Transitional Memorial
description: View of the intermediate memorial in front of Burruss Hall. At the time of this photo, volunteers were cleaning up the site, moving some mementos to storage and others to the newly completed center of the memorial. Other parts of the memorial space were still under construction. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-08-12
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

VT Daisies (Redux)
description: After April 16, plastic daisies have regularly been laid down at various places on the drillfield in the shape of the VT logo, near the temporary memorial in front of Burruss Hall. This photo was taken on Thursday, June 14. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-06-17
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

Plastic Flowers and Hokie Stones
description: Bags of plastic flowers sit on a walkway at the new intermediate memorial. Hokie stones for Nicole White, Daniel O'Neil, and Seung-Hui Cho (unmarked) are visible to the right. At the time of this this photo, staff members and volunteers were cleaning up the site, moving some mementos to storage and others to this area, the newly completed center of the memorial. Other parts of the intermediate memorial were still under construction. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

Memorial Mementos
description: A pile of mementos in front of construction fencing at the intermediate memorial site. At the time of this photo, staff members and volunteers were cleaning up the site, moving some items to storage and others to the newly completed center of the memorial. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

Mementos and Memorial
description: View of the intermediate memorial in front of Burruss Hall. In the foreground lay a pile of memento items. At the time of this photo, staff and volunteers - including the student shown in this photo - were cleaning up the site, moving some items to storage and others to the new center of the memorial, shown in the middle of this photograph. Other parts of the memorial were still under construction. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

Daisies and Mementos
description: Daisies and mementos lay on the ground near the intermediate memorial construction site, on the drillfield in front of Burruss Hall. At the time of this photo, volunteers and staff members were cleaning up the area, moving some items to storage and other mementos to the newly finished center of the memorial. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

Intermediate Memorial In Transition
description: View of the newly finished center of the intermediate memorial, on the drillfield in front of Burruss Hall. Hokie stones - one for each victim - are arranged in an arc. At the time of this photo, volunteers and staff members were cleaning up the area, moving some mementos to storage and other items to this area. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

Legisladores sólo piden mayor control sobre las ‘personas peligrosas’ en EE.UU.
description: 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 person…
creator: La Raza Newspaper
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August, 13 2007
language: spa

Solemnes momentos de recordación
description: Actividades en honor a los fallecidos marcan el regreso a virginia tech Publicado por María Luisa Azpiazu EFE 04-24-2007 Washington, D.C — Mucho dolor, impresionantes minutos de silencio y 32 campanadas en memoria de las víctimas de la peor matanza de la historia estudiantil de E.U. marcaron ayer el regreso a clase de los alumnos de la Universidad Politécnica de Virginia. Fueron miles los alumnos que regresaron ayer para rendir tributo a sus compañeros y profesores fallecidos. Justo una semana antes, Cho Seung-Hui, un estudiante coreano de 23 años, decidió cambiar el ritmo devida en esta Universidad del sur del estado de Virginia y mató a 32 personas. Las solemnes conmemoraciones comenzaron muy pronto. El primer minuto de silencio se guardó a las 7:10 de la mañana en el edificio en el que Cho cobró sus dos primeras víctimas. Algo más de dos horas después, la gran concentración se llevó a cabo en el campus central, donde los estudiantes colocaron miles de recuerdos, flores, velas y escritos en recuerdo de las víctimas. Entre los objetos, alguien puso una bandera de Perú y otra de Israel en memoria de dos de las víctimas, el estudiante peruano Daniel Pérez Cuevas y el profesor Liviu Librescu, quien, según testigos, bloqueó con su cuerpo la entrada a su clase del agresor y salvó la vida de varios de sus alumnos, aunque perdió la suya. La mañana fue brillante, soleada y cálida, lo que contribuyó a que el acto fuera aún más solemne. Los estudiantes portaron 33 banderas blancas que representaban tanto a las víctimas como al agresor. Una pequeña banda de música interpretó el himno "America the Beautiful" cerca del lugar donde se había instalado un semicírculo con 33 piedras en recuerdo de los fallecidos. Junto a la piedra del agresor, alguien colocó una carta en la que se asegura que este joven "subestimó nuestra fuerza, coraje y compasión" y en la que se asegura que "rompiste nuestros corazones pero no nuestros espíritus". Este es e…
creator: María Luisa Azpiazu
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August, 13 2007
language: spa

