Prior to Virginia Tech's candelight vigil for NIU, an attendee signs a message board on display along alumni mall. Photo taken Monday, February 18, 2008. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Issue Date:Wednesday April 18, 2007 Section: HeadLine News Section By Jon Offredo, Staff Writer What if it happened here? Would West Virginia University be prepared for a horrific incident such as the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech on Monday? The answer is yes, University officials say. "Blacksburg is a lot like Morgantown, and if it could happen there, it could happen anywhere," said West Virginia University spokeswoman Becky Loftstead. "In light of this, we are going to review the emergency plan and look at it intensely to make sure that all of our 'I's are dotted and 'T's are crossed to make sure any event like this is covered," Loftstead said. Prior to the massacre in Blacksburg, WVU officials were in the process of finding vendors to provide University-wide text messaging services in the event of an emergency, Loftstead said. Currently, the University would broadcast announcements on MIX and forward them to WVU.edu e-mail addresses as it does when canceling class during the winter. Officials were also looking into the idea of large messaging centers that would be visible in high traffic areas. Dr. Dan Della-Giustina, a WVU professor and expert in public safety, also suggested the implementation of a University-wide alarm system. "My thought is to develop an air raid-like signal, similar to the ones during World War II," Della-Giustina said. "It would sound a siren, when the students would hear this, regardless of where they were, they would know to stay put and be on lock down. Yet, despite new proposals, University officials have always had a plan for the instant disaster were to strike WVU. If WVU were faced with the same situation that arose in Blacksburg, students would be urged to remain where they were and focus on protecting themselves. In what Roberts called an active shooter situation, DPS members have been trained in a program called "Active Shooter," and a team is also trained in Rapid Response. To correspond with the DPS response, Morgantown Police Department, West Virginia State Police and Morgantown Fire Department also became involved in the situation. In the Virginia Tech scenario, students and families were reunited at the alumni center in Blacksburg, but if the situation were to arise in Morgantown, that may not be the best protocol. "If you look at WVU, there is no single road. We are an expansive town," Roberts said. "We work with Morgantown Police Department, and that is a benefit, to say that there is a central location is not what we are advocating." The ideal plan would be for students and faculty to stay in place, secure doors and to wait for the green light. After a traumatizing event, students are likely to need some kind of counseling to deal with the shocking aftermath. "It's crisis counseling, and always you need to assess the student's concern, is there some sense of immediacy, friend or family involved," said Dr. Peter Kahn of the Carruth Center. "With any situation where there's been some kind of a loss, you want to sit with the person and let them talk freely and open up about it." jon.offredo@mail.wvu.edu -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27578
Issue Date:Friday April 20, 2007 Section: Sports Section Patrick Southern, Sports Writer Sometimes it takes a life-changing event to shake you to your very core and remind you what really matters. For the countless people who are suffering in ways that defy comprehension following the stunning events at Virginia Tech, that lesson came in the toughest form possible. While I'm fortunate that I don't have to mourn the loss of any personal friends or family, I sincerely feel the pain of those who do. As DA Sports Editor Tim Tassa eloquently said in his Tuesday column, such tragedies "make sports seem so petty, so irrelevant." It's cliche to say so, but it's true. I know that by noon on Monday, I cared a lot less about how my Boston Red Sox would fare in their Patriots Day game against the Angels than I had when I woke up. In the wake of the campus shooting, the Hokies called off the remainder of their spring football drills and canceled all sporting events scheduled for the following days. These moves were in the best interest of all involved. At that point, no one needed the distraction of competition when the hearts and minds of all of those at VT were elsewhere. After all, athletes and coaches deserve the chance to grieve too. However, the moratorium on athletics at Virginia Tech ends today, when the school's baseball squad hosts Miami. To most, this event will mean little in light of the heartache the community has suffered. After all, college baseball games go on every day nationwide at this time of year. But in this case, the ping of the aluminum bat and the unmistakable snap of a solid fastball against a catcher's mitt will be the first sound of life beginning to return to normal in Blacksburg. While it's true that tragedy makes us realize how meaningless the wins and losses of our teams really are, it's every bit as true that athletics are a significant part of our lives. Sporting events are more than just a good excuse for people to get together and drink a few beers while debating the merits of blitzing off the edge on third and long. No, in times like this, we're reminded that sports are so important to us because they're a sure sign of normal life in abnormal times. It's that importance that made renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" take on such added meaning at baseball games following the attacks of 9/11. And it's the sense of unity and togetherness that sports foster that led the thousands of mourners at Virginia Tech's memorial convocation Tuesday to ditch button-down shirts and dress slacks in favor of their favorite maroon and orange Hokie T-shirt. When those in attendance at that same service struggled to express themselves beyond their tears, they went back to the same cheers that echo through Lane Stadium on any given Saturday in the fall. The mourners' chants of "Let's go, Hokies" reverberated through Cassell Coliseum, punctuated with the rhythmic clapping and repetition that is typically better suited to sporting events than soul-searching. But in that moment, for those who gathered to find a sense of community when pain seemed poised to take over their lives, those three simple words took on all the meaning of a chorus of "Amazing Grace." Instead of rallying their athletic heroes to another victory, the Virginia Tech faithful were chanting to rally their own flagging spirits. It's easy for us to make sports trivial in the wake of traumatic events, because tragedy always makes us step back and evaluate our priorities in life. But for the thousands of VT students who are longing for some sense of "normal," today's first pitch is the first small step back toward simpler times in Blacksburg. Let's go, Hokies. -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27626
