The intangible bond between two broken hearts
description: The post title isn't an exact quote (because it would've been damn hard taking notes while trying to hold a lit candle (and, more importantly, given the windy conditions this evening, keeping it lit) from the remarks of NIU President John G. Peters at tonight's candlelight vigil at Northern Illinois University to honor the memory of the Hokies who lost their lives a year ago today. But they're a close approximation: I know he used both phrases in his speech, though I can't swear that they were that closely connected. Nevertheless, it's a good description for the relationship that will forevermore exist between our two campuses, our two communities. We're both members of a club that nobody wants to join--and would to God that NIU and Virginia Tech were the last two ever given the opportunity to join it. We speak each other's language: a language that neither of us was looking to learn, and one that both of us would rather we hadn't had the opportunity to learn at all. But we have learned it, and having learnt it, we cannot--and should not--forget it. The image is the design of the T-shirts that were handed out to the first 900 people who came to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commons. I'm happy to report that there weren't any shirts left that I could see, meaning we had at least that many people at the event. Among them, God love them both, were two Virginia Tech students. They gave up the opportunity to be with their compatriots in Blacksburg at their own vigil today so they could come and support us--even as we tried to show our support for them and their fellow Hokies. Their presence is just the latest in a long line of expressions of support that Virginia Tech and its campus community have offered to us in the wake of our own tragedy two months ago--support for which we are eternally and profoundly grateful, and which we can never truly repay. Somehow, though, I don't think my Hokie brethren and sistren will mind. Tonight's vigil was a concrete and physical reminde…
creator: Michael Spires
date: 2008-04-19
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
language: eng

Local colleges reflect on Va. Tech shootings
description: By Peter Reuell/Daily News staff The MetroWest Daily News Posted Apr 16, 2008 @ 12:35 AM ASHLAND — A year after the shooting massacre that left 33 people dead at Virginia Tech, security remains a concern on local college campuses. On campuses from Framingham to Franklin, officials said, the aftershocks of the shooting - and a more recent incident at Northern Illinois University, which left five others dead - are still being felt. After the April 16, 2007, killings at Virginia Tech, many schools quickly re-evaluated their security plans, particularly their ability to communicate with faculty and staff in a crisis. At many, including Framingham State College, the solution was to install a system that allows administrators to send emergency messages by phone and computer to the entire campus at the touch of a button. "You learn from the incident, and it allows you to, perhaps, make changes in your own systems," said Framingham State spokesman Peter Chisholm. The school later this month plans to finish installing a siren that will alert students, faculty and staff to campuswide emergencies. "At every college or university campus in the country, I'm sure, the president and public safety administrators sat down and reviewed what they had in place, and what improvements they could make," Chisholm said. The incident that sparked those meetings happened a year ago today in Blacksburg, Va. Just after 7 a.m., disturbed Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed two students in a dormitory, then went on a shooting rampage in a classroom building, eventually killing 32 people and himself. At Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley, administrators are close to installing a campuswide notification system similar to Framingham State's. They have held numerous meetings to review the school's crisis policies. "There's a method or protocol for just about every situation that could arise on campus," said Lisa Cascio, the school's director of communications and public affairs…
creator: Peter Reuell
date: 2008-04-19
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
language: eng

On-campus mental illness issues unique
description: By Dick Durbin RRSTAR.COM Posted Apr 17, 2008 @ 10:59 PM This week, our nation marked the anniversary of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech that took 32 lives and wounded 17 other people. Just two months ago, our state was stunned to witness a similar tragic shooting at Northern Illinois University in which 5 students were killed and 17 were wounded. I cannot imagine the magnitude of heartbreak and pain for friends and families of those killed or the trauma borne by those who survived these tragedies. As we mourn the loss of so many promising young lives, it is important also to learn from these tragedies. So what are those lessons? The first is to consider the tortured mind of the shooter. Mental illness is an illness, not a curse. It can and should be treated. Many who receive appropriate counseling and medication lead normal, stable and happy lives. But our laws ignore this reality. We have created legal and financial obstacles to appropriate care. This year, for the first time in a decade, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill to give mental health parity with physical health under the law. The House of Representatives also has passed legislation, and we are negotiating a compromise to fulfill the promise of health parity for millions facing mental health problems. But the challenge of mental health on our college campuses is unique. Many mental illnesses manifest themselves in this period when young people leave the security of home and regular medical care. The responsibility for the students' well-being shifts many times to colleges and universities struggling with limited resources. The situation is growing worse. Studies show that 10 percent of college students have contemplated suicide and 45 percent have felt so depressed that it was difficult to function. Colleges also are encountering students who 10 to 20 years ago would not have been able to attend school because of mental illness, but who can do so today because of advances in treatment of such illnes…
creator: Dick Durbin
date: 2008-04-19
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
language: eng

