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A large tree on the Virginia Tech campus has several ribbons tied around it. Original source: <ahref=" http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53545565/ "> http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53545565/ Photo Courtesy of Kristina Cummins
By:Kyle Cheney Posted: 4/19/07 Adan Berkowitz's disdain for the very media that gives him a voice is an alarmingly narrow-minded generalization. ("A campus in grief distracted by media attack," April 18, p. 9). While sensationalism is all too prevalent in certain segments of the press, to ignore examples of remarkable, in-depth coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre is equally egregious. Tragedies such as this are the rare moments in U.S. history when the country collectively holds its breath, anxiously waiting for the newest fact or detail to emerge. In these cases, we rely on reporters on the ground to ask tough questions and capture the horror and pain that sent shock waves around the world. It surprises me that amid the supposed "swarm" of reporters marauding like vultures on the Virginia Tech campus, Berkowitz failed to notice the intrepid coverage by the Roanoke Times, a local outlet that has the most comprehensive, to-the-minute coverage and became a virtual bible for out-of-town reporters. The paper currently features a moving tribute to the victims on its main web page. Berkowitz also curiously missed the fantastic USA Today coverage, and even his hometown Boston Globe made a fine showing. To be sure, the Talking Heads do have a way of obscuring issues and turning them into partisan talking points, and they certainly make a lot of noise. But they are hardly representative of the media as a whole, which, at least on this story, performed masterfully. Kyle Cheney COM '06 Former editor-in-chief of The Daily Free Press -- Original Source:The Daily Free Press - April 19, 2007
By: Kyle Thomas Posted: 4/24/07 The terrible tragedy which took place last week at Virginia Tech has stunned the nation. The day a tormented madman decided to take the lives of 32 innocent individuals was horrid, disgusting, gut wrenching and a host of other words, which escape my mind right now. But in the midst of such a horrendous event, - one in which pure evil was on display - this nation was introduced to a slew of new heroes. All too often in out commercial society, we choose to worship the wrong type of hero. Most of us at one time or another have aspired to be a famous athlete or actor, and maybe we've even called them "heroes." But every time a tragedy of this magnitude occurs, one really has to stop and think about how silly - or how downright stupid it is - to refer to these commercial icons as heroes. Liviu Librescu, a 76-year-old professor, was killed last Monday. By all accounts, Professor Librescu saved the lives of many of the students in his classroom when he, in reckless disregard for his own life, barricaded the door to his classroom with his own body. As a direct result of his actions, only two of his students were injured. No one in the classroom was killed - except Professor Librescu. Librescu, a Romanian-born Holocaust survivor, never had an easy life. Yet despite all of the challenges he faced, he still managed to receive advanced degrees in engineering. He was an internationally-known leader in the field of aeronautical engineering. He was also the son of two. It is a shame that true heroes like Librescu will never get the recognition they deserve. Certainly he will be forever memorialized on the campus of Virginia Tech. They will build him a stature, or name a building after him. But only a few months from now, we'll all go back to calling those silly athletes heroes - and so life will go on. Now that this country is an established institution, it seems like there is nary a chance for true national heroes to emerge. There are no more British soldiers to defeat and no one else can be the first man on the moon. The only thing really left is responding to tragedy. Think back to the days, weeks and months that followed Sept. 11. Our television screens were plastered with pictures and family videos of firemen and policemen who ran 80 flights of stairs while bystanders and innocent people were running down. How many of those heroes can you name? When Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, all of us again were bombarded with tales of heroic acts. Yet, the only names we remember 12 years later are that of McVeigh and his accomplice, Terry Nichols. Years from now - or maybe just days from now - some other tragic event that we cant yet imagine will occur. We wont remember those heroes either. Most people want to be famous - so how can someone who attains fame be a hero? I know of no one who dreams of dying in a classroom so that others can live. Can a hero really be someone that does something we'd all love to do? A hero should be someone that does something that none of us would ever want to do. Random House Dictionary lists the definition of hero as "a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal." That definition is not specific enough. There is an immeasurable leap between a role model and a hero. Older brothers are models to their younger brothers. Teachers are models for their students. But no matter how great their contributions are, they don't deserve the "hero" moniker. When professional sports franchises win their respective championships, entire cities come out for a parade. When the city has been without a championship title for a long time, the team is referred to in the media as heroes. The 2004 Red Sox were heroes. Only, they weren't. They didn't risk their lives to win that championship. Never did they face tremendous adversity to attain their goal. Professor Librescu gave his life so that every student who was in his classroom could live. A gunman shot him to death through a door that only he was keeping closed. Librescu is a hero, and to demerit the term by using it so often is to do a disservice to his memory. -- Original Source:The Daily Campus - April 24, 2007
Las caras inmigrantes de la masacre de Virginia Tech
Publicado por La bloguera en Mayo 2, 2007 04:24 PM La peor masacre escolar en la historia de Estados Unidos, que dejó un saldo de 33 muertos en la Universidad de Virginia Tech, ha generado más interrogantes que respuestas, y mientras la nación está de luto muchos se preguntan cómo afectará ésta tragedia la imagen del inmigrante en este país. La prensa repite constantemente que el asesino, Cho Seung-Hui, emigró de Corea a los 8 años. Antes de sus escalofriantes actos, la historia del joven es similar a la de muchas familias inmigrantes. Sus padres que emigraron buscando un futuro mejor, durante años trabajaron en una lavandería, y seguramente estaban orgullosos que sus hijos fueran a la universidad. Inicialmente, Cho Seung-Hui, fue blanco de las burlas por no saber inglés, pero eventualmente aprendió el idioma, y se podría decir que incluso absorbió los aspectos más violentos de esta sociedad, donde los tiroteos en las escuelas parecen repetirse sin sentido. Ahora sus padres viven "una horrible pesadilla" según un comunicado de la familia que agrega que nunca se imaginaron la capacidad de violencia de su hijo quien "ha puesto a llorar al mundo". Pero esta masacre también tiene otra cara inmigrante que no ha recibido tanta atención de los medios. Las víctimas, los héroes y los dolientes de esta tragedia, también tienen rostro inmigrante y desde Perú, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, India, Líbano, Polonia, Vietnam, Canadá y los Emiratos Arabes Unidos, llegaron para cumplir su sueño americano estudiando o enseñando en Virginia Tech. El profesor Liviu Librescu, nacido en Polonia, se interpuso ante las balas tratando de salvar la vida de sus estudiantes. El maestro bloqueó la puerta del salón, mientras le urgía a sus estudiantes que se tiraran al piso. El estudiante peruano, Daniel Pérez Cueva de 21 años, también murió en el tiroteo. Su madre Betty Cueva lo recuerda como un joven alegre, que sin embargo asumió grandes responsabilidades familiares tras la deportación de su padre a Perú y se pagaba sus estudios para no incomodar a su familia. Juan Ramón Ortiz de Puerto Rico, también fue víctima de la masacre. Su padre, al ser entrevistado desde Puerto Rico, dio un ejemplo de compasión al mundo, al decir entre lágrimas, que también había que orar por la familia del asesino. Al igual que ese fatídico 11 de septiembre, con la masacre en Virginia Tech, los inmigrantes sufren en carne propia las tragedias nacionales, pero a la vez son una parte integral y necesaria para cicatrizar estas heridas y luchar por un mejor país. -- Fuente Original: Los Blogueros - Washington, DC. http://www.losblogueros.net/mt-weblog/2007/05/las_caras_inmigrantes_de_la_ma.html
Legisladores sólo piden mayor control sobre las ‘personas peligrosas’ en EE.UU.