Issue Date:Friday August 31, 2007 Section: Editorial Section West Virginia University, like many colleges around the country, has been dealing with a ripple effect of concern from faculty, students and parents alike in regards to the shooting at Virginia Tech earlier this year. A report, commissioned by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday, revealed the failings of the Virginia Tech response to the situation. Earlier this week, The Daily Athenaeum ran a story about our college considering a variety of crisis options, including one widely thrown around by the media: text messaging. According to the Aug. 24 article, "Chief Bob Roberts of WVU's Department of Public Safety, the University may try mass text messaging, siren alerts, video displays and safety awareness programs." "We are currently trying to evaluate how we would put this all together," Roberts said in the article. The communication and notification committee are going to meet together to discuss final issues regarding these plans." While it is important that the University and its law enforcement officials corroborate on ideas to better alert and inform the WVU community about possible dangers, it is also necessary that we take a step back and encourage truly practical ideas, designed not for flashiness but for mass utilization and for the clearest, most direct announcement of danger. While text messaging is a great idea, some cell phones and carriers have reputations for messages arriving days late. Additionally, not everybody has them. Plastering LCD screens everywhere on campus that will regularly need replacing, the visibility of such screens may be too low to properly alert everyone. The University could most benefit from a University-wide speaker system, an idea highlighted in the DA article. A centralized speaker system that could be piped into classrooms, much like those in K-12 schoolrooms, could easily be channeled into the PRT and its stations (which are both already equipped with its own radio system), and in the open areas between buildings. This would be an effective way to alert those in danger and issue appropriate lockdown procedures. It is the unfortunate gain of the rest of us in the college community throughout rest of the country - that we are able to reassess our handicaps and flaws in regards to our emergency response systems. It is also unfortunate that it is left up to national situations like the shooting at Virginia Tech to spearhead such movements. Those that perished on April 16 paid the ultimate price, in part, due to "missed opportunities" to seize gunman Cho. Let us hope that we, as colleges, are able to learn from this tragedy, and are able to avoid our own "missed opportunities" if, God forbid, anything like the tragic events at Virginia Tech should happen here. -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=29638
Issue Date:Monday October 15, 2007 Section: Editorial Section Six months after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, West Virginia University and others institutions across the country have taken positive steps to reevaluate their security approaches, but there is still work to be done. On Friday, the University president, student body president and head of the campus police announced a new system to send text messages and e-mail alerts in the case of crimes, weather delays and closures, and other emergencies at WVU. Everyone is encouraged to sign up now for the service at http://emergency.wvu.edu. University President Mike Garrison has a history of emphasizing security at WVU. When he was president of the student body in the early 1990s, he worked on lighting issues around campus, as well as block captains and watch programs in Sunnyside. And now, as president, he is moving in the right direction. But the system doesn't solve everything. The University has a history of suppressing the true number of crimes it is required by federal law to report. Three years ago, Security on Campus, Inc., a watchdog group, filed a federal complaint against WVU for crime misreporting and said the University's behavior represented "the worst case of corruption we have encountered to date." Hopefully all the problems have been worked out. But it's hard to be sure if the University is doing better or worse on campus safety issues if we can't rely on figures from the past. Nor has the administration made good choices about weather cancellations and delays. In March, the University canceled classes for a snowstorm only after power had been lost and restored on the Evansdale Campus, the PRT had been unreliable or shut down, buses ran behind schedule and professors and students endured a dangerous day of trying to make it to class or sitting in nearly empty classrooms. These are not things that a new text system will solve - this is decision-making and the decision about what to do in a situation has nothing to do with the ability to announce it. Hopefully no one ever gets a message that there is a fire or shooting. But, if the unfortunate should happen, the language of the text should be as clear and concise as possible. Casual text message language, replacing numbers for letters and abbreviations that don't make sense should be avoided. Remember that officials at Virginia Tech said their campus was safe after the first death in the morning. Then there were 31 more. It's good that the University has entered a new era and is getting in touch with students via the medium of our time. We just hope they also change their approach and utilize this new message system properly. -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=30553
Issue Date:Thursday April 19, 2007 Section: HeadLine News Section By Tricia Fulks, Staff Writer There was an overwhelming turnout at Wednesday night's vigil in Woodburn Circle for those lost in Monday's tragedy at Virginia Tech. The event was hosted by the Student Government Association. President David Hardesty offered some remarks to all that gathered. "Any explanation we may offer may seem inadequate ... we must not give up hope for a better world," he said. "Violence can erupt in even the most peaceful of places ... each one of you is precious to your family and friends and to this University and to the future of this nation." Students have been showing their support throughout the week since the tragedy took place Monday in Blacksburg, Va. Jason Parsons, SGA vice president, said the student response has been poignant since Monday. As of Tuesday, more than 800 electronic cards and 350 hand-written cards were sent to the Virginia Tech campus from students at WVU. On Wednesday SGA set out banners for the campus community to sign and to send messages of hope to those affected at Virginia Tech. Parsons said two banners were filled, and SGA members handed out over 1,000 maroon and orange ribbons for students to show their support for the Hokies. "It's been amazing to see the hearts of students on campus," Parsons said. The Center for Civic Engagement has also played a big part in sending thoughts and prayers to the students and faculty at Virginia Tech. Brett White, the administrative