Viuda estudiante muerto pide paz
description: Por Jesús Dávila Corresponsal Publicado el 04-23-2007 San Juan — El féretro con los restos del ingeniero Juan Ramón Ortiz, muerto en la masacre de virginia tech el pasado día 16, fue transportado ayer sábado a Puerto Rico, pero su viuda, Lizelle Vega, y demás familiares pidieron a la prensa que les dejen en paz para poder comenzar el "proceso de sanación" luego de la tragedia. Vega hizo el llamado en una rueda de prensa en la que indicó que el velorio será en una funeraria de Bayamón, ciudad natal de su esposo, y el entierro tendrá lugar el martes en el cementerio católico Porta Coeli, del mismo municipio. La también ingeniero, quien junto a su esposo cursaba estudios avanzados en la universidad de Virginia, expresó agradecimiento para todos los que le han apoyado ante el dolor -tanto en Virginia como en Puerto Rico- además de hacer reconocimiento de la labor que han realizado los medios noticiosos. Pero, pidió que durante los próximos días se permita a la familia su espacio de intimidad y que no se hagan entrevistas en la funeraria o el cementerio. El pedido de Vega coincide con las instrucciones emitidas por la dirección de virginia tech de que a partir del lunes estará prohibido que los reporteros o fotógrafos entren a los edificios universitarios ni camiones de transmisión televisada podrán estar en el campus para dar espacio a que comience "el proceso de sanación". Las instrucciones especifican además que cualquier pedido de entrevistas a personas en el campus universitario respete los sentimientos de las personas. Vega dijo que no quería hacer declaraciones sobre lo que pasó y que sólo quería limitarse a recordar a su marido por su alegría. Sobre su futuro, indicó que todavía no ha tomado una decisión pero especificó claramente que no piensa demandar a la universidad, ni ahora, ni nunca. Entre las alternativas que ha ofrecido la universidad a los estudiantes afectados por la masacre está obtener la nota de fin de semestre …
creator: Jesús Dávila
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August, 13 2007
language: spa

Intenta virginia tech volver a la normalidad
description: Las clases se reanudan hoy, aunque el edificio donde fueron asesinadas 30 personas permanecerá cerrada el resto del semestre Publicado por Servicios La Opinión 04-23-2007 Blacksburg - La universidad de virginia tech, donde hace una semana un estudiante mató a 32 personas y se suicidó, reanudará hoy sus actividades mientras prosiguen las investigaciones y debates en torno al incidente. Mientras, miles de estudiantes, profesores y demás afectados por la tragedia, tratan de encontrar valor para regresar al campus y volver a la normalidad, acción que fue impulsada ayer por el pastor de la Iglesia Bautista de Blacksburg, cuyo sermón estuvo centrado en la recuperación emocional de los sobrevivientes. La universidad espera el retorno de la mayoría de sus 26 mil estudiantes para la etapa final de los cursos de este año., mientras se completan los funerales de las víctimas del estudiante Seung Hui Cho. "Tenemos que seguir adelante. Haremos todo lo que podamos para reorganizar este sitio e impedir que algo como lo ocurrido vuelva a ocurrir", dijo el portavoz de la universidad, Larry Hincker. El edificio Norris, donde Cho dio muerte a 30 personas y luego se suicidó, permanecerá cerrado por el resto del semestre., y las autoridades han tomado medidas para aliviar la presencia de los medios de comunicación. Mientras, el pastor Tommy McDearis exhortó a los feligreses a regresar a sus actividades normales en la universidad de virginia tech luego de la matanza ocurrida en la institución. McDearis tuvo la penosa tarea de informar el pasado lunes a familiares de más de 20 víctimas acerca de la matanza causada por el estudiante surcoreano Seung Hui Cho. El pastor dijo a la congregación que "si cedemos ante esta situación, y cesamos de hacer todas las cosas que realmente importan en la vida porque hemos sido visitados por la oscuridad, entonces, terminaremos rindiéndonos ante la oscuridad". El pastor pronunció su sermón mientras los estudiantes que abandonaron v…
creator: Servicios La Opinión
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August 13, 2007
language: spa

