UVA sign

One of the items on display at the Alumni Center Art Exhibit. On 4/16/08, as part of the Day of Remembrance observance, the Holtzman Alumni Center Museum displayed examples of art, crafts, quilts, and other memorabilia contributed since April 16, 2007. This is one of over 60,000 items that will eventually go to Special Collections at Newman Library.

A sign from University of Virginia with messages of support.

Kacey Beddoes

2008-05-09

Kacey Beddoes

Kacey Beddoes (kbeddoes@vt.edu)

eng

Commonwealth

In the cold shadows of Cabell hall, I sit and pray for sun.I stare up past Homer's statueto the Rotunda up the Lawn.I can see the flag through trees,half-mast, flicks of red and white.And though I'm proud to call it mine,my heart is filled with spite.Lives gone in an instant,more than just too fast.These thoughts chill my bones,as the cold wind breezes past.It's a wind that will hold memories,of our neighbors to the southwest.It will remind us of the shortness of life,and how each day on earth is blessed.And as the sun pierces shadows,and begins to fill my hair,I think of the precious things,that we and Hokies share.Our high school classes,Virginia clay, and the fertile ground itself;school pride, mountains, and the dogwoods that dot Our commonwealth.Their colors orange and maroon,ours are orange and blue,suggest we have our differences, you and I,but are very much like you, too.I think commonwealth is the perfect wordto describe how that we respond.We reach out and hold them close,and keep in unity through Our bond.So forget that they are Hokie stone,and we, Jeffersons red brick.Theres so much more that unites Us,than simply the school we picked.I remember our motto, Sic Semper Tyrannus,So aged and not so appropriate.Perhaps better is We are a Commonwealth, And We shall not forget.

Donald Ward

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/letters.asp?pid=1583>The Cavalier Daily - April 18, 2007</a>

Donald Ward

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

So it goes

After reading Kurt Vonnegut&#39;s "Slaughterhouse Five," my 11th grade English teacher asked us, "Is death meaningful?" The question forced us to think about the line that appeared over and over in Vonnegut&#39;s book, the line that appeared after anyone died: "So it goes." My classremained silent, thinking.

"So it goes," sounds light, almost casual. It would describe the feeling most of us get when we read some headline "30 dead in Iraq," or "Tsunami Claims Countless." Vonnegut&#39;s line seems fitting for some far off death, very distant from us, almost unimportant. But would I say "So it goes" after I learned my mother died, or my wife was killed? Would I say that casual line after yesterday&#39;s events at Tech? The death I once thought was far off, remote and alien, has now struck my life, my family and a campus just two hours away.

Yesterday people said things like, "It could have happened to us," and "I have a close friend in that dorm." Yesterday people were "shocked" and "humbled." So if the university were to answer my 11th grade teacher&#39;s question, "Is death meaningful?" We would all shout, "of course it is!" Butsadly we only answer this now because of a vicious reminder. Death has become real, close and tangible. Only now do we recognize it.

Of all the hypothetical questions and "what ifs" that plague our minds everyday, we seldom reflect on the one possibility that is certain -- our own deaths. We worry about Arab history midterms, internshipapplications, and getting a date for semi-formal, but we never think about the only thing in our lives that definitely will happen.

Vonnegut&#39;s &#39;so it goes&#39; was not meant to cheapen life, but was a useful reminder that death will happen to us all. Do you remember that angry wind yesterday? The wind that burned your face and made your eyes water? We should carry a little bit of that wind with us every day, not to makeus hurt and weep, but to remind ourselves that we are all fragile and finite. If we do that, we won&#39;t need tragedy to wake us up. We will carry a vigor for life wherever we go. Because now we know each day has meaning, and we will strive to live each moment to its potential.

Hamza Shaban
CLAS II

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/letters.asp?pid=1583>The Cavalier Daily - April 18, 2007</a>

Hamza Shaban

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

The forest for the trees

Letters to the Editor
The forest for the trees

Tragedy struck at Virginia Tech Monday. Unfortunately, the sadness of events is not only in the actions themselves, but also in the reactions. I want to assert that we still need to keep an eye on the forest while inspecting the trees.

Reporter after reporter fired questions, and I use the term fired here for a reason, at Virginia Tech Police Chief Flinchum, about security policy. The officer looked visibly shaken, dismayed, saddened and reporters piled on frustration as he tried to deal with the condescending questions from the gallery.