assistant of the Center for Civic Engagement, said besides helping SGA plan Wednesday night's vigil, they also have a booth set up in the Mountainlair for students to write their messages on index cards. The cards, which read "From Your Mountaineer Friends," will be sent by the Center of Civic Engagement to the Virginia Tech campus. But perhaps the most moving part of the week was Wednesday night's service. Over 3500 students and Morgantown residents gathered outside Woodburn Hall and held candles to honor the victims and their families of the Virginia Tech massacre. SGA President David Kirkpatrick welcomed the crowd. Then there was a moment of silence. At exactly 9 p.m., three chimes rang from the bell of the U.S.S. West Virginia which sits outside Oglebay Hall and is used as a memorial to students who have died. "We hope that tonight's vigil, through words and music and reflection, begins healing," Kirkpatrick said. "Thirty-three men and women lost their lives in Blacksburg on Monday, and tonight our heartfelt prayers go out to the families," Parsons said. He then introduced Seyran Celik, a Morgantown resident who attends Virginia Tech. Celik shared her story from Monday with the crowd, saying through tears that she lost two friends that day. She said she has received numerous e-mails from friends and family at WVU with the same recurring sentence: "WVU stands with VT." "I am honored that West Virginia University has become an extension to the Virginia Tech family," Celik said. Kasey Hott, a journalism major and the Mountaineer Idol winner, and Justin Johnson, a history major, sang "There You'll Be." Kirkpatrick then gave closing remarks, letting students and faculty know activities will take place throughout the rest of the week for the WVU campus to continue their loving support to the Virginia Tech community. tricia.fulks@mail.wvu.edu -- Photo by:Billy Wolfe Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27613
Tricia Fulks (Author)/Billy Wolfe (Photo)
Virginia Tech vigil held on campus today
Issue Date:Wednesday April 18, 2007 Section: State & Local Section The Student Government Association is hosting a candlelight vigil tonight to mourn the April 16 tragedy at Virginia Tech. Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech began at a residence hall and moved across campus to Norris Hall, the university's engineering building, leaving 33 people dead and many injured. The shooting is considered the worst mass killing in U.S. history. Throughout the day, students can send messages of hope on a banner in the Mountainlair. SGA will also be handing out orange and maroon ribbons, in support for Virginia Tech, according to a press release. The vigil will then take place tonight at 9 p.m. in Woodburn Circle, weather permitting. "We want to do our part on our campus to extend our condolences to those and their families at Virginia Tech," said SGA Vice President Jason Parsons. "We encourage all students and those in the community to come out." SGA President David Kirkpatrick and President David C. Hardesty are scheduled to speak. — tmf -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27582
ssue Date:Tuesday April 17, 2007 Section: Editorial Section By Monday afternoon, the nation was shocked by the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech. At least 32 people were killed and more than 20 were left wounded in the nation's most violent school shooting ever. Though the campus of West Virginia University did not directly experience the tragedy, Mountaineer students found themselves anxious and alarmed as the news spread across the country. Some were distracted from their studies, while others waited with bated breath to hear word from their Hokie friends. Every student on every college campus is affected when an event like this occurs. As Virginia Tech mourns the loss of its students in the coming days, and some continue to mourn for many years to come, the staff of The Daily Athenaeum sends out our thoughts and sympathy to those who lost loved ones in Monday's shooting. When an event like this occurs, no matter what college campus you call home, you are taken out of your comfort zone. It's hard to fathom what Virginia Tech students, staff, faculty and families are going through. As a peer institution and ultimately a friend of Virginia Tech, we hope that they will be able to mend after such a horrifying occurrence. As the end of the semester draws near, it is hard enough to deal with the stress of classes, projects and final exams. Now, Virginia Tech students will be faced with even bigger obstacles. While we go through the next few weeks, take the time to remember those who were lost in this unspeakable tragedy. Enjoy every day, and take time to tell your friends and family that you care about them. It's unfortunate, but sometimes we are so wrapped up with our daily lives that it takes an event like this to bring us back to reality and remind us to be thankful. Again, our hearts and thoughts go out to those affected by the shooting. We will continue to think about you as we undergo the mourning process alongside college students across the nation. -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27549
Students Hold Vigil for Va. Tech Victims
By David Xia PUBLISHED APRIL 18, 2007 Approximately 300 students, faculty, and administrators gathered together at the sundial last night for a candlelight vigil held in memory of the 32 victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. University Chaplain Jewelnel Davis delivered a message of inspiration and hope to those gathered at the base of the sundial. Davis said that during this time of national mourning, it was crucial for members of the Columbia community to band together in solidarity and offer their condolences and prayers to those grieving over Virginia Tech. "Life will always overcome the darkness of hate, despair, and violence," Davis said. The undergraduate student councils provided 1,500 white candles, according to Ana Ortiz, CC '07 and Columbia College Student Council vice president of campus life, who spoke at the event. As the candles were lit and the flames passed along in silent respect, those in attendance exchanged glances of support. "We who believe in learning believe in hope," Davis said. "Light, when it is shared, overcomes darkness and spreads more light." Only the soft pattering of the drizzling rain was audible as attendees, heads lowered in respect, observed a moment of silence. Ortiz stated the names of the 32 students who were killed. "One great thing about the Columbia community is that when a horrible incident like this happens, we are able to come together as a family," Dean of Student Affairs Chris Colombo said after the event. For Mark Johnson, CC '09 and vice president of the CCSC class of 2009, the shootings in Blacksburg, Va. struck very close to home. Johnson, whose hometown is Virginia Beach, said it was unsettling to see such a tragedy occur at a place he considers home. "I'm happy we had something like this. It allowed me to vent," he said. -- Photo By: Key Nguyen Original Source: Columbia Spectator http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/24914