NIU to Va. Tech: 'We understand what you're going through'
description: By Chris Green RRSTAR.COM Posted Apr 16, 2008 @ 11:00 PM Last update Apr 17, 2008 @ 07:38 AM DEKALB — Northern Illinois University senior Sonia Salazar said Virginia Tech students put their feelings of sorrow on hold to help the students at NIU heal. And on Wednesday, Salazar was joined by nearly a thousand other NIU students and staff who wanted to return the support for the students at Virginia Tech. NIU students and University President John Peters recognized the one-year anniversary of the shooting deaths at the Virginia Tech campus with a candlelight vigil in the Martin Luther King Commons, an outdoor venue in the center of the campus near the student center. One year ago Wednesday, a gunman took the lives of 32 Virginia Tech students and faculty before taking his own. It was the largest such campus massacre in the history of the country. Peters recalled the initial hours and days following the Feb. 14 slayings at NIU, when five students were shot and killed by Steven Kazmierczak, who also took his own life. He said the entire campus felt "isolated." "We simply couldn't imagine that anyone else could understand what we are going through." Then the phone calls and e-mails came in. "We understand what you are going through. You are not alone." Peters said a "collective hand of support" was extended from Blacksburg, Va., to DeKalb. "They shared openly and lovingly." The two universities are linked not only in their empathy for one another, but also by an unnerving coincidence. Green Bay gun dealer Eric Thompson told authorities his Web site, topglock.com, sold two empty 9 mm Glock magazines and a Glock holster to Kazmierczak on Feb. 4, just 10 days before the 27-year-old opened fire in a campus classroom. Another Web site run by Thompson's company, www.thegunstore.com, also sold a Walther .22-caliber handgun to Seung-Hui Cho, who shot down 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus before killing himself. Peters added, "One day, two Virginia Tech students came by my …
creator: Chris Green
date: 2008-04-19
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
language: eng

We're ALL Huskies
description: This photo was taken on February 21, 2008. The VT employees in the photo are from the Office of Research. Several employees wore black and red and are surrounded by employees wearing hokie colors. The photo was blown up poster size and was sent along with the banner that reads "We're All Huskies Today" to the Division of Research and Graduate Studies at NIU. Photo by Vicky Ratcliffe
creator: Kacey Beddoes
date: 2008-04-13
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Victoria Ratcliffe <vfrazier@vt.edu>
language: eng

NIU thank you
description: This is a thank you letter from NIU in response to a banner and photo that was sent from the VT Office of Research. The photo, in which employees wore black and red and are surrounded by employees wearing hokie colors, was blown up poster size and was sent along with the banner that reads "We're All Huskies Today" to the Division of Research and Graduate Studies at NIU. Photo by Vicky Ratcliffe.
creator: Vicky Ratcliffe
date: 2008-04-13
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Victoria Ratcliffe <vfrazier@vt.edu>
language: eng

NIU auction sign
description: This sign advertising a silent auction for Northern Illinois University hung on the front of Squires Student Building on April 8, 2008. Sign says: "Silent Auction for NIU Wed, 4/9 8:30-6PM Squires 2nd Floor"
creator: Kacey Beddoes
date: 2008-04-08
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Kacey Beddoes (kbeddoes@vt.edu)
language: eng