Publicado por La Raza Newspaper 06-14-2007 Washington, D.C. (EFE).— Un comité creado por el presidente de Estados Unidos, George W. Bush, para estudiar la matanza en la Universidad virginia tech recomendó ayer controlar mejor a las "personas peligrosas", pero no pidió endurecer las leyes para restringir el acceso a las armas. El informe dice que todos los estados deberían enviar los datos de personas que no pueden poseer armas por problemas mentales a una lista nacional de la Oficina Federal de Investigaciones (FBI) denominada Sistema de Comprobación Inmediata de Antecedentes Penales (NICS). Actualmente, sólo 23 de los 50 estados del país envían esa información. El estado de Virginia no envió al NICS los datos de Cho Seung-Hui, un estudiante coreano de 23 años que había sido sometido a tratamiento psiquiátrico. Sus problemas mentales deberían haberle impedido comprar las dos armas que usó para matar en abril a 32 estudiantes y profesores en la Universidad Politécnica, pero Cho pudo adquirirlas legalmente porque su nombre no estaba en esa lista nacional. La Cámara de Representantes de EU aprobó ayer un proyecto de ley que obligaría a los estados a pasar al FBI de forma automática los nombres de personas como Cho. El informe, elaborado por los secretarios de Salud, Michael Leavitt, y Educación, Margaret Spellings, así como el fiscal general, Alberto Gonzales, también señala que existe "confusión sobre las leyes que regulan el intercambio de información" respecto de personas que pueden ser un peligro. El comité concluye que profesores, administraciones e instituciones no tienen claro cuándo pueden o deben alertar a las autoridades sobre estas personas para impedir que tengan acceso a armas. "Este miedo y malos entendidos probablemente limitan la transferencia de información", se explica en el documento. Asimismo, el comité recomienda poner en marcha programas para instruir a padres, alumnos y profesores sobre los signos de que una persona sufre desequilibrios mentales que le pueden llevar a la violencia. Además, insta a mejorar los servicios médicos para estudiantes que padecen enfermedades mentales. Por último, plantea que los planes para responder a emergencias a nivel local y estatal tengan en cuenta las necesidades de los centros educativos, y que los cuerpos de seguridad de las escuelas colaboren de forma más estrecha con la policía. El informe no habla en ningún momento, sin embargo, de la necesidad de endurecer las leyes para restringir el acceso a las armas en general, en un país donde sus ciudadanos poseen más de 200 millones de armas de fuego. En Virginia, por ejemplo, cualquier persona que no tenga un historial criminal puede comprar legalmente un arma por mes. Otras matanzas han sido cometidas por personas que no habían sido tratadas por problemas mentales, como por ejemplo la ocurrida en 1999 en la escuela secundaria de Columbine, en la que murieron 14 estudiantes y un profesor. -- Fuente Original: Diario La Raza - Chicago http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=44534&clave=a%3A1%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bs%3A13%3A%22virginia+tech%22%3B%7D
Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August, 13 2007
Luto en el país por matanza en Virginia
Identifican al agresor como un estudiante de Corea del Sur. Publicado por Diario la Raza 04-18-2007 Washington, D.C. — La policía de EE.UU. identificó como el autor de la matanza en la universidad virginia tech al estudiante surcoreano Cho Seung Hui, de 23 años, un joven descrito como "solitario" y cuyos escritos habían suscitado preocupación entre sus profesores. Hasta el momento se desconocen los motivos que llevaron a Cho, quien vivía en EU desde los 8 años y estudiaba filología inglesa, a matar a 32 personas, entre profesores y estudiantes —al menos dos latinoamericanos— y suicidarse. Una de sus profesoras recordaba ayer a la prensa el tono perturbador de algunos de sus ejercicios literarios, hasta el punto de que sus instructores le aconsejaron recibir ayuda psicológica. Según el diario Chicago Tribune, el asesino dejó una nota en su habitación en la que clamaba contra los "niños ricos", "la decadencia" y los "embusteros charlatanes" en el campus y asegura: "Me obligaste a hacerlo". Al parecer, según la cadena CNN, Cho compró una pistola Glock el mes pasado en una tienda de Roanoke, una ciudad vecina, y pagó por ella 571 dólares con un cheque. La matanza se produjo en dos fases: en un primer tiroteo murieron dos personas, un hombre y una mujer, en una residencia de estudiantes; y el segundo, en el que murió el resto, tuvo lugar dos horas más tarde, en las aulas de la Facultad de Ingeniería. Las autoridades han confirmado que las armas empleadas en la matanza fueron al menos dos pistolas y que una de ellas se usó en los dos tiroteos. "La evidencia no nos ha conducido a decir categóricamente que el mismo autor estuvo implicado en los dos tiroteos", pero "es ciertamente razonable suponer que Cho fue el autor en los dos incidentes", indicó el superintendente de la Policía de Virginia, Steven Flaherty. Entre los fallecidos se encuentran profesores y estudiantes. La lista completa no se ha dado a conocer pero sí han salido a la luz los nombres de un grupo de víctimas. Entre ellos se encuentra el peruano Daniel Pérez Cuevas, muerto mientras asistía a una clase de francés y quien había iniciado sus estudios universitarios en Miami pero se cambió a virginia tech, por su mayor prestigio académico. También está el puertorriqueño Juan Ramón Ortiz, de 26 años, y que cursaba su primer año de maestría en la universidad, donde se había matriculado junto a su esposa, Liselle Vega, con quien llevaba casado un año. El gobierno de EU afirmó ayer que está dispuesto a ofrecer la ayuda que sea necesaria para los extranjeros que hayan sido víctimas de la masacre en la Universidad Politécnica de Virginia el lunes. Según han contado los supervivientes, el asesino cerró varias salidas del edificio con cadenas y candados, y después fue vaciando sus cargadores, aula por aula. La primera clase, y donde al parecer se han registrado más víctimas, fue una de alemán, en la que el asesino disparó a la cabeza del profesor Chris Bishop antes de abrir fuego sobre los alumnos. En otras aulas algunos alumnos huyeron por las ventanas. Otros intentaron bloquear las puertas con sus cuerpos, en algunos casos con resultado fatal. Ese fue el caso del profesor Liviu Librescu, que fue alcanzado por disparos a través de la puerta mientras impedía el paso al agresor y lograba así salvar a sus alumnos. Doce estudiantes de la universidad se recuperan de sus heridas y permanecen estables en distintos hospitales de la zona de Blackburg, donde se encuentra el centro docente. La matanza ha conmovido a todo el país y ha suscitado reacciones de condolencia en todo el mundo. El presidente de EU, George W. Bush, aseguró ayer que se trata de un "día de tristeza para todo el país" e instó a los estudiantes a no dejarse llevar por la ira, en un acto de homenaje a las víctimas en el polideportivo de la universidad. Bush ordenó que las banderas estadounidenses ondeen a media asta en señal de duelo hasta el domingo. El incidente ha comenzado a suscitar ya las primeras críticas sobre la reacción de las autoridades tanto policiales como universitarias. Muchos estudiantes han censurado que, tras el primer incidente, no se suspendieran las clases ni se diera un aviso de peligro hasta dos horas después, y eso sólo a través de un correo electrónico. La matanza ha vuelto a reabrir el debate sobre la regulación de la tenencia de armas en Estados Unidos, un país en el que las leyes sobre el control de armas de fuego son muy laxas. EFE -- Fuente Original: Diario La Raza - Chicago http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=43338&clave=a%3A1%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bs%3A13%3A%22virginia+tech%22%3B%7D
Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August 13, 2007
Self-defense a necessary skill to know during times of danger
Guest commentary By: Lach R. Liwer | Issue date: 4/23/07 Section: Commentary This week we witnessed a brutal act of violence directed randomly at unsuspecting students of Virginia Tech University. Seung-Hui Cho, a VT student, shot nearly 45 students and faculty at the school, killing 32 including himself. Much has been said about the magnitude of this tragedy, and the nature of the mental disturbance that could have allowed Cho to conceive of and carry out his heinous crime. What we gravely need to discuss, however, is how it was possible that a lone gunman could, over the course of 35 minutes, stalk through a building with over 300 people locked inside and then systematically shoot more than 45 people, the whole time remaining effectively unopposed. On September 11, 2001, the famed flight 93 crashed into the fields of Somerset County, taking far fewer lives than the terrorists who hijacked it had intended. Had the passengers of this flight not given their lives to take back the plane, countless more innocents would have perished. I did not know any of the victims of the April 16 massacre, but I assume that they were not that different from my University classmates who graduated three years ago. Thinking about that group, I feel very confident that fewer than 1 in 10 of us had ever faced real violence, whether in sports, fistfights, or military combat. This became increasingly evident a year after my graduation when I became an Army infantryman. While training at Fort Benning, we participated in rigorous aggression training like hand-to-hand combat and tactical field problems to elevate our comfort with aggression and teach us to think rationally in the face of violence and fear. It quickly became apparent that many of us displayed little physical aggression or the ability to act violently and deliberately. But as we watched each other and experienced this sensation for the first time, along with the taste of our own blood and the fear and excitement of fighting, we learned to control, to harness our aggression and put it to use in defending ourselves. There is no way to know whether the tragedy of April 16 could have been avoided or diminished under different circumstances. But it seems to me, in light of the utter failure of our security and police forces to protect those students, that we have grown too comfortable with the illusion of our own safety. We must ask whether the instructions we give our children - namely, to run and hide in the face of violent threats - is the best answer in all circumstances. It seems likely that had a group of students decided to put an end to the killing, and harnessed their own aggression en masse to defend themselves, that the outcome could hardly have been worse. We must learn a lesson from the 30 innocent dead of April 16 and the 2973 killed by the September 11 hijackers. The lesson is that ultimately we cannot maintain the safety of our communities by teaching that the best answer we have for those who would take everything from us is to remain docile. Rather, we must learn the realities of the world; there are violent people who wish to do us harm, and though there is never complete safety, we can be less vulnerable by learning to defend ourselves and those we love. By understanding and controlling the aggressive nature that mankind is so tragically capable of instead of fearing it we may diminish the likelihood that a single aggressor can destroy so many lives so easily. Lach R. Liwer is a University alum and an infantryman in the United States Army -- Original Source: Daily Emerald http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2007/04/23/Commentary/SelfDefense.A.Necessary.Skill.To.Know.During.Times.Of.Danger-2874218.shtml http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2007/04/23/Commentary/SelfDefense.A.Necessary.Skill.To.Know.During.Times.Of.Danger-2874218-page2.shtml
Waco, TX. Oklahoma City, OK. Columbine, CO. Blacksburg, VA. Fifteen years ago, a person could have looked at those four cities and wondered why they have been grouped together. None of these places had anything in common. Most people might not even have heard of three of those cities, save for people that live in those states. April 19, 1993. April 19, 1995. April 20, 1999. April 16, 2007. Fifteen years ago, a person could have looked at those four dates and wondered why they have been grouped together. None of these dates could have possibly had any future significance, save for the fact that they would all occur within the same calendar week. Fifteen years. Such a small window in the grand scheme of things we call time. Julius Caesar was told by the Soothsayer to "Beware the Ides of March." Perhaps the third week in this month should be called the "Ides of April." All four tragedies have occurred within the same calendar week, the third week of April. These events helped shape - or scar - today's society. To be sitting here, writing about the worst shooting in United States history, is almost surreal. It goes along with events like the Kennedy assassination, the Challenger space shuttle, and September 11th. People will ask you years from now, "Where were you that day?" Almost regrettably, my answer will be, "Across the street from West AJ." I remember sitting in my dorm room my senior year in college, waking up to see that the World Trade Center had fallen and the Pentagon had been stuck by terrorists. I recall the sense of anger, so much so that my hands were shaking. A sense of utter disbelief ran wild through my head for days as I sat glued to the television newscasts. I felt a need for vengeance, a need for retribution. Our troops took care of that for us, and are still fighting nearly six years later. As I sat through today's event in Blacksburg, all I could think of was that this is how the story ends. There will be no revenge, no retribution, no release from our anger. All that is left after today is the memory of 32 of Virginia Tech's finest students, staff, and faculty that came to class today to find a way to make tomorrow better. Instead, tomorrow we will grieve their loss and ask the Lord to help guide them to their final resting place in Hokie Heaven. It's hard to put arms around the situation, almost impossible to feel the gravity of the situation at the time being. As time passes, wounds will get worse before they get better. Pain will work its way deep into our hearts before it can be lifted. The Virginia Tech motto, Ut Prosim, translates to, "That I may serve." May we all serve the families that have suffered such a great loss by keeping them in our hearts, our minds, and our prayers. God Bless