Web site commemorates those lost in Virginia Tech tragedy
Issue Date:Thursday April 26, 2007 Section: HeadLine News Section Angela Moscaritolo, Staff Writer Three West Virginia University journalism students are putting together a memorial Web site for Virginia Tech. Stephen Matthews, Missy Brown and Andy Smith traveled to Virginia Tech last week to cover the tragedy for a Web site to honor the victims. "Our mission is to tell the story of the students that were there," Matthews said. The Web site will focus on the victims and their friends and families. There will be no coverage of the killer as part of the Web site, Matthews said. The night before their drive to Virginia Tech, Matthews and Brown searched the Internet for contacts. Matthews heard back from the best friend of victim Ross Alameddine. "I've honestly never heard someone's voice who was so disturbed," Matthews said. When they got to the Virginia Tech campus, Matthews, Brown and Smith were met with a flood of other media. They saw stations covering the tragedy from Spain, Russia, Canada and more, Matthews said. On campus there were "hundreds upon hundreds" of flowers and signatures filling large white poster boards, Brown said. Also, no one ever spoke above a whisper, Matthews added. They saw inspirational messages sent from other colleges, such as New York University and Auburn University. "That just shows that it's affected all schools," said Matthews. The three students took audio and video recordings along with still photography for the multimedia Web site. Matthews, Brown and Smith are aiming to complete the Web site by May 13 but because of finals, the deadline for the project may get pushed back. Through their experience at Virginia Tech, Matthews, Brown and Smith said they learned real-world lessons about journalism. Smith was shooting photographs of the campus and came across Virginia Tech students crying in front of Norris Hall. He made an ethical decision not to take photos of the students. "The last thing they needed was a guy sticking a camera in their face," Smith said. -- Photo By: Andy Smith Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27796
Angela Moscaritolo (Author)/Andy Smith (Photo)
By Armin Rosen PUBLISHED APRIL 19, 2007 It unfolded like a terrifying set-piece, and each new item of information seemed more trite and intuitive than the next: the killer had been a student. He had been a social outcast, homicidally contemptuous of the society that he felt had cast him out. The guns used had been purchased legally. And there had been warning signs that now seem to have stopped tantalizingly short of portending the coming carnage. "When this is all said and done," the online magazine Slate cited one blogger as writing a few hours after the shooting, "we will likely have an unhappy young person who probably had an unhealthy obsession with guns, violence, gory video games, and over the top blood-fest movies"-which means that, even in its horrifying randomness, the Virginia Tech shooting takes on a grim aspect of predictability. But what should this predictability teach us? Since noted poet and Virginia Tech English professor Lucinda Roy found Cho Seung-Hui unstable enough to justify contacting campus counseling services over 18 months prior to the attack, it could be argued that universities and society in general should be more aggressive in administering psychological help to those who obviously need it. We Americans are great believers in therapy: with nearly one in four adults seeking professional help and Adderall alone bringing in over a quarter-billion dollars in annual revenue, we, arguably, have put more faith in the redemptive powers of the clinical or prescriptive than any other society on earth. But it would be a mistake to let this past week's events reinforce this notion that normalcy can be clinically prescribed, or, as some have recommended, clinically imposed. As author Deepak Chopra appropriately noted in an interview with CNN, psychologist Abraham Maslow maintains that love and belonging are as fundamental to human existence as food and shelter. And the professional concern of a therapist for her patient can't fill basic emotional or social voids any better than social relationships alone can cure mental illness. Does this teach us that our society predisposes people to committing horrific killing sprees? I, for one, appreciate a certain irony in the fact that this event has ultimately strengthened the very community from which Cho felt so excluded. However, it is patently insensitive to blame the Virginia Tech community for excluding someone who was so invisible to it. And, by all accounts, Cho was not just invisible to those around him, but invisible to himself as well: by shaving off his weapons' serial numbers, carrying no identification, and committing suicide in a way that would obscure his most individual physical feature-his face-he argued against his own humanity and individuality. So if we are to blame the community as a whole for its exclusivity, then it would be disingenuous because we too fail to reach out to those in potential danger of lapsing into a permanent state of social and personal non-existence. But is the existence of such people alone enough to teach us that our society is somehow structured to produce killing sprees like the one at Virginia Tech? In his seminal work, Suicide (1897), sociologist Emile Durkheim poses a similar question, and proceeds to argue that the social and historical consistency of the suicide rate proves the act to be an unalterable "social fact," built into the social structure. It's terrifying to think of the destructive confluence of mental instability, exclusion and a propensity for violence as one such "social fact." But reactions to the massacre suggest that that's exactly how a lot of people feel: for instance, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert blamed a "staggering amount of murders" on "feelings of inadequacy, psychosexual turmoil and the easy availability of guns." According to Herbert, the only item over which we, as a society, have conscious control is the last. Yet, if we learn one thing from the Virginia Tech massacre, it should be the importance of using what sliver of control we do have. We can encourage people like Cho to seek the help they desperately need without expecting that help to be a cure-all. We can reach out to the socially alienated, and make an effort to acknowledge those people who we would usually ignore. We can also limit the availability of handguns. Most importantly, we can insist that this past Monday's event were not structural, and avoid lapsing into the kind of cynicism that might have made such an event possible in the first place. Scores of Facebook groups have a name derived from the phrase "Today, we are all Hokies." The phrase was meant as a show of solidarity with a university suffering in ways none of us can imagine. But as long as we keep internalizing, tolerating, or even ignoring the factors that led to Monday's attack it, also functions as a cynical truth: we are all vulnerable. And in that respect, we are all Hokies. -- Photo By: Shana Rubin Original Source: Columbia Spectator http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/24952