Now, let&#39;s be clear. Was the reaction as good as it could have been? Of course not. Was it even good? It doesn&#39;t appear that it was. But let me say this. I&#39;ll bet that if you poll anyone who went to college after1999 (Columbine), you&#39;ll find that over 85 percent of the students have or had no idea of any kind of "lockdown policy." As a recent University graduate, I can&#39;t even tell you what the school&#39;s hurricane policy is. But here is where we&#39;re missing the point yet again. The problem here isn&#39;t campussecurity. Chief Flinchum didn&#39;t kill anyone. The Virginia Tech police didn&#39;t harm anyone. The problem yet again is gun control.

As we approach the eight year anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine, what has happened since? To truncate the depressingly long list of school shootings, I&#39;ll just focus on Virginia colleges. In 2002, the Appalachian School of Law was the site of a tragedy where a dean and fellow student were killed by a student. Two of these shootings in five years in the same state at college campuses exemplifies the problem we&#39;re facing as a nation.

So what&#39;s the real problem here? Is it security? Is it emergency response? Of course not. If people want to commit crimes, people will commit crimes. The problem is that when they want to commit these crimes, access to weapons with which to commit these crimes is tragic.

What&#39;s the answer? If we continue missing the forest for these trees, we&#39;ll never get to the real problem.

Aaron Schmidt
CLASS 2005

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/letters.asp?pid=1583>The Cavalier Daily - April 18, 2007</a>

Aaron Schmidt

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

Mourners pack Tech after attack

<b>Community tries to come to terms with horrific attack</b>

Maria Tchijov, Cavalier Daily Life Editor

BLACKSBURG, Va.-- In a day filled with a constant barrage of media images of the shooter who took the lives of at least three of her friends and 29 others,Behnaz Bonyadian took solace as thousands of people patiently filed into Cassell Coliseum and Lane Stadium yesterday afternoon. The convocation ceremonyincluded remarks from U.S. President George W. Bush and Gov. Tim Kaine.

It was a "massive display of respect," the Virginia Tech junior said, observing the crowd. Nearly all entering the somber event wore Hokie maroon and orange as they donned memorial ribbons. During the ceremony, various public officials including Bush and Virginia Tech President Charles Steger offered words of solace to the community.

"No words truly express the depth of sadness we feel," Steger said after he received a prolonged standing ovation. "Words are very weak symbols of our emotions at times like this."

President and Laura Bush were in attendance at the event, and Bush addressed the university on behalf of the nation.

"We&#39;ve come to express our sympathy," he said. "In this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking of you and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected."

Throughout the southwestern Virginia campus, students, university employees and faculty members tried to comprehend the senseless tragedy.

Choices Monday morning

Senior Kate Stuck of Granby, Conn. was sitting in class in Pamplin Hall Monday morning when she heard about the situation. One of her classmates, who had a laptop, received the first e-mail sent out at 9:26 a.m.

"We knew something was going on," Stuck said.

Her fears were confirmed when her boyfriend, under lockdown in Randall Hall, called her cell phone.

Unlike Stuck, Chris Cooke learned about the shooting first-hand through the first e-mail sent out about the attacks by the administration, and he decided not to go to class. He e-mailed his professor and asked to make up the lab. He said at that point he felt his personal safety was more important then the inconvenience of an 8 a.m. Friday make-up lab.

"It kind of makes you wonder if you are safe anywhere," said Anthony Linkous, a 25-year veteran maintenance worker for Virginia Tech. He said his wife called him frantically every half-hour, begging him to come home.

Addressing the situation

Two weeks ago, Amie Steele took over as editor-in-chief of The Collegiate Times, Tech&#39;s student newspaper. On Monday, she found herself in the middle of an international media hailstorm as her phone rang off the hook.

"Breaking news isn&#39;t my forte yet," she said, explaining that she rose through the ranks on the production staff, specializing in layout and design.

During the 24 hours following the shooting, Steele managed to sleep for an hour and a half.

For her, the most overwhelming part of the experience has been the international media presence.

"We are trying to get our own stories, conduct our own interviews, and they keep on calling," she said. "It&#39;s difficult to juggle."

Overall, however, she said she feels the media has approached the issue with sensitivity and has been respectful of the personal nature of the evolving situation.

The intense media attention on the shooting has forced university administrators and police officials into the unexpected position of answering not just to their local community, but to throngs of media outlets and their readership. To resolve these concerns Gov. Time Kaine, at the request of Steger and Tech&#39;s Board of Visitors, has commissioned an independent panel to review the way the incident was handled.

