Miami reacts to Virginia Tech tragedy

<b>Students hold candlelight vigil, show support for Blacksburg</b>

By: Megan Weiland
Posted: 4/20/07

Following closely on the heels of sophomore Beth Spiedel&#39;s death and the two-year anniversary of a tragic off-campus house fire, Miami University&#39;s community is now confronted with what has been termed by Virginia Polytechnic Institute students as a "college Columbine."

"We are all feeling enormous sadness and grief at the thought of what happened in Virginia," said Miami University President David Hodge. "It&#39;s overwhelming to know that 33 people died (Monday) and I think it causes fear for us as we live in this modern era, where it is hard to understand what would possess a person to do something like this. It&#39;s a feeling of vulnerability."

Friday, April 20, college campuses across the country will be joining together for an "Orange and Maroon Effect" Day, when all Americans are encouraged to wear Virginia Tech&#39;s colors to show support.

"This tradition began in 2002 to encourage the wearing of school colors to sporting events," said Kristen Lucia, a graduate student at Miami who received her bachelor&#39;s degree from Virginia Tech in 2004. "We had two games a year, one where you had to wear orange, and the other maroon."

Lucia added that the shirts were sold for only $5, and the first year caused a national shortage in orange T-shirts because of the popularity. It became a tradition at the school as well as across the nation to show "Hokie pride."

"I think we have two choices," she said. "We can dress in black, mourn, and sink into the shadows. Or we can dress in bright orange and stand together. The actions of one person will not affect our unity."

Lucia said that many people from Virginia Tech are worried about how Monday&#39;s event will change the way others view their school.

"Everyone&#39;s fear right now is that people will think VA Tech is unsafe, but there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent this," Lucia said. "The first thing on our lips was, I want to be in Blacksburg not I want to get away from there but I want to be there with them."

Miami students and faculty gathered together Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil honoring and remembering the students who were killed at Virginia Tech Monday.

"A college student is a college student no matter where you go to school," said Stacey Brozio, a junior East Asian language and culture major who planned the event. "Whether we believe in something higher or not, we share a common belief in humanity at this vigil. We&#39;re here in support for each other and for Virginia Tech."

With more than 200 people in attendance, several students and faculty members shared thoughts, memories and wrote sympathy cards to families of the victims and the shaken community.

"My own personal loss was very great," said sophomore Kristen Vliet, who lost a friend in the shooting. "There are just some things in life that don&#39;t make sense. There&#39;s no way we can look back at the victims of the fire and have it make sense. There&#39;s no way we can look back at Beth (Speidel) and have it make sense. What does make sense is that we&#39;re here grieving together."

Both Wal-Mart and the Faith Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry donated candles, which were placed around the reflecting pool behind the Shriver Center at the conclusion of the vigil.

"The hardest part for me is when people forget," said Paige Glattly, a first-year psychology major. "We need to remember the families. It changed the rest of their lives. They will remember this every minute of every day."

President Hodge expressed his joy at seeing the Miami community gathering together and encouraged them to continue to talk through the grief.

"We as college students didn&#39;t really have a voice when Columbine happened," said junior Paul Morrow. "We didn&#39;t have a platform to express our grief like we do here."

Jane Lindsay, a first-year whose two friends live in West Ambler Johnston Hall at Virginia Tech, said talking about her feelings with those friends and with others is a way of showing support.

"Virginia Tech is so similar to Miami," Lindsay said. "It&#39;s not even a city, just a small town and a close community, like Blacksburg."

Other students spoke on questioning their faith and having moments of utter disbelief that this would happen.

"You have a finite amount of time in life," said Sarah Baumert, a senior accounting major. "You never get that time back and it&#39;s wonderful of these students at Miami to give that time. The people that came out are saying you don&#39;t have to talk, just know we&#39;re here."

Miami&#39;s security assessment

Miami is one of many universities in America right now re-evaluating its security policy and procedures.

"I&#39;ve gotten a number of e-mails from parents wanting to protect their kids," Hodge said. "I feel the exact same way."

Currently, the university&#39;s security policy involves emergency phones in locations across campus, 24-hour patrol by Miami University Police, campus crime alerts via e-mail and use of the myMiami homepage. Hodge added that in an emergency the administration could utilize the Miami Metro system, radio frequencies and local TV. He encouraged students and faculty to read tips on what to do in an emergency, available on the MUPD Web site.

"Miami has been as prepared as we could for all situations," Hodge said. "I don&#39;t know that anything would have even made a difference at Virginia Tech. Two hours is really a short period of time. People don&#39;t realize how much time it takes to put a campus on lockdown."

According to Hodge, a new hotline number, similar to the lines available at Middletown and Hamilton campuses, was added Tuesday to relay emergency information. They are also looking into the possibility of text messaging campus alerts.

"We do have multiple layers of communication on campus that just depend on the situation," said Richard Little, senior director of university communications. "E-mail can be very spotty in terms of reaching the whole community. It requires sending 25,000-30,000 e-mails and hoping people check them."

Little mentioned the employment of phone trees to notify staff and students in the area of the campus phones who would, in turn, notify others. The method of text messaging would require all students to register their cell phones with the university and keep the information updated.

"Nothing is perfect," Little said. "Nothing can reach a whole campus in an instant and we have to be careful not to spread panic. The question is not the means of communication, but making sure you have the right information."

According to Miami&#39;s Web site, MUPD members are trained to respond and handle different emergency situations.

"We have all kinds of training and drills," Little said. "You sit down and imagine the unthinkable because someday that unthinkable could happen. I wish we could do something to make sure this never happens again but I also know that isn&#39;t a reality."

Miami&#39;s Student Counseling Service posted a link on its Web site Wednesday offering suggestions and information on coping with the Virginia Tech tragedy.

"Grief affects us in several different ways," said Kip Alishio, director of the Student Counseling Service. "It breaks through the normal setting and makes us feel vulnerable. A vast majority of people will get what they are needing from significant others, the natural resources in their lives. You should seek professional resources when those natural resources are non-existent."

Alishio added that Miami does have procedures for faculty to report concerns about a student.

"We do get consultation requests from faculty who have students who have submitted disturbing works or were acting in a suspicious way," he said. "We decide how to approach or intervene if we find it necessary. A student may go through a mandatory psychological screening to determine if they are a risk to themselves or others."

The Web site, sponsored by the American Psychological Association, suggests talking about feelings, taking frequent breaks and helping others do something productive.

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Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2007/04/20/FrontPage/Miami.Reacts.To.Virginia.Tech.Tragedy-2870651.shtml>The Miami Student - April 20, 2007</a>

Megan Weiland

2007-08-14

Sara Hood

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

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."

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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

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

UM honors fallen Hokies at Vigil

By: Greg Linch // News Editor
Issue date: 4/20/07

A light, somber wind blew through campus Wednesday evening as the University of Miami paid tribute to the 33 students and staff who lost their lives Monday at Virginia Tech.

The gentle breeze ever so slightly rustled the branches that hang over the University Center Rock as Shajena Erazo, the Student Government executive secretary, read the names of the fallen.

A line of 33 student leaders clutched candles lit to memorialize each of the victims, in addition to the gunman.

They faced hundreds of their peers, who packed the area between The Rock and the UC to pay their respects, also holding candles.

UM President Donna E. Shalala offered her sympathies and repeatedly emphasized the two ACC universities were very much the same.

"Tonight we are Virginia Tech. We share their horror and their grief," she said. "Tonight we are Virginia Tech. We are their brother and their sisters."

At the end of her remarks, Shalala let out three words that reverberated in Blacksburg a day earlier as thousands chanted: "Let&#39;s go Hokies." Akin to how she began the chant earlier in the day at the Hug the Lake event, Shalala slowly enlivened the crowd to speak in unison as candles glimmered and wax dripped onto cut up paper cups.

SG President Danny Carvajal spoke prior to Shalala, saying the university was there for Virginia Tech-a sister school.

"We are confident Virginia Tech will heal and prevail," he said.

Carvajal also asked students to sign a banner and a scrapbook to be sent to Va. Tech with the baseball team this weekend (please see pg. 19).

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Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.thehurricaneonline.com/media/storage/paper479/news/2007/04/20/News/Um.Honors.Fallen.Hokies.At.Vigil-2871059.shtml>The Miami Hurricane - April 20, 2007</a>

Greg Linch

2007-08-09

Sara Hood

Greg Linch <greglinch@gmail.com>

eng

NYU shows Virginia Tech victims support

By: Nick Brennan
Posted: 4/18/07
As the country begins the process of healing in the aftermath of Monday morning&#39;s shootings at Virginia Tech, NYU students are showing support for the massacre&#39;s victims.

Several student government groups on campus have come together to launch a "White Ribbon Campaign" to show support for the Virginia Tech community and raise awareness about campus violence.

The campaign&#39;s organizers said they hope anyone and everyone gets involved.

"Our residence halls and our classrooms are our safe havens to think, to speak and just to be," Student Senators Council chair Mansi Patel and 2007 Senior Class Council President Bailey Woolfstead said in a statement. "It is unimaginable that any student face the terror which ensued in those safe spaces this morning."

Booths will be set up around campus throughout the week for students to pick up the ribbons.

The Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life sent a three-person delegation to Virginia Tech to attend yesterday&#39;s on-campus memorial service and offer support to the school on behalf of the NYU community. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna and Gallatin seniors Nicole Vengrove and Lindsay Katona comprised the group from Bronfman.

Around the country, other schools are also showing their support through candlelight vigils and prayer services. Students at Columbia University gathered this morning for a multifaith service. Students at Virginia University, Virginia Tech&#39;s biggest rival, gathered last night for a candlelight vigil.

The shooting at Virginia Tech was the deadliest in American history. Thirty-three people were killed, including the gunman who committed suicide. The shooter was identified today as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, a senior and English major at Virginia Tech.

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.nyunews.com/media/storage/paper869/news/2007/04/18/News/Nyu-Shows.Virginia.Tech.Victims.Support-2848640.shtml>Washington Square News - April 18, 2007</a>

Nick Brennan

Washington Square News

2007-08-08

Sara Hood

"Alvin Chang, WSN" <editor@nyunews.com>

eng

[Untitled]

Individuals gather for the candlelight vigil.

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Donohoe

Patrick Donohoe

2007-08-08

Chad Newswander

Permission granted by Patrick Donohoe

eng

Candlelight Vigil

Students, faculty, staff, friends, and family arrive at the Virginia Tech Candlelight Vigil.

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Donohoe

Patrick Donohoe

2007-08-07

Chad Newswander

Permission granted by Patrick Donohoe

eng

Candlelight Vigil

Students, faculty, staff, friends, and family arrive at the Virginia Tech Candlelight Vigil.

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Donohoe

Patrick Donohoe

2007-08-07

Chad Newswander

Permission granted by Patrick Donohoe

eng

Candlelight Vigil with the Jewish Community

The Jewish Community mourns at the Virginia Tech Candlelight Vigil.

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Donohoe

Patrick Donohoe

2007-08-07

Chad Newswander

Permission granted by Patrick Donohoe

eng

Candlelight Vigil

The Corp of Cadets marches to the Candlelight Vigil.

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Donohoe

Patrick Donohoe

2007-08-07

Chad Newswander

Permission granted by Patrick Donohoe

eng