A Tribute to Professor G. V. Loganathan (Editorial)
description: (PDF, 36KB; full text copied below) EDITORIAL A Tribute to Professor G. V. Loganathan Arun K. Deb, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE Vice President (Ret.), Weston Solutions, Inc. E-mail: arundeb@msn.com April 16, 2007 started like any other day on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. Dr. G. V. Loganathan, a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Virginia Tech left his home near the campus to teach a graduate class on Advanced Hydrology in room number 206 of Norris Hall. He never returned home. Loganathan, along with nine of his students, was killed by a gunman. It was the worst massacre on a university campus in the history of the United States. Very soon, the news started to flash on TV screens. I became concerned as I know quite a few faculty members at Virginia Tech, but never expected one of my dearest friends to be among the victims. I was stunned when I saw Prof. Loganathan's name on TV as one of the victims. I barely got over the shock when I received a call from one of my friends confirming the news. I opened my e-mail to see several messages in this regard. That is one dreadful day I will never forget in my life. Dr. G. V. Loganathan was born in 1954, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering at Madras University, India in 1976. He earned his Master of Technology at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and received his PhD from Purdue University. In 1981, Dr. Loganathan joined Virginia Tech to conduct research and teach in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He focused his research in the areas of hydrology and hydraulic networks. It was about 20 years ago while attending an ASCE Conference of the Water Resources Planning and Management Division, that I first met Loganathan in the Water Resources Systems Committee meeting. After the meeting, he came up to me and expressed his interest in water distribution system analysis. At the time, he was a young faculty member at Virginia Te…
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Xi Van Fleet Senior Manager, Information Services Publication Division American Society of Civil Engineers 1801 Alexander Bell Drive Reston, VA 20191 (703) 295-6278-FAX PERMISSIONS@asce.org
language: eng

Six flags of VT in drillfield
description: One week after the shooting,people set six flags on the lawn of the drillfield to mourn the victims.
creator: Jinfeng Jiao
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Candles on the drillfield
description: After the vigil,people left candles and flowers on the drillfield to express their sadness and grief.
creator: Jinfeng Jiao
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Stone for candles
description: People volunteered to set up a stone marked with "VT" for other people to light candles.
creator: Na Mi
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Handmade memorials for the victims
description: Handmade memorials were placed on one of the corners of the drillfield.
creator: Jinfeng Jiao
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Lowering down the flag
description: In order to express the grief, Virginia Tech lowered down the national flag in front of the Burrus Hall for weeks after the shooting.
creator: Na Mi
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

The killer of room 2121
description: It was 7am on Monday. Another week was starting at Virginia Tech. Then the first shots rang out. Within hours, 32 people lay dead and America was left trying to make sense of the carnage. Paul Harris reports from Blacksburg. Sunday April 22, 2007 The Observer A group of Amish men, all in black, shuffled towards the chapel at one end of the enormous sports field that dominates the centre of Virginia Tech's campus. They had come to pay their respects after a tragedy they knew all too well. It was only last year that a killer struck their community, shooting dead five young girls in a tiny Amish school. Now they had driven many long hours from their Pennsylvania farms to southern Virginia, to offer solace to another American community devastated by a mass killing. They spoke in hushed tones to the Reverend Kelly Sisson, one of the pastors of Glade Church in Blacksburg. Then they entered the comforting dark interior to pray and to mourn the dead of Virginia Tech. 'They understand what has happened to us in a way few others do,' Sisson said. Everyone is trying to understand what happened at Blacksburg last week. Impromptu memorials have sprung up on the sports field, covering the grass in flickering candles, pictures of the dead, and flowers. Students, friends and family have written messages, sad, desperate, noble. They speak of loss and love. They vow to remember lives brutally cut short on what should have been just another Monday morning. But, although there was nothing ordinary about last Monday, there was a dreadful familiarity to it. Cho Seung-hui's bloody rampage cost the lives of 32 of his fellow students and staff. It was the worst mass shooting in American history, but far from the only one. There is almost a ritual to such attacks: the fleeing students, the wailing sirens, the mourning survivors, the suicide of the gunman - Cho shot himself in the face. Columbine, the Amish school, Virginia Tech, all are now names that haunt the popular imagination. Yet no on…
creator: Paul Harris
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Adriana Seagle
rights: In consideration of the fee of GBP 0.00 ("the Fee") Guardian News & Media Limited ("GNM") grants the Licensee the right to: publish on its website for 10 years. Contact info: Eve Thompson; permissions.syndication@guardian.co.uk
language: eng