Armin Rosen (Author)/Shana Rubin (Photo)
When tragedy is for sale, it isn’t tragic enough
Issue Date:Tuesday April 17, 2007 Section: Editorial Section Ry Rivard, City Editor By the end of the Monday it was obvious that the media had begun selling the day's horrors at Virginia Tech. No matter the gravity or magnitude of a tragedy, this country's commentators veer from events as they are, in and of themselves horrible, to a decontextualized, surreal account of things so they can be sold to and consumed by us. The shooting - the deadliest shooting in American history - quickly became, for some people, another chance to make various political points. It became, by the time Wolf Blitzer's show aired, a sort of tragic-porn, a way for the media to provoke rather than inform. Commentators tried to politicize it, politicians tried to comment on it, the news channels tried to heighten the drama with their usual parade of loud music and epic comparisons, "This is worse than ... " or "This is the biggest ... " Was what happened not enough in and of itself? Glenn Reynolds, law professor at University of Tennessee, quickly posted a 52-page paper on his popular Weblog arguing that the best way to prevent shootings like Monday's is to permit concealed handguns. It was the day's most academic approach to the event, but it was also one of the most callous. Written by two economists, the paper concluded that "the only policy factor to influence multiple victim public shootings is the passage of concealed handgun laws." Reynolds and several others who followed his lead took the deaths of 33 students to advance an agenda which, although done in an attempt to stop such events in the future, made them into a policy argument. Similarly, the Drudge Report, a conservative news site, dragged out a fourth-month old story from Roanoke Times about failed piece of legislation that would have permitted concealed handguns. It reported, "Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. 'I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.'" The point was: if students hadn't had to wait for the police to arrive, Monday's shootings would have been an incident and not a tragedy. The effect of their ill-made point was that gun control advocates were somehow responsible for the shooting. In response, the Huffington Post highlighted a story that the White House affirmed the "president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms." Their point: if only there had been a law against carrying weapons (and there is - VT's handbook doesn't permit guns on campus), this wouldn't have happened. The effect of that point was that somehow the Second Amendment or the Bush Administration was responsible for the shooting. The politicians, meanwhile, all took care to come out and say how horrible the events were. Perhaps they thought if they didn't grandstand on TV with their condolences, someone might mistake their silence for support? The news channels proved again that constant, breathless coverage undermines the fundamental tragedy, horror and fact of an event. CNN escalated its description of the shootings from "monumental" to a "rampage" to a "massacre," to a "bloodbath," as if their appellations signified anything but their desire to sell the story. By Monday evening, each station had begun saying as often as possible how tragic the obvious tragedy was, and how horrible the horror was - and at the same time they plugged their own brand: "Stay tuned to us for ... " For what? For whatever scarce news they could pry from any student on the VT campus they could pull aside and, occasionally, attempt to provoke into more tears with probing, useless questions. CNN kept mentioning their "I Reporters," which is their way of saying "people who sent us pictures from their cell phones." If the media's reaction Monday was a sign of the American psyche, we are a country that cannot understand an event outside of a political framework, and we are a country that cannot understand an event as it is. There were two terrible but - compared to the media's carnival barker commentary - honest accounts from Monday. The first was cell phone video footage taken outside the building of the shootings that captured the sounds of 27 shots being fired, presumably into somebody. It was replayed and replayed and, after a while, it became a selling point for CNN rather than a way to describe the day's events. The second account, reminiscent of Sept. 11, came from a student who told ABC News, "Everyone started panicking and jumping out the window." But there is nothing anyone can say that makes it make sense, so, from Lord Byron: And thou art dead, as young and fair As aught of mortal birth; And form so soft, and charms so rare, Too soon return'd to Earth! Though Earth receiv'd them in her bed, And o'er the spot the crowd may tread In carelessness or mirth, There is an eye which could not brook A moment on that grave to look. -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27550
Virginia Tech panel recommends security solutions for colleges
Issue Date:Friday September 7, 2007 Section: HeadLine News Section By Kellen Henry, Staff Writer Many students gathered for candlelight vigils and wore ribbons in support of Virginia Tech after the April 16 shooting. While most students did not fear for their lives on campus, they realized such a tragedy could just as easily occur in Morgantown. Last week, a panel appointed by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine reported findings on the shooting rampage by student Seung-Hui Cho that killed 32 people in Blacksburg, Va. The report presented more than 70 recommendations to advise law enforcement, school officials and medical personnel. They also intended to help other colleges choose proper security solutions for their own campuses. This week, West Virginia University officials announced a plan to send mass text messages in an emergency. The University will also provide better quality lighting in key pedestrian areas such as sidewalks between the Downtown Library Complex, the Mountainlair, the PRT and residence halls. The panels' report criticized Virginia Tech's emergency response plan because it lacked guidelines for a shooter scenario and did not allow police to play a major role in emergency decision making. "We don't see that as an issue here at WVU. As the first responders here, it makes sense for us to have an active role," said Chief Bob Roberts of the University Department of Public Safety. Administrators here began revising its policies in December 2005 to align it with the federal Department of Homeland Security's National Incident Management System. The University's new plan will be unveiled in October said Becky Lofstead, executive director of internal communications. It will include emergency training for students and staff and job action checklists. There is a Web site planned for relaying emergency information, Lofstead said. At