Although meditation can help ease stress, it won't cure what really ails students, society By Lara Loewenstein Thursday, May 3, 2007 Film director David Lynch has the answer to the itching question of how to stop school shootings forever - he's going to teach 1 million students transcendental meditation. I'm almost waiting for Tom Cruise to announce his plan to convert a second million to Scientology. Transcendental meditation is a practice in which participants sit comfortably with their eyes closed and recite a mantra for 20 minutes, twice a day. Unlike other forms of meditation, TM is not meant to involve any form of concentration or effort other than finding the time to practice it. Courses to learn TM cost about $2,500. It almost sounds like nap time. Expensive nap time. But the David Lynch Foundation wants to teach us. For free. Or rather, they want to fund UCLA to teach us - he's providing the funds for schools that want to include TM in their curriculum in order to end school violence. All the schools have to do is contact him. Unfortunately, I don't think UCLA is going to take up the offer. Unfortunate because TM does have some proven benefits - namely, reducing blood pressure and stress. But TM is not proven to stop violence. And honestly, I don't know what problems Lynch thinks people have that can all be eased with TM. Maybe all his frustrations with film directing can be fixed. But TM isn't going to put an end to concrete problems college students face such as paying school loans. And it certainly isn't going to solve mental instability, seemingly the cause of the recent Virginia Tech shooting. But even with all the things TM won't do, during the Web cast on Tuesday, Lynch, so-called quantum physicist John Hagelin and singer-song writer Donovan gave me an idea of what TM would do. After telling their personal stories about discovering TM, Hagelin described specifically how TM works. According to him, meditation allows the mind to settle inward, causing the brain to be more coherent before finally coming to a sense of unity where you realize we are all part of the same entity. He even provided useful charts - to aid those who aren't scientifically minded - that detailed how the state of unity in TM is the same as the "unified field of natural laws of nature." My, that's an eloquent phrase. But besides not knowing exactly what a quantum physicist is, I also don't know what this unified field has anything to do with any sense of unity I might achieve through meditation. But I'll give Hagelin points for creativity. After all, he has a Ph.D. from Harvard. According to Hagelin, Lynch and Donovan, it's this sense of unity that people achieve via TM that will bring about world peace and consequently end school violence. They even stressed how by using their technique we won't need to debate gun control anymore. Because once everyone knows TM, nobody will want to use a gun even if they have access to one. They're going to be too busy enjoying their higher consciousness. I love it; it's so simple and free of politics. And totally fantastical. Not only is TM not going to cure all ills that cause violence, I don't understand where Lynch, Hagelin and Donovan expect people who are, say, in the process of applying to Harvard to find time to meditate for 40 minutes a day. Still, methods to reduce stress and blood pressure and increase happiness should be studied. But considering how much trouble I have sitting still, I'd like to see some non-pseudo, and unbiasedly authored, studies comparing happiness and stress release related to smoking pot on a daily basis, swing dancing or getting laid. But even with my attention issues, I still want to learn TM. I'm just not paying $2,500. I quickly sent an e-mail to the David Lynch Foundation on Tuesday requesting to be taught. He hasn't responded yet. I doubt people requesting to learn TM are the ones at risk for becoming gunmen. So I started by teaching myself. But the "how to" for TM is pretty secretive. I suppose they really want that $2,500. I had to settle for plain meditation with a non-unique mantra - "hamsa." So I sat down in a comfortable position and tried it, saying "ham" when I breathed in and "sa" when I breathed out. Hammmm ... saa. I fell asleep after five minutes. And now I don't have time to do my problem set. Thanks, David. I'm sure meditation works for some people, but I'm going to go back to my nap. -- Original Source:The Daily Bruin - May 3, 2007
Universities must learn from handling of shooting
UCLA, other schools should take time now to improve their emergency alert systems By Lara Loewenstein Thursday, April 19, 2007 There are a few questions that have been circulating with regard to the Virginia Tech shootings. How many lives could have been saved if the administration had reacted differently? How would UCLA respond if such an event happened? It's pretty obvious that the administration of Virginia Tech could have responded differently. But what's more important than the mistakes the administration at Virginia Tech made is how Virginia Tech and other universities can learn from these mistakes. In response to the shooting, Interim Chancellor Norman Abrams released a statement on Monday. It began with information that should go without saying - student and faculty safety is a top priority - and then went on to say that UCPD officers are trained to handle shooting scenarios. But that doesn't answer my questions because that isn't the issue. The issue was that students weren't and couldn't have been notified of the earlier shooting - when the gunman killed two people in the dormitories - in enough time to allow them to make an informed choice to not go to campus. There wasn't even a system in place to contact students if the administration at Virginia Tech had decided to close the campus. Sure, the police officers thought it was a domestic violence issue and that the suspect had left campus, but now that the administration at Virginia Tech knows better, it should be apologizing for the wrong choices it made and its lack of an emergency plan. Instead, it's just making excuses. One of the excuses Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger gave for not closing down the campus and canceling classes was that he didn't know what the alternative to students coming to class would be. One has to ask, shouldn't such an alternative be included in an emergency plan in case of such an incident? Shouldn't the alternative have been known, available and rehearsed? After all, student and faculty safety is a top priority, is it not? And does UCLA have such a plan? Abrams' statement went on to say, "UCLA has an emergency response team and protocols in place to notify the campus community in the event of any circumstances requiring emergency action, such as the closing of the campus." This gives me the impression that UCLA has such a plan in place. However, what that plan actually is befuddles me because what exactly would UCLA have been able to do differently? They could have sent the warning e-mail out earlier, sure. But I don't usually wake up in the morning with the thought of checking my e-mail to see if there's a gunman on campus. And as for students whose Internet was down, or don't have home access, they wouldn't have received the message at all. I suppose they could start calling people, but it seems a little unrealistic to call more than 40,000 students and faculty. Besides, I don't think UCLA even has my cell phone number. In that case, they wouldn't even reach me - they'd reach my parents' house, and it's likely they wouldn't even be home. There are concerns that if universities went overboard with safety regulation then students and faculty would have to compromise certain freedoms. But there are plans that wouldn't impede everyday life that would be more effective than contacting students by e-mail. According to the Washington Post, a campus spokesperson said that earlier in the semester, Virginia Tech had been working with a company with which they could contact students via text message in case of an emergency. Students would be required to submit their cell phone numbers when they registered for classes. Whether this plan is going to be carried through wasn't said. Considering the number of people who own cell phones, and how often we check them for messages or otherwise, this could reach more people than an e-mail message would. I don't know what plan Abrams was referring to in his statement, but I hope it's better than the one Virginia Tech had in place. And if it isn't, I hope this so-called plan is reworked - maybe to include a text message notification system or otherwise. In fact, the president of the University of California, Robert C. Dynes, said in his statement about the shootings that all UC campuses would be reviewing their security policies. He mentioned to the Daily Bruin that this system might incorporate emergency text messages. This provides some comfort - as long as it happens soon. The next biggest shooting in modern American history could happen anytime, and it could happen on this campus. I want to know that we're ready for it. -- Original Source:The Daily Bruin - April 19, 2007
President Steger addresses Virginia Tech Review Panel
By Larry Hincker BLACKSBURG, Va., May 10, 2007 -- Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger addressed the Virginia Tech Review Panel here Thursday. These were his comments. Governor Kaine, Colonel Massengill, and members of the commission. Normally, I would address a commission by saying that I am happy to have the opportunity to appear before you. We know that is not true. Each of us appears here today with heavy heart, a most profound sense of sorrow...and yes, still to this day...disbelief. A terribly deranged young man....one of our own students...visited unimaginable horror upon our university, our bright young minds, our rising stars, and our caring and learned faculty. He took 32 precious lives and then his own. He wounded 25 more. In the process, he seriously injured an entire nation. As we have noted many times throughout this terrible ordeal, the families of those who lost their lives and the injured have remained our highest priority, followed by the needs of our greater university community. We will do everything possible to assist with their recovery. I have said time and again, that Virginia Tech, our commonwealth, all of higher education, and indeed, the world must learn from this tragedy. I personally asked the governor for your work. We have been and will continue to cooperate fully with your review and findings. I have appointed a lead individual, a retired university executive with experience in many sectors including audit, to assist you with your data gathering and be your liaison with any office on campus. Each one of us and each sector of our society that has been touched by this tragedy must welcome the inspection, introspection, and the scrutiny of a thorough analysis. In our own case we have underway after-action reviews, which can inform your data gathering. In addition to understanding the incidents, we will be looking at three broad areas: telecommunications infrastructure, the physical infrastructure as it relates to safety and security, and most importantly, the internal protocols for information exchange. I am particularly interested in those intersections between the academic enterprise, counseling, our disciplinary system, the legal system, and the police. Our preliminary schedule calls for those reviews to be complete by late August, which I understand is within your study time-frame to be of use to you. In addition to our incident response, I know that you will be looking at the broad spectrum of issues including policies, protocols, and the law. I have read and heard other university presidents and pundits say that this tragedy could have happened on any campus in America. We draw no solace from such observations. My hope is that we - and every campus throughout the nation - can learn in the months ahead what happened and why...to the extent that rational conclusions can be drawn from irrational violence. We will learn and the world will learn from this. There already is a vigorous national discourse underway on many issues - mental health, the interplay between the rights of individuals and the rights of societies and communities, the interaction between gun laws and privacy, campus security and the underlying physical infrastructure, and much more. We need to know how well our mental health system is performing. Is this country devoting the time, resources, and energy to helping those in need? We need to know if privacy laws can or should change so that school administrators, court officials, or the mental health profession itself, has the information it needs to treat and handle those with mental illnesses on college campuses. Certainly, you will bump into the nexus of individual rights and privacy laws versus the rights of a society, a community, or a university to protect itself against possible harm from the mentally ill...or anyone else, for that matter. We need to know if the university reacted in accordance with accepted procedure in its response to the murders within our residence hall. Our university police and rescue squad responded within three minutes of a report that someone fell from a bed within a residence hall. Within minutes thereafter, the police, then knowing of a gunshot fatality and injury, secured the residence hall, began investigating, and within one hour had a "person of interest." Your analysis of this and the terrible events following is of crucial importance. My campus has 19 miles of public roads on its 2,600 acres and 153 mostly accessible buildings. On any given day, we have about 35,000 people coming and going. How does an organization secure a university campus during an emergency? Or for that matter, what levels of security are appropriate for normal operations? We need to know about the preparedness - to the degree that any institution can prepare for horrible and irrational mass violence - of my university and other schools like ours for violence or other mass events that require an institutional response to protect the health, safety, and welfare of a campus community. We have multiple methods of emergency communications and have in the works implementation plans for more. We all need to know whether universities such as our can do more to protect and inform its populations and multiple audiences in emergencies. Tomorrow, Virginia Tech will celebrate its annual spring commencement. This is our time for celebration. Commencement, of course, means "the beginning." For our graduates, it is and will be the beginning of the next phases of their lives. We know that they will carry with them not only those treasured memories unique to the college experience, but also the searing memory of the tragic events of April 16. We owe it to them, we owe it to the injured, we owe it the families of the fallen... indeed, we owe it to all other schools and campuses in this country to examine all these issues in their totality....and find ways of preventing anything like this ever again. Contact Larry Hincker at hincker@vt.edu or (540) 231-5396. ##07265## -- Original Source: http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=285
Overview of the findings and recommendations of the April 16 tragedy internal review committees