Valentine's Day in DeKalb: Two, Three, Many Virginia Techs?
description: Ben Agger and Timothy W. Luke Last Thursday, February 14th, 2008, Steven Kazmierczak reportedly shot and killed five students, and then turned a weapon on himself at Northern Illinois University. At least sixteen students were wounded in the rapid-fire shootings in this large NIU lecture hall during class. We have few certain details about the shooter, except that he used four weapons, two of which were purchased legally within the past week—a shotgun and a 9mm Glock semi-automatic handgun. Ironically, he purchased two magazines and a holster for the Glock from the same online vendor which sold Cho, the Virginia Tech shooter, one of his guns through a dealer transfer last spring. Apparently, he was a good student (a former sociology major at NIU) who had no police record. He was pursuing graduate studies in social work at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois. It was also rumored that he recently had ceased taking mood-modifying medication and had broken up with a live-in girl friend. He was 27 when he died in the large NIU lecture hall. Yet, there was another side to him. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2001, but soon was "administratively discharged" within six months. More recently, he took a job as an officer at the Rockville Correctional Facility in Indiana in September 2007, but he failed to complete his preliminary training after only two weeks, and then never returned to work. The shooting in DeKalb, Illinois occurred almost exactly ten months after the shootings at Virginia Tech last April, when 33 died, including students in classrooms, some of their professors, and the gunman himself. On November 7, 2007 Pekka Eric Auvinen walked into his high school in Tuusula, Finland, and shot eight people, killing five, and then also turned the gun on himself. There are parallels between these three bloody events: The shooters were young males; they used deadly semi-automatic weapons; they burst into school classrooms to do their damage; they too…
creator: Ben Agger and Timothy W. Luke
date: 2008-03-24
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Tim Luke (twluke@vt.edu) Ben Agger (agger@uta.edu)
language: eng

Hokies United - Hokies for Huskies
description: Promotional flyer for "Hokies for Huskies" candlelight vigil at Virginia Tech, organized by Hokies United. Original Source: http://www.hokiesunited.org.vt.edu/Vigil.jpg
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2008-03-01
contributor: Brent Jesiek
language: eng

NIU has several examples to follow for Cole’s future
description: Photo: Photo by ALAN LEON | RRSTAR.COM Six huskies and flowers are set up as a memorial in front of Cole Hall on Feb. 22, 2008, on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Story: Geri Nikolai, Isaac Guerrero and Sadie Gurman GateHouse News Service Mon Feb 25, 2008, 02:36 PM EST As officials at Northern Illinois University prepare for the return of 25,000 students this week, they have announced only one decision about the scene of the shootings. The building where a gunman killed five students and then himself on Feb. 14, Cole Hall, will remain closed this semester. Space has been found in other campus buildings to move all classes from the two large lecture halls in Cole. What happens afterward is the subject of speculation. Some students say they could never go back into the building and could not concentrate on academics if they did. Some suggest Cole be turned into a memorial. Others say that despite the tragedy, NIU cannot afford to raze a classroom building in an era of declining state support. Officials say they haven't discussed the future of Cole. Cherilyn Murer, who chairs the NIU board of trustees, said she doesn't know what will be done after this semester. Murer said the options include resuming classes, transforming it for some other use or closing it permanently. But it's too early to say, Murer said. "It's only been a week," she said. "Right now, the emotions are so raw that it would be premature to make a decision about what we'll do with that building." Another trustee, Barbara Giorgi Vella of Rockford, expects there won't be serious discussion of what to do with Cole until summer. At that point, she said, financial constraints have to be taken into consideration, along with the feelings of students and staff. Busy building Cole Hall, where nearly every undergraduate has at least one class, is one of the largest classroom buildings on campus, with two auditoriums seating what students estimate to be 250 people each. The idea of closing …
creator: Geri Nikolai, Isaac Guerrero and Sadie Gurman
date: 2008-02-26
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported
language: eng