Virginia Tech, police had no means of sending emergency alerts themselves and also failed to warn the administration that a gunman could still be loose on campus. The initial emergency e-mail and phone alerts to students and staff came too late and were too vague to be effective, the report found. "Warning the students, faculty and staff might have made a difference," the panel wrote. "So the earlier and clearer the warning, the more chance an individual had of surviving." With a large student body sprawling between two campuses, WVU sees the dire need to refine its emergency alert system. The Tech panel advised a multi-level alert, for instance alert sirens that signal students to check texts or e-mails for emergency updates. The Virginia Tech shootings also reinforced the importance of solid mental health care for students and faculty. The panel found that university and health officials did not coordinate information and intervene efficiently after concerns surfaced about the shooter. "No one knew all the information and no one connected all the dots," the report said. WVU's Carruth Center for Counseling already tries to communicate information while protecting privacy, said director Catherine Yura. A crisis committee joins counselors with resident life, police and student affairs representatives. "What we do is discuss situations that come up and try to understand if it is something to be concerned about," Yura said. kellen.henry@mail.wvu.edu -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=29759
Issue Date:Wednesday April 18, 2007 Section: Editorial Section There are still many questions left for the Blacksburg, Va., community as police and federal agents continue to investigate the gunman's trail. But there is one startling fact we are all aware of: Students and the rest of the university's community were not notified of the first shooting until nearly two hours later. And when they were notified, many did not take the message seriously until, in many cases, they saw bloodshed for themselves. It's hard not to think about how West Virginia University and others across the country would respond if a similar situation took place on their campuses. As explained in a news story in today's Daily Athenaeum, WVU officials say they do have an emergency plan in place. But does it need to be modified to be made more efficient? In a much less dire situation, WVU administrators took several hours to cancel classes when roads were too icy to drive on during a snowstorm last March. When Virginia Tech officials did notify the campus of the shootings, the message was mass delivered through an e-mail. Many VT students wondered aloud to the media if the tragedy could have only been an incident if they were notified earlier. And what if e-mails simply can't be read when the power shuts off or students and faculty don't check their accounts? We're glad to hear University officials are looking into campus-wide text messaging and messaging centers that are visible to traffic. Innovative measures such as these are some of the best ways to reach everybody at once nowadays. Still, in an emergency, cell phone network lines could become loaded, making messages hard to send. That's why universities, including WVU, need to work with local companies and networks to make plans for mass communication during security threats. Of course, nothing can change Monday's monstrosity. But if communities and administrators work together now, they may be able to prevent another tragedy. -- Originial Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27573
Issue Date:Tuesday April 17, 2007 Section: Sports Section By Tim Tassa, Sports Editor Monday morning's events make sports seem so petty, so irrelevant. Every year there are one or two tragedies of monumental proportion that unite people and draw to mind that there is more to life than a rivalry, a goal post, a field and a coach. And, unfortunately, April 16, when at least 32 people at Virginia Tech were killed by a deranged gunman, was one of those days. It marked the beginning of a time to reach out to the Virginia Tech community, for so many at West Virginia University - through geography, friends and family - are connected to the institution. The day after the deadliest shooting on a college campus in United States history brings nothing but disbelief, outrage, curiosity and grief. As we often do during times of bewilderment and mourning, we ask, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" And still, there is no answer. As a University that is familiar with Virginia Tech, whether on the playing field, academically or socially, it is only human to keep southwest Virginia in our thoughts just a day after such a disaster. But the effects are much more widespread. After the images displayed on network television, Monday's violence will be remembered just as the Kent State, University of Texas and Columbine shootings - except at an even larger level. In addition, the events may be a catalyst for change in the way higher education is conducted nationwide. Or at least in security procedures. For those of us sitting in large lecture halls and residing in campus dormitories, the anxiety and horror of what happened in Blacksburg, Va., doesn't seem very far. The realization is that tragedies of this magnitude can happen on any campus, big or small. For current WVU students, sitting in class today will feel much different than it did last Tuesday. In speaking with a few VT students on Monday, the realities of the events had yet to hit them. By day's end it surely had. It was certainly felt by VT's most familiar face. "How could one person cause so many senseless deaths? I'm in shock," said head football coach Frank Beamer, according to espn.com. "This is such a caring, friendly place. This is a college town. And now one person has an impact like this?" But on a day, and by a person whose words are normally revered, his thoughts were no more telling than the voices and words of the students who called in on CNN to tell their stories. In watching the cable network, a Virginia Tech student, Matt Waldron, was interviewed and spoke of his interactions with well-wishers and friends. Among them: a U.S. Soldier in Iraq who ironically faces similar dangers daily. And in watching Monday's death toll grow from 22 to 25 to 30 to 32, I wondered why the deaths in Iraq do not collect the same disbelief, outrage, curiosity and grief. But as violence in war is unfortunately expected, bloodshed in the classroom is unimaginable. timothy.tassa@mail.wvu.edu -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27545
Issue Date:Tuesday April 17, 2007 Section: HeadLine News Section In response to the shootings at Virginia Tech, West Virginia University President David Hardesty said Monday afternoon in a statement that the "campus police are alert to the incident and are monitoring the situation as it unfolds. If deemed necessary, increased coverage by our campus police will be initiated." Students in need of counseling are encouraged to visit the Carruth Center in the Student Services Center next to the Mountainlair. The center, open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., offers walk-in counseling services and an after-hour emergency phone consultation service (293-4431). On Monday, the center extended its walk-in services to 8 p.m. A candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the shootings will be held Wednesday at 9 p.m. in Woodburn Circle on the Downtown Campus. The University community and the general public are invited to attend. The WVU United Methodist Student Movement will sponsor an interfaith vigil today at 9 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. — cls -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27564
Shootings don’t call for unreasonable security
Tuesday April 17, 2007 Section: Editorial Section Christian Alexandersen, Senior Staff Writer As I write this column, I, like most people in the world, am in disbelief of the terrible shootings that occurred on the Virginia Tech campus that claimed the lives of at least 33 people. First and foremost, I want to say that the thoughts and prayers of everyone at West Virginia University go out to everyone affected by the shootings at Virginia Tech. Words cannot begin to describe the pain and sorrow all college students are feeling on the worst day in our college careers. While this is now the worst public shooting ever to occur in the nation's history, it is the responsibility of college students, faculty and staff everywhere to act responsibly following these tragic events. Directly after the shooting at Columbine High School in April 1999, schools all over the country began instituting extremely strict policies to deter future acts of violence in American schools. Growing up in the post-Columbine school system, students today remember the heightened security measures that were taken. Superintendents everywhere were no longer allowing students to carry backpacks around schools or go out for lunch. While it is impossible to know if those new precautions actually deterred anyone from shooting people in school, one of the most important lessons to take from both the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings is that no matter the security precautions you take, nothing can stop a killer. It is crucial for WVU as well as all other colleges and universities around the country to act accordingly following the Virginia Tech massacre. However, higher learning institutions should not make unnecessary and costly security upgrades because of an isolated incident at Virginia Tech. During a press conference, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said, "(We) can't have an armed guard in front of every classroom." When asked if the campus had enough security to protect their students, Steger said, "It's very difficult because we are an open society and an open campus." Other than the shooting that occurred at the University of Texas at Austin in 1966, there has not been an event that can compare to the one that occurred on Monday. Hopefully, school presidents will comprehend that placing metal detectors, instituting increased security or having people rummaging through our belongings is not the answer. Unfortunately, there are no remedies for tragic events like this. The only thing universities and colleges can do is take minor precautions to protect their students, faculty and staff. If Sept. 11 has taught us anything, it is that people who want to cause violence will find a way to do it. Wasting thousands or even millions of dollars on security upgrades is not going to solve anything. I am not saying, however, that precautions should not be taken at all; I am simply saying that adding SWAT teams to patrol campuses is unnecessary. ID scans and similar campus precautions are good ideas and should be considered by all institutions. Though the shootings at Virginia Tech are tragic and terrible, we have to remember to act sensibly and not rashly. Being prepared for situations like this is important, but we have to remember that this isolated incident is not an excuse to allow college presidents to overreact and start spending money on frivolous security measures. Once again, I want to say that the thoughts and prayers of every West Virginia University student, faculty and staff member are with the people at Virginia Tech. -- Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27552
By PUBLISHED APRIL 17, 2007 On Monday morning, 32 students at Virginia Tech were killed and about 30 others injured by a shooting at the hands of a fellow student. This tragedy raises questions about the nature of events like this and what Columbia might do in a similar situation. Yet the administration was slow in publicly responding to the event, and when it did, it failed to address the crucial question about what the University's response plan would be. The University should have expressed its sympathy, explained the counseling options available to students, and addressed safety concerns on Monday when the shootings occurred. The tragedy hit especially close to home on campus-first, because the victims were fellow students, and second, because many students here have friends and acquaintances at Virginia Tech. The University's immediate response should have been to give some notification telling students where they could go for counseling if desired. Tonight a candlelight vigil will be held on Low Steps for the victims, and the Counseling and Psychological Services office will be open until 11 p.m. for students who need its services. This is a good step on the University's part, but it should have made those resources available more quickly and opened CPS for extended hours. Questions have also been asked about how effective Virginia Tech officials were in securing the campus after the first round of shooting. Naturally, these questions raise concerns about Columbia's own emergency management plan and the safety and security of its campus. University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and Dartmouth College President James Wright have released statements offering condolences to the Virginia Tech community and providing information about the security of their respective campuses, as well as publicizing the counseling services that they have available. University President Lee Bollinger should follow suit and send an e-mail to the entire University explaining the details of its response plan. Obviously, students do not need the University to hold their hands. But the University does have the responsibility to help them get through tragedies such as this and to encourage them to seek help if needed. Merely informing students more quickly of what counseling options were available would have been of significant help to students, as would have information about what the University would do if a similar crisis occurred here. Tonight at the candle light vigil, Columbia students will come together in solidarity. The University must do the same, providing students help and support. -- Originial Source: Columbia Spectator http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/24900
Public Safety Takes Over as Card-Swipers
