officials are inviting students to gather at 11 a.m. today at the chapel for another moment of prayer, Hill said.

"Our hearts really go out to the people in Virginia," he said. "We know what it means to grieve."

Many faculty members, parents, students and staff contacted the Dean of Students Office yesterday with suggestions and concerns about how BU could handle a campus shooting, Elmore said.

Elmore, who hosts weekly conversations with students in the Howard Thurman Center, will focus the first portion of Friday&#39;s discussion on the shooting, while a behavioral medicine representative will be present for counseling.

"There&#39;s lots of issues about violence and people&#39;s personal safety," Elmore said.

The Albert and Jesse Danielson Institute, one of BU&#39;s psychological facilities, is also offering students counseling services despite an extensive waiting list to be treated, said Clinical Director Dr. Jorge Stavros.

Stavros said if students contact the Institute with an "acute reaction" to the shootings, the office will make an appointment for them immediately. As of last night, no students had contacted the Institute in regard to the shootings.

Elmore is encouraging BU community members of the BU community to reach out to others and alert officials if they suspect someone behaving suspiciously.

"If it doesn&#39;t feel right to us, we have to report it," he said. "I&#39;m always encouraging students to be mindful about their own personal safety."

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/04/18/News/Grieving.Nation.Copes.With.Tragedy-2849522.shtml> The Daily Free Press - April 18, 2007</a>

Barbara Rodriguez

The Daily Free Press

2007-08-14

Sara Hood

Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>

eng

PERSPECTIVE: Personal instinct only defense against tragic news

By:Ryan MacDonald
Posted: 4/18/07

In the days following a great tragedy, we as human beings collectively exhibit a variety of distinct reactions. Some will experience fear. This response is inevitably redoubled by a media which profits on false dependency -- cable news network owners want Americans to believe that without a constant and unfettered flow of semi-useful detail they will lack the needed information to survive the evening. Others sink deeply into depression. A few bleak hours permanently darken the thousands that they have spent on this planet. A state of war looms on all horizons. A third group will clamor for explanations and solutions. Quick fixes will be enticing and will abound. Pundits and politicians will congest the airwaves and television screens calling for every reform from censorship of music to religious revival. Erroneous causal connections will be purported, and the vulnerable masses will be lost in the sea of competing ideologies.

On Monday, tragedy struck. As news poured in from various outlets we learned the shooting at Virginia Tech was the worst in American history. Reporters interrogated school officials about the identity of the shooter and why he was able to carry out two rounds of mass murder without being caught. People will struggle with causes and effects for weeks; they will pour over preventative solutions; news outlets will inject dramatic twists of plot to increase viewership and revenue. Confusion and disillusionment will not be in short supply.

Amid all of this, though, I urge you to reflect deeply on the events of April 16 and the aftermath. What is your immediate response? How will this affect your perception of the world? What would you do to change things? Preempt the onslaught of ideology before it reaches your ears.

Although I run the risk of being labeled a hypocrite by putting forth a moral position, I&#39;d like to share some of my personal reflections. First of all, the most essential fact of the matter is that an individual was able to acquire fire arms and commit a horrendous act. Immediately I was reminded of my time as an intern in a London law firm where I learned that possession of a firearm carries a five-year sentence there. The rest of Europe views guns as an even darker evil. Mass shootings do not occur in Europe. Although violence certainly exists there, the weapon of choice is a knife. A man with a knife will never kill 32 people by himself.

In the United States, politicians court potential voters by leaking a video of their hunting trips. As John Stewart recently pointed out, Americans do not see the apparent contradiction in being a hunter and standing on a pro-life platform. The possession and ownership of firearms is protected by Constitutional amendment. Guns are entrenched in American politics and culture.

However, many fail to realize that the Constitution is not an infallible document. it had once barred blacks and women from voting, allowed for slavery and banned liquor. When the Constitution is wrong, it can and should be amended. Gun enthusiasts will present the opposite information. In fear of losing their gruesome, death-oriented pastime they will lobby politicians to blame this tragedy on gangsta rap or video games. They want to hide the fact that the domestic arms proliferation for which they are responsible is inextricably linked to the massacre of innocents. Guns kill people. Period. Where no guns exist, violence isn&#39;t as rampant.

As I remarked earlier, you may brand these remarks as ideology and apply the above criticism of political opportunism to my own words. I accept this and consider it fair. However, I challenge you to reflect deeply and with self honesty. Consider the sanctity which we afford guns in America. Don&#39;t allow yourself to fear entering the classroom or walking the streets. If it is possible, let&#39;s grasp this occasion to engender change and put forth well thought out, constructive critiques of our lives and our nation.


Ryan MacDonald is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/04/18/Opinion/Perspective.Personal.Instinct.Only.Defense.Against.Tragic.News-2849548.shtml>The Daily Free Press - April 18, 2007</a>

Ryan MacDonald

The Daily Free Press

2007-08-14

Sara Hood

Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>

eng

Candles on the drillfield

After the vigil,people left candles and flowers on the drillfield to express their sadness and grief.