"It&#39;s the most horrific thing that has ever happened," said Laurel Stell, a senior from Charlottesville. "At first everyone was angry at Steger for not locking down the campus, [but] they never meant for anyone to get hurt."

Stell noted that because the gunman lived in a dorm and thus had a dorm key, he could have easily gotten into any residential area.

While students like Stell do not assign blame to the administration, other students and media outlets have done so. Some groups and individuals focused on other issues, such as gun control, have also jumped on the issue. Gov. Tim Kaine expressed his disdain for this behavior.

"People who want to take this event 24 hours afterwards and make this their political hobbyhorse, I&#39;ve got nothing but loathing for them," Kaine said in a press conference.

What next?

After addressing the significant dislocation and emotional trauma caused by the incident, the Virginia Tech community must prepare to resume core educational operations. Yesterday administrators announced that classes would be canceled until at least Monday. Norris Hall, home of the civil engineering department, will be closed for the rest of the semester.

Christina McIntyer, a professor in the human nutrition food and exercise department, remains optimistic that the university community will emerge intact.

"We&#39;re a strong community," she said. "If anything, this will bring us closer. It&#39;ll be a day we remember."

Cooke, a civil engineering major, said in the long-term he was concerned not only about the future location of his department but about the outcome of his coursework and grades.

He said he had several exams in the next few weeks and he was not sure if they would be pushed back or canceled.

But, even in the face of uncertainty relating to his academic career, Cooke said he did not want to be "standing idly by."

He and fellow members of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity got together to donate blood yesterday to help stave off Blacksburg&#39;s severe blood shortage.

The charitable activities in which many students are engaging provide much needed hope.

But for graduating seniors, Monday&#39;s events place a permanent stain on the bright celebrations of future opportunities many had been looking forward to.

"Graduation is now more of a memorial than a celebration," said Andrew Stone, a senior from Charlotte, N.C.

Monday&#39;s events have not only left a mark on the students leaving Tech, but also on the many potential new members of the university community.

"It is going to make people think twice about coming to Tech," Linkous said. "People want to know they&#39;re safe."

One of the core challenges everyone sees in the response to the tragedy is moving forward in a manner deferential to the victims of Monday&#39;s massacre.

"We&#39;ve got to get back into it sometime," Linkous said. "But we have to remember what happened."

- Alex Sellinger contributed to this article.

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=30193&pid=1583>The Cavalier Daily - April 18, 2007</a>

Maria Tchijov

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

Students rally against religious protestors at Tech funerals

<b>Online groups decrying anti-gay protestors grow rapidly</b>

Max Hall, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Students across the nation are taking to Facebook in response to planned anti-gay protests at the funerals of Virginia Tech shooting victims.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, attorney for the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., confirmed that the organization is planning to protest at the funerals of Tech students killed in Monday&#39;s shootings.

Virginia Tech junior Victor Kasoff expressed his anger at WBC leader Fred Phelps&#39; decision to protest.

Virginia Tech "should do anything in their power to stop this guy from coming," Kasoff said.

At press time, one open Facebook group, "Stop Fred Phelps & WBC from protesting at fallen VT students funerals!!," created to stop the WBC funeral protests had 32,923 members and had at one point gained more than 1,000 new members in an hour.

Phelps-Roper placed the blame for the Tech killings on tolerance for homosexuality, saying the attack was a result of "those young people sitting in their classrooms being taught rebellion against God [and] being taught that God is a liar ... He says &#39;Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind,&#39; and you&#39;re teaching it. That&#39;s a lie: It&#39;s OK to be gay."

Kasoff said he found these claims to be absurd and offensive.

"The fact that [Phelps] thinks my friends, my Hokies, died because of America&#39;s decision to let people make their own decisions completely sickens me, and I hope they do everything in their power to stop him."

J.T. Segal, University Queer Student Union President-elect, echoed a similar sentiment, saying no one was to blame for Monday&#39;s tragedy other than the gunman.

Northwestern University senior Zak Kirchner, a member of the Facebook group, described the outpouring of support for Virginia Tech at Northwestern and his outrage toward Phelps and the WBC.

"As a Christian, it infuriated me," Kirchner said. "He&#39;s an overzealous hate-mongerer. He gives all the Christians out there who are praying and being as supportive as we can a bad name."

Kirchner suggested busing students from surrounding universities to the funerals of Tech students, saying a large showing by students might discourage the protesters and convince them to leave.

"I wish I were closer so that I could join the efforts in person," Kirchner said.

Rachel Skytt, a junior at the University of California, Davis who is also member of the group, said she was familiar with Fred Phelps and the WBC from their protests at funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq.

"The families and friends of the victims are going through so much right now and it just makes me sick that Fred Phelps wants to cause these people even more pain," Skytt said. "I just hope that the students can counter-protest in a peaceful way, because you can&#39;t fight hate with more hate."

Kasoff said he hoped such Facebook groups would successfully mobilize students against Phelps&#39; organization.

"I don&#39;t want anyone who thinks like that to step anywhere near my campus," Kasoff said. "After what&#39;s happened we don&#39;t need to have to deal with morons like him."

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=30268&pid=1585>The Cavalier Daily - April 20, 2007</a>

Max Hall

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

Rivals in mourning

A.J. Kornblith, Cavalier Daily Opinion Editor

AS A Yankee from Pittsburgh, when I first started looking at colleges I didn&#39;t even know what UVA and VT stood for, much less the history of their long and storied rivalry. But once I arrived at the University, I learned quickly that Wahoos and Hokies don&#39;t usually get along. Proper etiquette called for sneering whenever a person wearing Virginia Tech logos appeared, behaving as obnoxiously as possible at sporting events and the occasional defacement of a sporting venue thrown in for good measure.

The University and Virginia Tech are usually judged by their performances against one another, whether in the realms of academics, sports or the number of columns one can tastefully fit on a single campus. But the true measure of these rival institutions and their communities lies in their ability to set aside their competition and help one another under tragic circumstances.

The terrible slaughter of at least 33 students in Blacksburg yesterday morning represented such a disaster. While the tragedy shocked and saddened the entire country, it also brought out the best in the University community as students and their leaders reached out quickly and compassionately to lend Virginia Tech a hand in their time of most urgent need.

For those of us who spend much of our time in the Newcomb basement reporting on thinly-attended election debates and other examples of general student ambivalence, the speed of the reaction was shocking and inspiring. Almost as soon as students began to receive a steady trickle of news from television, the internet and friends around the state, the calls to help appeared almost immediately. By early afternoon Facebook groups such as "Hoos for Hokies," "Virginia Tech Needs Our Support," "Hoos Reaching Out To Hokies" and "Hoos Prayin for Hokies" among others were up and running, gaining nearly 3,900 members between them. Calls for donations went out, and CIOs were invited to join a growing grassroots effort.

Perhaps even more encouraging was the quickness with which our student leaders, so often criticized as lethargic, sprang into action to marshal the outpouring of support from students. Student Council in coordination with the University administration immediately planned a memorial vigil to be held tonight in the Amphitheatre at which President Casteen will speak.

Using the organizing power of Facebook, they quickly spread the word with help from eager students. Other organizations mobilized as well. The Fourth Year Trustees, for example, organized a bar night soliciting donations to be sent to Virginia Tech, also scheduled for this evening.

In any tragedy, we find ourselves filled with sorrow for the victims and their families. But a tragedy at Virginia Tech affects us here at the University more powerfully than a tsunami halfway around the world ever could. Throughout the day yesterday we saw not only the stories on the national news but frantically called, instant messaged and e-mailed friends and family members at Virginia Tech as we tried to make sure they were alright.

The pictures I saw and the stories I heard throughout the day hurt. But they will pale in comparison with the memory of steadying my friend&#39;s hand as she wept trying to text message a high school friend who lives in one of the buildings where the shootings occurred. Similar scenes played out across Grounds and across the state of Virginia. Students here were also possessed with a sense that "There but for the grace of God go I." The realization that this could have happened here makes us all the more eager to help our compatriots.

We still know few details about what exactly happened -- who exactly was hurt and why an individual decided to wreak such havoc on innocent students and staff. But this we know: The students, faculty and administration of Virginia Tech have our complete support as they cope with this catastrophe. Today, we mourn with our rivals.

A.J. Kornblith is an Opinion Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at akornblith@cavalierdaily.com.

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=30148&pid=1582>The Cavalier Daily - April 17, 2007</a>

A.J. Kornblith

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

Hoos for Hokies

Lindsey Wagner, Cavalier Daily Life Editor

In the wake of yesterday&#39;s tragedy, many University students felt unable to help their peers at Virginia Tech. Within seven hours of the shootings, however, plans were under way for programs to reach out to the Tech community.

Fourth-year College student Raleigh Anne Blank took steps to create a group called Hoos For Hokies, an umbrella organization that will help direct different programs to provide aid to Virginia Tech in the following weeks.