Latest news: Investigators, loved ones try to reconcile the 2 sides of NIU gunman
description: Photo: ALAN LEON | RRSTAR.COM Ken Shold, an NIU almunus and father of a current student, sheds tears while praying in front of Cole Hall on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008, on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb. Story: Feb 16, 2008 @ 09:40 PM RRSTAR.COM, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE AND ESPN.COM DEKALB - A look at those who died in the shootings Visit the NIU February 14 Student Scholarship Fund For more coverage, read our special report Steven Kazmierczak had the look of a boyish graduate student — except for the disturbing tattoos that covered his arms. 9:40 p.m. NIU plans scholarship fund in honor of victims Authorities at NIU said they were creating a scholarship fund in honor of the slain students and also are discussing how to build a permanent on-campus memorial. 8:18 p.m. Virginia Tech plans virgil for NIU shooting victims Virginia Tech plans to have a candlelight vigil on Monday to show support for those affected by the shootings at Northern Illinois University. Hokies United, the student group that formed after the April shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 dead, organized the vigil and has asked the university community to wear NIU's school colors of red and black as a sign of support and solidarity on Monday. Hokies United will also temporarily lay a red and black Hokie Stone near the campus memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in the April 16 shootings. Students plan to deliver the stone to Northern Illinois, in DeKalb, Ill., in a week or so. On Thursday, a 27-year-old former NIU student opened fire on a geology class, killing five people before committing suicide. The shooting brought back horrific memories for the Virginia Tech community, still reeling from its own tragedy. Many people on campus donned red and black on Friday in a show of support. The latest shooting also left some families of the Virginia Tech victims feeling anguished. "It just brings it all back. I can't imagine what they're going through, bu…
creator: RRSTAR (story)/ALAN LEON (photo)
date: 2008-02-26
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Generic
language: eng

Area colleges updated alert systems after Virginia Tech
description: By CHRIS DETTRO STAFF WRITER Published Friday, February 15, 2008 Springfield-area colleges have systems in place to alert students to campus emergencies, and most procedures have been updated or were instituted originally in the wake of campus shootings at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., last spring. Thursday's shootings at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb brought the importance of those procedures to the forefront again. "It's just awful," said Mike Underwood, spokesman for MacMurray College in Jacksonville. "Something like that really hits home." The University of Illinois at Springfield, Illinois College in Jacksonville and Blackburn College in Carlinville all have some type of emergency notification system where students can receive e-mails, cell phone messages or other electronic notification should there be an emergency on campus. Michelle Green, spokeswoman for UIS, said the school had a call from one parent within an hour of the NIU shooting expressing concern. UIS sent out a campuswide message to faculty, staff and students late Thursday afternoon urging them to sign up for the UIS Emergency Notification System it implemented last month. The university's chancellor or provost, chief of police or someone assigned the task sets the notification system in motion, Green said. Lincoln Land Community College recently updated its emergency procedures in response to the Virginia Tech incident, said spokeswoman Lynn Whalen. In addition to having armed campus police on duty 24 hours a day, LLCC has installed emergency phones in each classroom and has enabled all classroom doors to be locked from the inside. "We also have a good counseling and referral system should anyone need that kind of help," Whalen said. Jim Murphy, Illinois College spokesman, said more than 400 of IC's 1,000 students signed up to receive e-mail or text-message alerts last fall. "It was a response to Virginia Tech and established a way to get information to students, faculty a…
creator: CHRIS DETTRO and Sarah Antonacci
date: 2008-02-26
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Generic
language: eng

NIU response helped by Virginia Tech lessons
description: Doug Finke GateHouse News Service Fri Feb 15, 2008, 09:31 PM EST SPRINGFIELD, IL - Northern Illinois University's response to Thursday's shooting rampage may have been helped by what state officials learned from last year's massacre at Virginia Tech University. A Campus Safety Task Force was created to see what could be learned from the Virginia Tech incident and how those lessons could be implemented here. Representatives from state colleges and universities, including NIU, attended task force meetings. One of the most important lessons discussed was getting information to students as quickly as possible. "The response at Northern Illinois, from our standpoint, was extraordinary," said Mike Chamness, chairman of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force. Students were notified within 20 minutes that a shooting occurred, to take cover and stay away from some parts of the campus, Chamness said. At Virginia Tech, it took more than two hours to issue an alert. Students at NIU also were relaying text messages to each other. One idea discussed by the task force was that colleges should use multiple means to convey an emergency message to students, including encouraging the use of text messaging. Rep. Rich Myers, R-Colchester, said Western Illinois University in his district just went through a drill to notify students in case of emergency. "They sent text messages to cell phones, voice mail, e-mail," Myers said. "As I understand it, it was a very successful test." What to do after an emergency is only part of the task force's responsibility. It is also examining prevention. A full report is scheduled to be delivered April 1. "A mental health survey is still being completed," Chamness said. "That purpose is to look at ways to identify potential issues and how to deal with those, how to get help to those people." That will probably require the assistance of students themselves. "Be alert. If you see something that looks suspicious, don't be shy or embarrassed about picking up the …
creator: Doug Finke
date: 2008-02-26
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