Jinfeng Jiao

2007-08-13

Na Mi

eng

Massacre at V.T. affects colleges across nation

<b>As Tulane officials rethink security policies, some Tulane students express personal grief over Monday&#39;s events
By:</b> <a href="http://www.thehullabaloo.com/user/index.cfm?event=displayAuthorProfile&authorid=2313160">Marta Dehmlow</a>
<b>Posted:</b> 4/20/07

Students at Virginia Tech and all over the nation will remember April 16 as a day that shattered the security of college campuses everywhere.

"How do you have openness and accessibility and make sure the campus is as safe as possible?" Tulane University president Scott Cowen asked in an April 18 interview with the Hullabaloo. "Campuses are sacred ground."

This "sacred ground" was desecrated, however, when Cho Seung-Hui, a 22-year-old senior at Virginia Tech, shot and killed 32 students and injured 26 more before turning his gun on himself.

The largest school shooting in history has torn apart the Virginia Tech college community in Blacksburg, Va., leaving college students nationwide doubtful about the security of their own institutions.

"It can happen anywhere," senior neuroscience major Jen Velarde said. "Crazy people are out there. It can happen so easily; there&#39;s such a fine line. As much as you secure a building, if a student is going to do this, it can happen."

And it has happened a number of times before, university officials said.

"This is not really an isolated incident," Tulane University Police Department director Ken Dupaquier said, citing past shootings on college campuses. "People think that it hasn&#39;t happened before or in a long time, but it has."

Nationwide, college students empathizing with their Virginia Tech counterparts have demonstrated their solidarity. Jonathan Horner, a senior microbiology major who has several close friends at Virginia Tech, showed support for the affected school by changing his facebook picture to one saying "Today we are all Hokies," referring to Virginia Tech&#39;s mascot. He, like many other college students, also joined a facebook group memorializing the victims.

"I also called and messaged all my friends," he said. "I told them I&#39;m praying for them and their school."

Other students were more immediately affected by the massacre at Virginia Tech.

Maura Bowlin, a sophomore English major, spent her freshman year at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tulane in the fall of 2006.

"It&#39;s eerie to think I&#39;ve walked the halls of [Ambler-Johnston Residence Hall and Norris Hall]," Bowlin said about the sites of the two shootings.

Although she has many friends at the school, Bowlin said she has not quite felt the full effect of the situation.

"It hasn&#39;t really sunk in. We talk about it in every single class, which I wish we didn&#39;t," Bowlin said.

Bowlin explained that Cho was not a typical Virginia Tech student. As a senior, the gunman lived on campus, "which almost no one does after freshman year. So that was weird."

She also had a friend who was supposed to be in one of the classrooms in Norris Hall.

"She slept through the class," Bowlin said. "I knew a few people who just didn&#39;t go to class because they had a feeling."

Kerry Kraft, a sophomore communication major, spent Fall 2005 at Virginia Tech, where one-quarter of her high school class attends.

"I was distraught when I tuned on the TV. I spent all day on the phone or in front of [it]," Kraft said.

She knows a number of students at Virginia Tech, and she was very concerned, Kraft said.

"I was lucky," Kraft said. "Everyone I know was all right, but they were all affected directly or indirectly. I was lucky not to be directly affected."

The events have also caused Tulane&#39;s administration and campus police force to reiterate their security measures and emergency preparedness plan.

"All of our public safety officers are trained as police officers at the academy, like NOPD. Therefore they have at least been prepared," Cowen said.

Prior to the Virginia Tech massacre and Hurricane Katrina, a decision was made to update the emergency response system.

"We will have six different phone numbers for each student, plus e-mails will get blasted by information [in the event of an emergency]", Cowen said. The new system will also include the ability to text message students&#39; cell phones.

Dupaquier believes that with Tulane&#39;s current protocol, an event such as this one would have been avoided.

"Our protocol for dealing with students with similar traits to [Cho&#39;s] is that we would have liked to intervene," Dupaquier said. "We have a mechanism in place between Public Safety, Student Affairs, the Educational Resource Center, the student health center and the deans that would catch this, hopefully."

Tulane, like many other colleges, is also reassessing current systems. A task force is being created headed by Vice President Anne Banos. It will involve different arms of the university and several student leaders to help ensure that such a horrific event does not happen at Tulane.

"We will see what changes, if any, need to be made in our protocol," Dupaquier said. "The president expects an answer in a timely manner. Not in a matter of months, but Cowen expects recommendations in a few weeks."

While the administration and public safety department are concerned first and foremost with the well-being of Tulane students, they extend their sympathies to the Virginia Tech community.

"Obviously, we are devastated for those that were killed, and their friends and family," Cowen said. "We are not strangers to tragedy, and we can identify. We will do whatever we can to help."

Cowen said the school has offered counseling and Student Affairs personnel to offer help as students, staff and faculty at Virginia Tech cope with the tragedy.