"It&#39;s a group that&#39;s supposed to be a central contact point for people to know about events that are going on," Blank said. The group will also keep students updated on how they can "help University students who were affected and Tech students who were affected."

Blank, who also helped begin the Katrina Aid and Relief Effort last August, said Hoos for Hokies was created in much the same way, by establishing an account with Alumni Hall and pooling together resources with interested students and Student Council.

Students will be able to donate to Hoos for Hokies during events to be held at the University through the next few weeks. . Representatives were present at the vigil held last night in the Amphitheater. According to Blank, Hoos for Hokies raised "a lot of money" at the vigil and has started receiving donations online as well.

Although Hoos for Hokies and Student Council are keeping in touch with Virginia Tech, Blank said she does not know for certain what the money raised will go toward, adding that already "having an arm to move for fundraising [through Hoos for Hokies] will make it happen pretty quickly."

"All of the money will go to Virginia Tech," fourth-year College student Elizabeth Chu said. "We&#39;re trying to be as least intrusive as possible and following with whatever Virginia Tech needs for the moment."According to Chu, Virginia Tech&#39;s student council president expressed a need for 30,000 candles, and Hoos for Hokies helped find candles and arranged for them to be sent to Blacksburg.

Chu is also organizing a "love letter writing campaign" to be held Thursday, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Pavilion III, during which University students will be able to write letters to the families of the victims.

"This is the most personal way for U.Va. students to express ... how saddened we are [and] how horrified we are with what happened," Chu said.

Blank urged students wishing to contribute to Hoos for Hokies to visit www.hoosonline.virginia.edu/tech.

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Original source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=30198&pid=1583>The Cavalier Daily - April 18, 2007</a>

Lindsey Wagner

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

Sports message boards find new use after tragedy

<b>Web sites such as Thesabre.com, Techsideline.com provide forum for discussion, communication after yesterday morning&#39;s shootings at Virginia Tech</b>

Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

In the wake of yesterday&#39;s tragedy at Virginia Tech, online sports message boards served a more important purpose, providing an outlet for people to report information about the shootings that killed 33 people.

With cell phone coverage limited yesterday in the Blacksburg area, many turned to sports message boards to communicate news reports as well as personal reactions to the day&#39;s events. In fact, the two largest message boards for Virginia and Virginia Tech sports -- Thesabre.com and Techsideline.com -- have become completely devoted to discussion of the shootings.

Sabre administrators posted a message on the Tech site to inform users that the message boards could help facilitate dialogue and updates about the shootings.

"We at The Sabre understand that you may have periodic problems accessing the TSL and VT Web sites," the message stated. "When this happens, you are welcome to use TheSabre.com&#39;s off-topic message board to communicate and retrieve necessary information on today&#39;s tragic events. You have our support and prayers during this trying time. Please pass the link around to your friends."

News of the shootings first spread on the two boards around noon yesterday.

"Breaking news -- shooting on VT campus!" one user wrote.

Soon after, a number of bloggers reported the status of family and friends at Tech.

"All family members at VT accounted for. I&#39;m praying hard for others less fortunate," one said.

Some individuals also expressed relief upon learning that loved ones had not been victimized.

"Little bro is ok..... phew..... locked down in one of the dorms...," another wrote.

Many posted information reported on news broadcasts and gave their own reactions to the shootings. Soon, sports conversation had ceased altogether.

"Everyone is a Hokie today," another blogger wrote. One Virginia fan suggested that Virginia students wear maroon and orange in support of Tech students and families.

As the day progressed, the two sites were crowded with comments expressing the powerful emotion evoked across the country. Commentary touched on the political fallout of the killings, as many users posted messages conveying frustration with reporters and pundits who accused Tech administrators of mishandling the tragedy as it unfolded.

Fans from other schools have used the message boards as a platform to offer their prayers to Virginia Tech, while local communities of Hokies across the country announced planned vigils.

"What a horrendous day for not only Virginia Tech but the entire state," wrote one blogger on the Tech Sideline site. "You can count on prayers from Lynchburg from the Liberty University family for all of the victims, their families and friends."

Virginia students also posted messages relaying information about vigils to be held around Grounds this week.

Cavalier fans have put their rivalry aside and are calling themselves "brothers" with fellow students and alumni at Virginia Tech.

"Never thought I&#39;d say this, but Go Hokies," wrote one blogger on the Sabre board.

Virginia Tech has canceled all athletic activities today. Neither the University nor the ACC have announced any plans to cancel other athletic events.

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=30164&pid=1582>The Daily Cavalier - April 17, 2007</a>

Eric Kolenich

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng

A somber solidarity

Lindsey Wagner, Cavalier Daily Life Editor

University students dug through their closets to find anything maroon and orange -- two colors all Hoos had previously tried to avoid -- to demonstrate their support of Virginia Tech at the vigil held last night.

As candlelight slowly spread around the Amphitheater and flags from both universities were displayed, President John Casteen, III began his address to an overwhelmingly maroon and orange audience.

"Tonight we have come together to talk, to meditate on, to mourn the deaths of Virginia Tech students and faculty members," Casteen said to an eerily silent crowd.

Yesterday afternoon, Casteen attended a convocation held at Virginia Tech, later remarking that the somber atmosphere among students there was still "assertive of life."

"Today was for them -- tonight is also for them, but tonight is for you, too," Casteen said, addressing the many University students who suffered losses Monday.

Four of the 33 deaths hit especially close to home here at the University. Liviu Librescu, a professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech, was the father of a fourth-year University student. According to Casteen, Librescu&#39;s daughter wanted the community to think of her father "not as a part of the general description of the tragedy, but as a person dedicated" to his work.

Kevin Granata was an engineering professor at the University until 2003, when he began teaching in Tech&#39;s Engineering Science and Mechanics department. While at the University, Casteen said Granata also worked in the Kluge Children&#39;s Research Center studying human gaits in order to design therapy for children with cerebral palsy.

Second-year Nursing student Randa Samaha lost her sister, Reema Samaha, a freshman at Tech.

First-year College student Adrienne Fadoul also lost her first cousin Monday.

"What, then, shall we do?" Casteen asked, quoting the Gospel of St. Luke.

Regarding practical measures to protect the University, Casteen assured students that all current procedures were under review. He noted that other forms of instantaneous notice systems, such as text messaging, are being explored in addition to e-mail alerts.

Casteen also advised students to report any suspicious activities or persons.

"Grounds is a sanctuary for students and faculty ... a sanctuary remarkably fragile -- we know all of the boundaries, and they are all permeable," he said.

Emphasizing the close community of the University, Casteen urged students to "stay in Charlottesville and be close to friends. Reach out to one another."

Casteen also focused on more abstract lessons that Monday&#39;s events taught the world of higher education.

Ultimately, we need to "train [our] hearts to change the world with the intent to [make such events] that fracture higher education rare, rarer, rarest," Casteen said.

He recalled looking out at a gathering of Virginia Tech students yesterday afternoon on their football field, a community that "refused to be broken completely by loss," realizing that the hardest thing to reconcile was the "finality of violent, irrational death in a community of young, vibrant people ... consolation is hard to offer in that situation."

When Casteen ended his address, the Amphitheater was filled with the tangible silence of the hundreds of students in attendance. Student Council provided scrolls and posters for University students to sign, which will be sent to Virginia Tech later this week.

Once students began to gather around the banners, a quiet murmur replaced the silence.

"I thought it was great to be able to come together and think about and remember it the way that we could," third-year College student D.J. Ward said. "To sit in unison and solidarity is really all we can do."

Many students also noted the setting aside of the traditional rivalry between the two universities.

"We&#39;re all one community," third-year Commerce student Brian Edwards said. "What they go through is what we go through. It could easily have been us. I hope anything they need from us we can give to them."

Third-year College student Nina Cohen added that she thought Virginia Tech would do the same for the University "in a second."

Other students said they felt like the vigil could have been more meaningful. Second-year College students Mary Ford and Pavit Gill said they expected more from Casteen. Second-year College student Casey Furr added that he believed the vigil was "anti-climatic."

Second-year College student Nadine Natour said she was glad the University was showing its support, but she wished there could have been a more emotional element, such as something more along the lines of the poem read by Nikki Giovanni at Virginia Tech&#39;s convocation.

On the whole, though, students were satisfied with the turnout and the showing of solidarity.

"I just really appreciate that we did this, for us and for them," first-year College student Vetan Kapoor said. "It meant a lot."

The final words of Casteen&#39;s address seemed to emphasize the thoughts of all those who attended: "Let us remember the 33 human lives. Let us pray for the lives that have changed forever ... and also for those who loved them, and let us share their grief for the future as they seek solace in life."

- Shea Connelly, Stephanie Kassab and Katt Henry contributed to this article.

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=30191&pid=1583> The Cavalier Daily - April 18, 2007</a>

Lindsey Wagner

The Cavalier Daily

2007-07-31

Sara Hood

Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>

eng