ND upset by NIU shooting
description: Students ask question, "Could it happen here?" John Tierney Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: News Notre Dame students expressed sadness and shock Thursday night at yesterday's shooting at Northern Illinois. The tragedy, in which at least six people, including the gunman, were killed and 17 were injured, occurred in a lecture hall less than three hours away from Notre Dame's campus. Although this generation of Notre Dame students has grown up with school shootings ranging from Columbine in 1999 to Virginia Tech last year, students haven't become immune to the tragedy of school massacres. "It was very tragic and scary. You have to wonder what's going on with those kids. It makes you wonder if something like that could happen at Notre Dame," sophomore Tim Nelson said. Many students had not heard of the shooting by Thursday evening, including a group of seniors who stood speechless after being informed of the news. Student body president Liz Brown noted that school shootings are becoming more common. "Unfortunately, this is kind of becoming an occurrence on college campuses across the nation. Hopefully, this trend will stop," she said. Brown also expressed a sense of grief at the NIU tragedy. "This is a hard thing to react to," she said. "This sort of thing has become all too common at schools in the United States." Senior Meghan Jebb, who was studying in Dublin at the time of the Virginia Tech tragedy, questioned the universality of school shootings. "I don't know if this kind of thing happens in other countries. After the Va. Tech shootings, the kids in Ireland were like, 'why do they have guns?'" she asked. Colleen Fleshman, who is from Illinois, said that her first reaction after hearing the news was to call her friends who attend NIU to make sure of their safety. She said she was relieved to find that all her friends were alright. Although the shooter's motivations are not yet known, some students have wondered about the timing of his attack. "He probably picked Valent…
creator: John Tierney
date: 2008-02-25
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Christopher Hine <chine@nd.edu>
language: eng

_VT_Vigil_14.jpg
description: Attendees at Virginia Tech's candlelight vigil for NIU. Photo by Kim Peterson Original Source: http://www.ee.unirel.vt.edu/index.php/vtnews/flip_book/C69/P12/
creator: Kim Peterson
date: 2008-02-22
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Kim Peterson (thekim@vt.edu)
language: eng

VT_Vigil_13.jpg
description: View of candlelight vigil for NIU on Virginia Tech's Alumni Mall. Photo by Kim Peterson Original Source: http://www.ee.unirel.vt.edu/index.php/vtnews/flip_book/C69/P11/
creator: Kim Peterson
date: 2008-02-22
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Kim Peterson (thekim@vt.edu)
language: eng

_VT_Vigil_12.jpg
description: Virginia Tech's candlelight vigil for NIU. Photo by Kim Peterson Original Source: http://www.ee.unirel.vt.edu/index.php/vtnews/flip_book/C69/P10/
creator: Kim Peterson
date: 2008-02-22
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Kim Peterson (thekim@vt.edu)
language: eng

_VT_Vigil_11.jpg
description: Virginia Tech's candlelight vigil for NIU. Photo by Kim Peterson Original Source: http://www.ee.unirel.vt.edu/index.php/vtnews/flip_book/C69/P9/
creator: Kim Peterson
date: 2008-02-22
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Kim Peterson (thekim@vt.edu)
language: eng

_VT_Vigil_10.jpg
description: Attendees hold candles at Virginia Tech's vigil for NIU. Photo by Kim Peterson Original Source: http://www.ee.unirel.vt.edu/index.php/vtnews/flip_book/C69/P8/
creator: Kim Peterson
date: 2008-02-22
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Kim Peterson (thekim@vt.edu)
language: eng

_VT_Vigil_09.jpg
description: Attendees hold candles at Virginia Tech's vigil for NIU. Photo by Kim Peterson Original Source: http://www.ee.unirel.vt.edu/index.php/vtnews/flip_book/C69/P7/
creator: Kim Peterson
date: 2008-02-22
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Kim Peterson (thekim@vt.edu)
language: eng