--

Original Source: <a href=http://media.www.thehullabaloo.com/media/storage/paper958/news/2007/04/20/News/Massacre.At.V.t.Affects.Colleges.Across.Nation-2873327.shtml>The Hullabaloo - April 20, 2007</a>

Marta Dehmlow

2007-08-08

Sara Hood

"Dickson, Drew D." <ddickson@tulane.edu>

eng

How Carnegie Mellon is keeping campus safe after VA Tech massacre

News | Sarah Mogin

Wednesday night, students and faculty gathered by the Fence. In the midst of the cold and windy weather, 70 hands cupped 70 flickering flames as the Carnegie Mellon community mourned the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre.

Last Monday, 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed himself and 32 others in the deadliest shooting executed by a single person in United States history. The attacks occurred in a dormitory and an academic building, both located on the Virginia Tech campus.

The vigil by the Fence is only one example of the ways in which colleges and universities nationwide are coming together to honor those slain.

"Students totally took the lead on creating this opportunity to express themselves after the Virginia Tech shootings," said Jonathan Kroll, housefellow for Morewood Gardens. "I think it definitely helps with the grieving process."

The vigil began at 9 p.m. with a moment of silence. As the group grew in number, participants continued to light the candles of those who gathered along the periphery of the crowd.

Student Body President Karl Sjogren passed out lyrics to to "Lean on Me" and the group then joined in song. After that, students and faculty members, one of whom was an alumna of Virginia Tech, took turns speaking informally.

Two hours earlier, the Hillel Jewish University Center (JUC) of Pittsburgh hosted a vigil led by rabbi Jamie Gibson of Temple Sinai.

Gibson led those attending in song and prayer, and students read prayers as well. During the vigil, Gibson gave personal attention to each of the departed.

"We knew that we wanted to read the names of every single person whose name had been released," said Sahar Oz, the JUC&#39;s assistant director. "And we also wanted to say a few things about them."

Students lit candles for each of the known victims: Liviu Librescu, a 76-year-old Holocaust survivor; Reema Samaha, an 18-year-old first-year; Kevin Granata, a biomechanics researcher and a leader in his field; and 26 others.

The group also lit three candles for the victims whose names had not yet been released.

Oz found Librescu&#39;s death particularly troubling. Librescu, a professor at Virginia Tech, was shot while protecting his students by guarding the entrance to his classroom.

"He was murdered on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is an occasion observed around the world," Oz said. "It sent shock and a tremendous sense of loss to the Jewish community."

The tragedy resonated in particular with several Carnegie Mellon students in the JUC who met Virginia Tech students last May while on a Birthright trip to Israel.

"One of the things we did immediately was try to reach the eight students who went on this trip from Virginia Tech," Oz said. All eight were unharmed.

"We had that added element of emotional proximity," Oz said.

The modern languages department is also making plans to reach out to Virginia Tech, in part because so many of the shootings took place in foreign-language classrooms.

"We feel closer," said Sono Hayes-Takano, a Japanese professor.

"We&#39;ve been brainstorming," Hayes-Takano said. "People in MLSAC, [Modern Languages Student Advisory Committee], they&#39;re thinking about raising money for [the victims&#39;] memorial fund."

Beyond the campus community, the Internet has helped many feel connected to the Virginia Tech victims.

"I think the Internet in this case has been a tremendous asset," Oz said. "I think Facebook is a great example."

Profiles of victims on Facebook, in addition to those on news sites such as CNN and BBC News, have helped humanize the tragedy.

"We don&#39;t want these victims to become statistics," Oz said. "Keep it personal."

But with such accessibility, fear is often not too far behind.

"There is this sense of, &#39;It could happen to me,&#39; " Oz said.

Students feeling vulnerable might benefit from becoming familiar with Carnegie Mellon&#39;s security policy.

"We have trained a certain number of people ... in every building," said Madelyn Miller, director of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) at the university.

RAs, building marshals, and other qualified individuals are among those who have received training, she said.

EH&S has had a system called AlertNow in place for the past couple of years. AlertNow enables EH&S to make 5000 phone calls in about a minute, which could help alert floor marshals of a campus emergency.

"Not everybody knows that we have these procedures in place," Miller said.

In the past, EH&S&#39;s procedures were kept online behind a firewall. The procedures were privatized because they included the cell phone numbers of various staff members, in addition to the locations of hazardous materials throughout campus.

After Virginia Tech, EH&S decided to make the procedures available to the public — without the information regarding cell phones or hazardous materials.

Carnegie Mellon&#39;s urban campus is an asset in the event of an emergency, Miller said. The university is within close reach of city, county, and state police.

"I think it makes us safer," she said.

Moreover, RAs are trained to recognize suspicious students, which could help prevent a future incident, Kroll said. Concern from other students is often cause for immediate action.

"Undoubtedly, we take that very seriously," he said.

--

Original Source:<a href=http://www.thetartan.org/2007/4/23/news/va_tech>The Tartan - April 23, 2007</a>

Sarah Mogin

The Tartan

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Shawn Wertz <swertz@andrew.cmu.edu>

eng