By Larry Hincker BLACKSBURG, Va., August 22, 2007 -- On May 9, 2007, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger directed three internal reviews in the wake of the April 16 tragedy on the Virginia Tech campus. He directed the chairs "to look at strengths and weaknesses of our existing systems/infrastructure and how they may be improved or augmented to address emergency situations that might arise in the future." These reviews are internal in structure and focus and not intended to be forensic in nature. Says Steger, "I asked for the creation of two different, but concurrent review processes. The external review commissioned by Governor Kaine is essentially investigatory in nature, while ours is a forward looking review of university policy, resources, and infrastructure through the prism of April 16." The Security Infrastructure Group was charged with examining the university's existing security systems and recommending changes that would enhance the university's ability to respond quickly and effectively in situations where the safety of the campus community is jeopardized. This group was also directed to identify strategies that might decrease the probability of such situations occurring, looking at both technological and behavioral aspects. The Information and Communications Infrastructure Group analyzed and inventoried the communication infrastructure and information systems used during the crisis period, evaluated their performance, and identifies tactics and strategies for improvements. The Interface Group evaluated the relationships between the university's student counseling services, academic affairs, judicial affairs, and the legal system. It was charged with examining the existing systems and the interface between them and determining what constraints, legal or otherwise, hamper effective interactions in order to respond to and support at-risk students. Security Infrastructure Group Among its findings the security infrastructure group found good cooperation and sound agreements between Virginia Tech and local police, fire, and EMS jurisdictions including ongoing training exercises; sound emergency communications; robust communications infrastructure; a sound emergency preparedness plan; engagement of the leadership in campus emergencies; and a nationally accredited campus police department. The security group recommends enhancements in physical infrastructure, emergency communications, emergency preparedness, and selected protocols. Infrastructure recommendations include modification of building door hardware, installation of locks on general assignment classrooms, evaluating the utility of centrally controlled electronic key card access to key academic and administrative facilities (such as the system currently in place on all residence halls), constructing a public safety building combining the university police and rescue squad, and evaluating installation of centrally monitored video surveillance cameras. Communications recommendations include mass notification techniques within classrooms and other locations, message board in key or high profile public areas and along major vehicular thoroughfares, a people locator system, and further articulation of the recently adopted VT Alerts notification system. Emergency preparedness recommendations include updating the emergency preparedness plan, more frequent emergency exercises or drills, creation of building coordinators for emergencies, and identification of backups for the policy committee (university leadership with oversight of an emergency). Protocols include increased education of the university community about appropriate emergency response actions and creation of a comprehensive security master plan and campus security committee. Read the full Security Infrastructure Group report (PDF) ›› Information and Communications Infrastructure Group Broadly defined, telecommunications comprises the university's data network, telephone systems (university and/or vendor owned), cable TV, educational systems, and centralized information services. They were dramatically stressed but performed adequately during the crisis. The university on-campus phone system was not degraded but was affected by external problems. External cellular telephone systems and the Public Switched Telephone Network (hardwire telephone systems off campus) experienced huge demand increases and experienced some blocking of calls during the initial periods of the crisis on April 16. Other university systems experienced some loading, which were quickly identified and rectified, and performed well with no significant problems. For example, the university website www.vt.edu saw a 3,000 percent increase in traffic on April 16, Virginia Tech Police dispatch experienced 450 percent increase, and the university switchboard experienced a 300 percent increase in calls. Emergency Responder Radio Communication continues to suffer nationally and locally from "interoperability" issues because they use a variety of radio systems and frequencies. Radio systems typically do not support mobile data, encryption, GIS, or other advanced capabilities. Indicative of relatively common signal penetration problems in large buildings, emergency responders reported that radios did not work in some areas of Norris Hall. This group provides a series of strategic and tactical recommendations. The full report details more than 120 tactical recommendations. Two major strategies emerge: 1) Installation of a new fully integrated digital campus architecture for all telecommunications functions based on Internet Protocol (IP). The new system, based on a diverse optical core and including wireless and wired access, would fully integrate all telecommunications functions including voice, video, data, entertainment, and educational systems. This system could remediate every problem and enable every innovation identified by the study committee. 2) Make selected research and administrative IT capabilities available to local first responders to improve radio communications capabilities. In addition to improving interoperability problems, the new systems would be integrated with IP based information architecture allowing new applications such as GIS, identity management, sensor networks, location awareness, high-speed links to criminal information databases. Read the full Information and Communications Infrastructure Group report (PDF) ›› Interface Group The Interface Group looked at policies, procedures, capabilities and interdepartmental relationships and communications for the selected areas related to identifying and supporting at-risk students. By its nature the system was found to be logically connected and responsive. The Division of Student Affairs is at the core and supported by and interacting with law enforcement, the academic enterprise, and other university resources offices. Consistent with the national findings of the federal report commissioned by President Bush, the Interface Group found some confusion about applicability and interpretation of privacy laws among some offices or faculty. To some extent, this created internal silos and feedback problems preventing some offices from having salient information on students at risk. The "system may not be robust enough to provide the kind of analysis that is warranted by more complex, high risk cases... with need for significant mental health services." The committee makes a series of recommendations under three broad themes: 1. Expanding Capacity in the System Refining and expanding the Care Team, a key SA group that identifies and responds to students at risk (among other responsibilities), including addition of VTPD to standing membership and connecting academic personnel to deliberations where appropriate. Creating a Threat Assessment Team charged with examining the most complex cases of distressed students and empowering it to act quickly, when necessary. Expanding Case Management Capacity by adding case managers to the Dean of Students office and Cook Counseling Center to improve follow-up with students and to improve information flow through appropriate units about students at risk. 2. Improving Communications in the System Improve Communications in the Systems with particular emphasis on privacy law education throughout the university, clarifying policies for communications with external agencies, establishing a central university contact with a clear picture of distressed students. 3. Connecting Strategies for Identifying and Supporting at Risk Students to the Broader University Plan for Campus Safety Expanding Training of Administrators, Faculty, and Staff in Violence Prevention recognizing the campus safety is the province of all university employees to some extent. Extending the University-wide Violence Prevention Policy to integrate the numerous university-wide efforts to enhance campus safety. Building Community to Promote Individual and Community Well Being Virginia Tech has a strong, supportive, and vibrant community which is essential in creating a safe campus environment with very good policies and support systems. However, it is recommended that a more systematic approach be instituted with campus well-being as a goal. Read the full Interface Group report (PDF) ›› Read and/or listen to formal statements regarding the reports: Charles W. Steger, president (MS Word) | Listen James A. Hyatt, executive vice president and chief operating officer (MS Word) | Listen Earving L. Blythe, vice president for information technology (MS Word) | Listen Jerry Niles, retired dean, College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences (MS Word) | Listen Contact Larry Hincker at hincker@vt.edu or (540) 231-5396. ##07433## -- Original Source: Virginia Tech News http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=459
Board of Visitors reviews blueprint for analyzing April 16 recommendations
By Larry Hincker BLACKSBURG, Va., September 25, 2007 -- The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors received a briefing at a special meeting September 23 on how the university plans to evaluate the hundreds of recommendations resulting from various reviews resulting from the Tragedy of April 16. "Reviewing, understanding, analyzing, prioritizing, and tracking the many recommendations represent a major project management task. We have created a blueprint for the next steps," said President Charles W. Steger. With 380 recommendations, large and small, ranging from whether to lock all academic and administrative buildings to whether to devote file servers to emergency activities, the recommendations are far reaching. "Some items are already implemented or underway. But others will require careful analysis, cost evaluation, and campus wide discussions," said Steger. A matrix developed by the Office of the Senior Fellow for Resource Development under former Executive Vice President Minnis Ridenour, links the various recommendations from the Virginia Tech Review Panel (the governor's panel) and the three internal review committees on Security Infrastructure; Information and Communications Infrastructure; and the Interface between Counseling Services, Judicial Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Legal. It includes project management tools to appropriately task, evaluate, and act on the myriad recommendations. Each recommendation will be under the purview of a vice president or vice provost. "Although many recommendations are already in the process of implementation, we expect that analysis, evaluation, and identification of funding sources likely will require most of the academic year. And of course, many recommendations such as changes to state or federal codes rest outside the university's purview but we will be tracking closely," said Steger. In order to ensure campus input where needed, President Steger is appointing two advisory groups composed of faculty, staff and students. The Committee on Human Dimensions will be chaired by Vice President for Student Affairs Zenobia Hikes, and the Committee on Security and Infrastructure will be chaired by Dean of the Pamplin College of Business Richard Sorenson. The Board also reviewed and approved an update to the six year plan as required under the Higher Education Restructuring Act. The law asks the university to develop six year plans to forecast enrollment, budget needs and tuition, and certain academic activities related to the Restructuring Act goals. Read a statement by Rector of the Board of Visitors, Jacob Lutz, regarding the Virginia Tech Action Plan. Contact Larry Hincker at hincker@vt.edu or (540) 231-5396. -- Original Source: Virginia Tech News http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=553
By: Laura Alix Posted: 4/23/07 So this is it - my final column for The Daily Campus. Over the past few weeks, I've been pondering whether I should write a more traditional "farewell" column or whether I should just do what I've been doing all along and simply give my opinion on some matter or another. Well, being the indecisive type that I do tend to be sometimes, I felt I should do a little bit of both. Bear with me, please. Rarely am I unsure of whether to laugh or be horrified, but then again, rarely do I check the news for updates on Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, and rarely do I visit Phelps' Web site. For those of you who don't know of the infamous Phelps, allow me to briefly fill you in. Phelps is the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church. He and his 71 followers - about 60 of whom are related to Phelps through either blood or marriage - are best known for protesting, well, just about everything. You may recall an uproar a little while back over some religious fanatics protesting the funerals of American soldiers killed in Iraq, claiming that the soldiers' deaths were God's punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality. Those protestors were none other than Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church. They have also protested the funeral of Matthew Shepard, productions of "The Laramie Project" - the play that details the death of Shepard - and various other political events. When criticized, Phelps simply invokes his First Amendment right to free speech. Phelps and the WBC have most recently made the news for their plans to protest the funerals of those killed in the Virginia Tech shootings. No, they really do not have any shame or sense of decency. Phelps has claimed that Cho Seung-Hui was hearing the voice of God and carrying out God's orders, even though he is now in hell, too. The victims, according to Phelps, were punished for not being Christian enough. Although I consider myself non-religious, I have a hard time believing that any true Christian could believe the hateful nonsense that Phelps spews on a regular basis. His group has even made their own music videos, "God Hates the World" and "God Hates America," which is oh-so-cleverly set to the tune of "God Bless America." Ultimately, though, we really cannot take away Phelps' right to protest and free speech because it would be un-American to do so. The one consolation that I can offer to myself and others is we should just be grateful to live in a country so free that whackos like Phelps can enjoy the same rights as the rest of us. But it's time to move on to the more everyday stuff. The past few weeks have been extremely hectic for me, and I'm sure they have been for other graduating seniors as well. I have too many projects and papers due and a serious desire to procrastinate. I've also been forgetting what day of the week it is on a pretty regular basis, waking up each morning and asking myself, "Do I go to work or class today?" I need a break by now - I think we all do. I've also had family members, co-workers and what feels like just about the rest of the world breathing down my neck and asking me what I'm going to do after graduation. This is tricky, see, because until about eight months ago, I talked about going to graduate school or law school, and when I suddenly just dropped the subjects, I guess they assumed that I still wanted to go. I really did think I would go to law school and become a lawyer when I chose political science as my major about three years ago. Honestly, it seemed like a fantastic idea until I woke up one morning and realized that I just really didn't want to be a lawyer. Ditto on grad school - I just don't want to pursue political science anymore, and I'd rather not waste the money unless I'm totally sure of what I want to do. But maybe that's the whole problem to begin with. When we leave college, we are expected to know exactly what we want to do, as if this four or five year experience will help us to decide what the course of our entire lives will be. In middle school, we wondered what "the real world" would be like when we got to high school. In high school, we wondered the same thing about college. And now, well, I'm just not so sure that this proverbial real world is going to show its face in my presence. Much as I'm sure some of those in my life will be dismayed that I have not, in fact, charted the course of the rest of my life by now, I think that's impossible for many people. Some people have a plan, and they stick to it from start to finish - I can admire that, but I just don't think it's possible for most of us. Things change. So what am I going to do after graduation? Right now, the post-graduation to-do list consists of the following: play some more guitar, read some more Bret Easton Ellis, quit wasting so much time on Facebook, quit buying so much junk on eBay and hopefully go to Europe - or at least Canada - at some point. Every person who has asked me, "What are you going to do with a degree in political science?" has received any one of the following smart-aleck answers: be president, be a vagabond, or be on TV. I'm probably going to end up going back to school again in the not-too-distant future, but right now, I need a break. Not a single one of my friends who has graduated so far has gone on to do exactly what he or she planned to do as a freshman in college - at least not yet anyway. I thought that upon graduating, that I would only miss The Daily Campus, but I've felt more and more lately like I just might be wrong about that. I don't have the "Husky spirit," and I don't like basketball or beer pong, but I'm still going to miss UConn somehow. My only parting advice to anybody reading this would be to make the best of these few years in any way that you can - and come write for Commentary. Goodbye everyone. Have a good life. -- Original Source:The Daily Campus - April 23, 2007
Artist's Comments i took this at the covocation at virginia tech. there were thousands and thousands of people there--too many to fit in the castle where the speeches of important figures were live. the rest of us that couldn't fit were detoured to the football stadium (where there would have been plenty of room for EVERYone)...We were forced to watch the speeches on the big screen. The audio was horrible, and many people left early. but it was nice to see all the unbroken spirit of the hokies and everyone support each other. i was very impressed with the number of people that came--not just students, but families and friends (like myself) and just anyone who wanted to show they cared. -- Original Source: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53834709/ Photo Courtesy of Laura Aronson
Laura Aronson (drainingraven@hotmail.com)
Virginia shooting shows need for safety awareness on college campuses
By: Laura Chapman Posted: 4/17/07 The university community was stunned Monday morning when a gunman killed more than 30 people, including students, at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va. Though more than 1,000 miles separate the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus from Virginia Tech, UNL students and faculty members felt shock as well. University Police said they have made plans for a response to similar emergencies. David Solheim, the president of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, said the incident was almost surreal. "I couldn't believe that something like this would happen on a college campus," said Solheim, a senior economics and international studies major. "It really makes you take your own daily life into perspective." Ali Moeller, the president of the Academic Senate, also expressed disbelief at the shootings in an e-mail interview. "It is difficult to find the words to describe such a monumental tragedy," she said. Moeller also said she was angry that laws allowed the shooter to have a weapon. "The lives of so many young men and women erased by the bullets of a madman is incomprehensible," she said. Capt. Carl Oestmann of University Police said the department is prepared for situations such as this. The preparation includes the ability to notify people of an emergency, plans to restrict access to academic and residence halls and investments in law enforcement equipment. Oestmann said University Police also has working relationships with other law enforcement agencies in the city, county and state. "It takes a combination of all of the systems to work together," he said. Solheim said Mobile Campus, a service ASUN has looked into investing in, could be a beneficial contact tool for the university in such emergency situations as the shootings at Virginia Tech. The service would allow UNL to send text messages to students. Though some might find the service expensive, it could be worth it, he said. "How much value do you put on a life?" Solheim said. Oestmann also offered his condolences to the Virginia Tech campus. In a late afternoon statement, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said the university had already received condolences and messages of support from around the world. He said the well wishes were appreciated as the university worked to move forward in the next few days. "I cannot begin to convey my own personal sense of loss over the senselessness of such an incomprehensible and heinous act," he said. A convocation will be held on Virginia Tech's campus today to help students and faculty members grieve. From her dorm room at Virginia Tech, Rachel Gicquelais, a freshman biology major, said she looks forward to attending. "I may not know anyone personally who died," Gicquelais said, "but I know all of us are going to be affected by the fact that part of our student body is gone." Gicquelais said she was in class when she found out about the first shooting, which took place in a residence hall around 7 a.m., leaving two dead. While the students in her class discussed the rumors behind that shooting, her building went into lockdown, she said. After waiting in the classroom for a couple hours, where her teaching assistant let the students go online to look for updates, Gicquelais was allowed to walk back to her dorm. Gicquelais had to take an alternative route back to her dorm, as the normal path would have taken her by Norris Hall, where 31 people were killed, including the gunman. Gicquelais said university officials kept students informed with frequent e-mails. Despite the shootings earlier in the day, she said the university did its best to ensure the safety of students. For the rest of the day, Gicquelais was glued to the television and Internet for updates. Watching the video footage of the campus has been strange for her, she said. "I know exactly where the videos are taken," she said. "I've walked where they are." -- Original Source: Daily Nebraskan - April 17, 2007
Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>
Moment de comemorare a studentilor de la universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Iasi pentru studentii de la Virginia Tech - vineri, 20 aprilie 2007 Moment of commemoration from the students and faculty of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, Romania for Virginia Tech- Friday, April 20th, 2007. -- Sursa Originala: http://www.uaic.ro/uaic/bin/view/Photos/RememberVirginiaTech