PUBLISHED APRIL 17, 2007 Beginning today and lasting at least through the end of the semester, students will no longer work as card-swipers at the front desks of on-campus residences and Lerner Hall. The change, announced yesterday, came in response to Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech University and is aimed at increasing security. According to Rosemary Keane, assistant vice president for communications in the Division of Student Services, students currently working at those desks will be reassigned and will not become unemployed. Columbia University public safety officers will take their card-swiping jobs. "In response to Virginia Tech, our goal was to make sure that we have uniformed officers in each residence hall and in Lerner for the rest of the semester for added security precautions," Lisa Hogarty, executive vice president for Student and Administrative Services, said last night. One student, who was working at the front desk of Lerner Hall last night and declined to be named for fear of losing her job, said that she felt the move would have little impact on security. "I don't like the idea of turnstiles, anyways," she said, noting that two of the three turnstiles were broken and that anybody can walk through without swiping. "If people really want to get into the building, they'll find a way." In an e-mail sent to Columbia students last night, Hogarty announced that there will be a candlelight vigil at the sundial tonight at 9 p.m. in remembrance of the 33 students who died during the shooting. University Chaplain Jewelnel Davis is scheduled to speak. The University has also extended today's office hours for Counseling and Psychological Services until 11 p.m. today. "The entire Columbia University community mourns the loss of these individuals and we send our prayers and condolences to their friends and families and to all the students, staff and faculty at Virginia Tech," Hogarty wrote in the e-mail. -- Original Source: Columbia Spectator http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/24884
By Evan Cohen PUBLISHED APRIL 26, 2007 Eleven years ago, I played in a band that rehearsed in a basement downtown. On one side of the basement was an illegal two-bedroom apartment that the landlord slapped together with drywall. My friend Matt lived there with a roommate. I didn't know anything about the roommate other than that he was black. One afternoon, my bandmate, George, and I went down to rehearsal early and checked in on Matt. We were in his room talking about the then non-hit TV show, Homeboys in Outer Space. George was saying that it was a low rent rip-off of the Britcom, Red Dwarf. I chimed in with "It's more like Red Nigger!" Matt hissed at me, "My roommate's home, stupid!" Oh shit. I was going to die. I never felt so low in all my life. I began to shake, and clenched my suddenly churning bowels to keep them from releasing. "Oh my god, he's gonna kill me!" "Relax," George said. We heard our drummer Michael walking down the basement steps. Matt opened the door and I walked out as quickly as possible. I didn't see the roommate. Thank god. Hopefully he didn't hear anything. We played for two hours and I almost forgot the sickening feeling in my gut. As we were packing up our equipment, George said, "You have to apologize." "What?" "You have to apologize to Matt's roommate." "But maybe he didn't even hear me say it!" I pleaded. "Like, what if he didn't hear anything and then it makes it look ten times worse!" "You have to apologize." Oh shit. I slowly walked across the basement to the apartment, wondering if I'd soon have any teeth left. I knocked on the door, hoping that he was gone. The roommate opened up the door. "Yes?" "Hi. I just... well... I want to apologize for something I said earlier in Matt's room, and I just want to let you know that I'm sorry if you may have been offended." "Okay," he said, and shut the door. I then ran upstairs and out of the building. Matt didn't talk to me for a long time after that. He would eventually tell me that relations with his roommate from then on were pretty awkward. We continued to rehearse there, but I never saw the roommate again. So what did I learn? When I think about this incident, I still feel uncomfortable. Had Matt's roommate not been home, or even existed, it wouldn't have been an issue. It would have been just another comment. The difference was that I got caught, and all things considered, I got off pretty easy. I think that, worst of all, what I said wasn't even funny. If you think I'm going to say that I learned my lesson and don't use language like that anymore, you're wrong. I still use "inappropriate" language, so much so that when the same word was symbolically banned by the NYC city council, I got half a dozen e-mails from friends saying, "So what are you going to do now?" But I know when to say certain things and when not to (when I don't forget, of course). I know context. I don't speak the same way to my professors as I do to my friends, but I don't believe that certain words should "belong" to certain groups and not others. Language and humor shouldn't have limits. What's key here is the intent behind the words, and more so, behind actions. Words were big news recently. For two weeks, pundits brimming with self-righteous indignation discussed whether Don Imus was within his bounds to refer to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." His defenders said that he was paid to be inappropriate and was just earning his paycheck, but he was ultimately fired. On the afternoon of Monday, April 16, while the cable news channels were reporting the increasingly unbelievable details of the Virginia Tech massacre, Oprah was airing the first of a two-part town hall show all about Don Imus and the pain words can cause. I tuned in for about two minutes and it all seemed so silly. What caused more harm, three words on a radio show, or a mentally disturbed college student armed with two legally purchased firearms? Before the shootings in Blacksburg occurred, Matee Ajavon of the Rutgers team said, "This has scarred me for life." I think there are 33 families who would take issue with that statement, not to mention the survivors who will suffer physical and psychological trauma for years to come. We're quick to jump on people who say the "wrong" thing, whether it's Michael Richards' meltdown in a comedy club, or Joe Biden referring to Barack Obama as "clean." But does calling them out solve the problem? There are local politicians and police officials all over this country who would never use those words in public but who harbor true hatred. I'd be more worried about their abuses of power than what I heard on the radio. So the next time you hear something that rubs you the wrong way, stop and think. Who's saying it, and what's the context? What was the real intent? Who is it really hurting, and what how does that hurt fit into the greater scheme of things? Words are just that, words. Actions cause real damage, but actions can also heal. Choose your action. -- Original Source: Columbia Spectator http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/25087