Deepest Sympathies
Display in our Student Union Building at The University of British Columbia.
Original source: <a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyfn/467527061/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyfn/467527061/</a>
Licensed under <a href=" http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.0</a>
Phillip Jeffrey
2007-05-29
Chad Newswander
Phillip Jeffrey
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyfn/467527061/
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.0
eng
Messages to Virginia Tech
A book in Modern Languages that will be sent to Virginia Tech from the University of Waterloo.
Original source: <a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/timalamenciak/479024375/"> http://www.flickr.com/photos/timalamenciak/479024375/</a>
Licensed under <a href=" http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0</a>
Tim Alamenciak
2007-05-29
Chad Newswander
Tim Alamenciak
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timalamenciak/479024375/
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
eng
Campus mourns the lives that were lost
The university community gathered in remembrance of the violence at Virginia Polytechnical University in a candle vigil last Thursday.
Faculty, staff and students from Hamline's various colleges were all present. Over 120 people were in attendance, including multiple university administrators.
The vigil included members of the religious community including university chaplain Theresa Mason, Rabbi Esther Adler and Bishop Rosalyn Carol. Bishop Carol said her goal is a world where no "people are dying because we do not live and love each other." Carol also said that the community at the university needed to celebrate the fact "that we are truly brothers and sisters."
Poems in Hebrew and English were read, as well as psalms from the Christian Bible, Torah and Qur'an. Communication professor Suda Ishida performed a traditional Buddhist ritual, asking all present to link arms with the person beside them as water was poured from a basin unto the base of a tree.
Adler spoke of a Virginia Tech professor and Holocaust survivor Liviu Librescu, and questioned his destiny.
"Was April 16 his appointed purpose or just a cruel irony?" she said.
CLA Sophomore Emily Hager-Garman led the choir in a version of "Oh, Jerusalem" and a faculty member from the Graduate school sang parts of the African national anthem.
President Linda Hanson was visibly moved by the display of student and staff solidarity. Many in attendance were moved to tears as the names of the departed were read aloud and a bell on loan from Hamline United Methodist Church was tolled as each name was said. In addition, the student who led the Tibetan Buddhist invocation invited the community to create Tibetan prayer flags which were to be hung up outside Bush Library. The Tibetan prayer flag is a piece of cloth with a message for the living and departed. Many of the messages included words of hope, forgiveness and mourning.
The service ended as the clock tower on Old Main ominously tolled 5 p.m.
Compiled by Chris Matter and staff reports
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Original Source: Oracle Student Newspaper, Hamline University
<a href="http://www.hamline.edu/oracle/archives/2007/04/24/index.html">http://www.hamline.edu/oracle/archives/2007/04/24/index.html</a>
Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0</a>.
Chris Matter / Oracle Student Newspaper Staff
2007-06-09
Brent Jesiek
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0
eng
Message on Safety and Security
<i>(This message was distributed to all faculty, staff and students April 27, 2007.)</i>
In the days following the Virginia Tech tragedy, our solidarity with and sympathy for the faculty, staff, students and families affected by the loss of lives on April 16, 2007 remains front and centre in our minds.
Openness and access are features that define us as a university, and we cherish those attributes greatly. At the same time we are conscious that these features make us vulnerable to the behaviour of troubled or violent people. Our overall approach to providing a safe environment is therefore guided by the desire to maintain and nurture openness while doing all we can to prepare for, prevent, and respond to crisis situations.
The events of Friday April 20 were a good test of our overall philosophy and systems with respect to both safety and security. Shortly before 5 pm, a report was received of a male with a rifle in the vicinity of the bowl. Saskatoon Police Services (SPS) and Campus Safety responded, conducted a sweep of buildings in the vicinity, and declared the incident over at 7 pm. The next day SPS concluded, based on the report of another eyewitness, that the rifle was actually a bike seat and post and declared the incident a false alarm. This incident demonstrated strengths in our systems, including effective coordination with SPS. It also highlighted some areas for improvement, including our ability to communicate with the entire campus when necessary.
There are many dimensions to our approach to safety. Our department of Campus Safety maintains a 24-hour watch over the campus, with a team of security staff on duty and a video-surveillance system. The U of S works closely and cooperatively with Saskatoon's emergency service organizations, engaging in joint training initiatives. There are a number of additional safety measures in place including safety alert notices, the Safewalk program, campus emergency phones, and counseling and health services for staff and students and their families.
We encourage all members of our campus community to always be alert of potentially unsafe situations, suspicious persons or activities, and report anything unusual without hesitation to 966-5555 immediately, at any time of the day or night.
Shortly after the Virginia tragedy, Vice-President Richard Florizone launched an assessment of the University's safety practices, with recommendations to be developed before the new academic year. The University continually reviews and renews its overall safety measures; however, this specific assessment seeks to ensure that our approach is based on best practices and incorporates the lessons learned in recent events.
The personal safety and security of our campus community is of the greatest importance, and in this regard, we welcome any and all suggestions. Please forward any comments you have to <a href="richard.florizone@usask.ca">richard.florizone@usask.ca</a>.
Peter MacKinnon,
President, University of Saskatchewan
Richard Florizone
VP Finance and Resources, University of Saskatchewan
(Posted on April 27, 2007)
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Original Source: <a href="http://blogs.usask.ca/studentnews/archive/2007/04/message_on_safe.html">http://blogs.usask.ca/studentnews/archive/2007/04/message_on_safe.html</a>
Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution 2.5</a>.
Peter MacKinnon and Richard Florizone
2007-06-09
Brent Jesiek
Creative Commons Attribution 2.5
eng
On Friday, April 20, University of Florida students placed this memorial on the W. University Avenue Gator mascot statues.
null
2007-05-21
Brent Jesiek
eng
University of Hawaii
From around the globe the support for Virginia Tech was amazing
Patrick Hogeboom
2007-04-26
Patrick Hogeboom
eng