Final Week: BU to review policies for campus security
description: Emergency notification system a main goal By: Lisa Davis Posted: 5/2/07 After Boston University felt the impact of several tragedies that brought into question the level of campus safety, officials say they will continue to review their safety policies and procedures, including ways to better reach the community in case of an emergency. "These events are starting to highlight, not only on our campus, but on other campuses, this issue of personal safety and risky behavior in a broader context than people have thought about it before," said President Robert Brown in an April 27 interview. Methods the BU Police Department uses to communicate emergency information to the community are important, said BUPD Chief Thomas Robbins, who added his department often reviews its procedures when a problem arises. "How you communicate in different emergencies is different," Brown said. "There is not one size that fits all." Robbins, who attended a Coffee and Conversation with the dean of students after the April 16 Virginia Tech shootings, said BUPD plans to add safety information for students to its website, similar to how BU launched a fire-safety website after the two deadly fires that killed three students Feb. 24 and March 16. The day after the Virginia Tech shootings, in which senior Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people before killing himself, BU formed a committee headed by Administration Vice President Peter Fiedler to review emergency and communication policies, Brown said. "One of the things we put on the table was a blast communication system, which we do not have," he said. "People think that you can send 20,000 emails instantly. The fact is: It takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the technology you're using and how you do it." In a town hall meeting last week, Robbins said he is considering the use of email and text messaging to contact the community in an emergency. It is currently impossible to reach every community member at once because the BU registry does n…
creator: Lisa Davis
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

LETTER: Shooter didn't represent Korea
description: By: Don Lucas Posted: 4/30/07 Two weeks ago, I was shocked once again when a maniac took so many innocent lives at Virginia Tech. I focused on the many news events that followed this tragedy in my home state. I reflected on the campus, wrapped in such scenic beauty, where my many of my friends attended and later taught. Virginia Tech is a university in which many of my former students attended. It is also a university where my former students and I visited while teaching and performing music. As I continued to watch the television coverage throughout the week, I had many reflections and feelings, including shock, outrage and compassion. Late last week, officials posted a letter written by the sister of the murderer. Her words touched me very much. I felt her pain and hurt for those who suffered at the hands of her brother. I perceived her words to be most sincere and heartfelt. In a week of such tragedy, this is the moment that produced my tears. I couldn't help but think she didn't have to write that letter. But she did. In the last ten years, I have had the opportunity to teach and perform music in South Korea on four occasions, most recently at Yonsei University in Seoul. During my first trip, I remember an older man looking me straight in the eyes and thanking me for the United States' intervention in his country years ago. I am very proud of the United States' involvement in the Korean War. South Korea is a beautiful country, a beautiful culture and a beautiful people. The Daily Free Press's article ("After VT, Koreans prepare for backlash," April 25, p. 1) quite, and cited the Korean values of community support. I would like to add the values of courtesy and a great work ethic. At the end of the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, South Korea has the eighth-highest gross national product wordwide. I read in a recent book by Lee Iacocca that of all international students recently rated in math and science, Korean studen…
creator: Don Lucas
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng