Students
description: 2007.04.17. Students gathered along the Spring Road and Merryman Center to greet the Presidential motorcade.
creator: Ivan V. Morozov
date: 2007-09-03
contributor: Haeyong Chung
language: eng

Students contacted
description: On Monday, April 16, 2007, I was in New Orleans at the annual conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST). This is a list of students I was able to contact between 10:08 am (when I received an email from a student indicating that he could not attend my regularly scheduled 10:10 lecture as Blacksburg Transit was not running, and then turned on CNN) and 1:30 pm. Most students were contacted through AOL Instant Messenger/I-Chat.
creator: Jane Lehr
date: 2007-05-04
contributor: Jane Lehr
language: eng

Students fight for guns on campus
description: Aug. 20, 2007 By Claire St. Amant City editor In Texas, it isn't surprising to see cowboy hats, belt buckles and boots glistening under the sun. But there's one piece missing from the cowboy ensemble when Texans mosey on over to school campuses: a gun. According to state law, guns are banned in several places, including schools, places of worship, correction facilities, bars, sporting events and other locations. Currently, individuals with concealed handgun licenses must check their weapon at the door, but maybe not for long. In late April, Gov. Rick Perry called for "gun freedom" across Texas and said students should be allowed to protect themselves on campus. Arlington senior Andrew Sugg couldn't agree more. Sugg is the leader of the Baylor chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national group in favor of gun freedom in schools. "I believe anyone with a CHL should be able to carry a gun everywhere," he said. "Most people don't even have to fire, just showing it is usually good enough (to control a situation)." Sugg, who has been a licensed gun carrier for almost two years, recalls a time near campus in 2005 when the mere presence of his weapon distilled a potentially dangerous individual. While Sugg was having a cup of coffee at Common Grounds, a homeless man started "aggressively" asking for money, he said. Feeling threatened, Sugg called the police, but before an officer made it to the scene, the man pulled a knife on another customer. "I drew my weapon, the guy saw me, dropped the knife and ran," Sugg said. "I just put it back in my holster and went back to my coffee." While this situation ended positively, Fair Oaks Ranch senior Alexandra Neville, president of Baylor Democrats, said she thinks gun control on and off campus are entirely different issues. "What you do with your gun on your own time and for your own protection is up to you, but college campuses have their own protective measures and having students carry guns isn't one of them," she…
creator: Claire St. Amant
date: 2007-10-02
contributor: Haeyong Chung
language: eng

Students fight for guns on campus
description: Aug. 20, 2007 By Claire St. Amant City editor In Texas, it isn't surprising to see cowboy hats, belt buckles and boots glistening under the sun. But there's one piece missing from the cowboy ensemble when Texans mosey on over to school campuses: a gun. According to state law, guns are banned in several places, including schools, places of worship, correction facilities, bars, sporting events and other locations. Currently, individuals with concealed handgun licenses must check their weapon at the door, but maybe not for long. In late April, Gov. Rick Perry called for "gun freedom" across Texas and said students should be allowed to protect themselves on campus. Arlington senior Andrew Sugg couldn't agree more. Sugg is the leader of the Baylor chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national group in favor of gun freedom in schools. "I believe anyone with a CHL should be able to carry a gun everywhere," he said. "Most people don't even have to fire, just showing it is usually good enough (to control a situation)." Sugg, who has been a licensed gun carrier for almost two years, recalls a time near campus in 2005 when the mere presence of his weapon distilled a potentially dangerous individual. While Sugg was having a cup of coffee at Common Grounds, a homeless man started "aggressively" asking for money, he said. Feeling threatened, Sugg called the police, but before an officer made it to the scene, the man pulled a knife on another customer. "I drew my weapon, the guy saw me, dropped the knife and ran," Sugg said. "I just put it back in my holster and went back to my coffee." While this situation ended positively, Fair Oaks Ranch senior Alexandra Neville, president of Baylor Democrats, said she thinks gun control on and off campus are entirely different issues. "What you do with your gun on your own time and for your own protection is up to you, but college campuses have their own protective measures and having students carry guns isn't one of them," she…
creator: Claire St. Amant
date: 2008-02-05
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Julie Freeman (Julie_Freeman@baylor.edu)
language: eng

Students Hold Vigil for Va. Tech Victims
description: By David Xia PUBLISHED APRIL 18, 2007 Approximately 300 students, faculty, and administrators gathered together at the sundial last night for a candlelight vigil held in memory of the 32 victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. University Chaplain Jewelnel Davis delivered a message of inspiration and hope to those gathered at the base of the sundial. Davis said that during this time of national mourning, it was crucial for members of the Columbia community to band together in solidarity and offer their condolences and prayers to those grieving over Virginia Tech. "Life will always overcome the darkness of hate, despair, and violence," Davis said. The undergraduate student councils provided 1,500 white candles, according to Ana Ortiz, CC '07 and Columbia College Student Council vice president of campus life, who spoke at the event. As the candles were lit and the flames passed along in silent respect, those in attendance exchanged glances of support. "We who believe in learning believe in hope," Davis said. "Light, when it is shared, overcomes darkness and spreads more light." Only the soft pattering of the drizzling rain was audible as attendees, heads lowered in respect, observed a moment of silence. Ortiz stated the names of the 32 students who were killed. "One great thing about the Columbia community is that when a horrible incident like this happens, we are able to come together as a family," Dean of Student Affairs Chris Colombo said after the event. For Mark Johnson, CC '09 and vice president of the CCSC class of 2009, the shootings in Blacksburg, Va. struck very close to home. Johnson, whose hometown is Virginia Beach, said it was unsettling to see such a tragedy occur at a place he considers home. "I'm happy we had something like this. It allowed me to vent," he said. -- Photo By: Key Nguyen Original Source: Columbia Spectator http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/24914
creator: David Xia (Author)/Key Nguyen (Photo)
date: 2008-02-18
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Tom Faure (tomfaure@gmail.com)
language: eng

Students Lie Down to Stand Up for What's Right
description: published: May 01 2008 06:01 PM updated:: May 01 2008 06:15 PM University of Tennessee students who took their usual walk to their midday classes on April 16th, may have encountered a strange sight: 32 students dressed in all black laying down on pedestrian walkway. This 'lie down' was organized in remembrance of the victims of last years Virginia Tech school shooting as well as to protest easy gun laws. The Virginia Tech massacre was the deadliest mass shooting to date, and consisted of two separate attacks approximately two hours apart on April 16, 2007, which took place on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia. The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho ended his shooting rampage by committing suicide. Jesse Matton, a UT sophomore from Northern Virginia organized the event. She extended invitations to people she knew and made a facebook group to advertise the event. She states: "I did it because I really wanted people to remember the victims and how much it effected all the students at tech." She recruited 32 participants, one to represent each victim of the Virginia tech shooting, for a three-minute lie down in the middle of the public walkway. She says, "We laid down for three minutes because that is the amount of time it takes to buy a gun in the U.S" Matton's desire to organize this event came largely from the death of her friend, Reema Samaha, a victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting. A participant of the lie down, Sondra Ortagus, also a sophomore at UT and a long time friend of Matton says: "It was a very hard thing to look back on. I am glad we did it because hopefully people will start to realize that guns are too easy to get nowadays. Laws should be tighter so that incidences like Virginia Tech don't happen again." Despite the many easy gun laws that are still being protested, the VT school shooting did lead to some tightening of gun regulations. The massacre led to rapid changes in Virginia law tha…
creator: Tennessee Journalist
date: 2008-06-15
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
language: eng

Students Mourn Va. Shooting
description: By Amanda Erickson PUBLISHED APRIL 16, 2007 Columbians across campus expressed shock and outrage over the violent rampage on Virginia Tech's campus that left at least 32 students dead yesterday, the deadliest shooting attack in the country's history. Students took a break from their daily routines to watch gruesome coverage, mourn, and show support as details were released. "It's something that really has touched every single student at this campus," said Dan Okin, SEAS '07 and Engineering Student Council president. The shooter, described as an young man of Asian descent, opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm at around 7:15 in the morning, killing one student and a resident adviser. Two and a half hours later, the man entered an academic building and moved ruthlessly from classroom to classroom, firing at students and faculty with two handguns, the Washington Post reported. "I'm really at a loss for words to explain or to understand the carnage that has visited our campus," Charles W. Steger, president of Virginia Tech, told the Post. Several Columbia students and all four of the undergraduate councils scrambled to pull together prayer services and candlelight vigils to express their grief and show their sympathy. "It's a tragedy and I feel like any show of my support is important," said Justin Leung, CC '09. Leung and several other students will attend a prayer service in Lerner Hall today at 7 a.m. The impromptu service, which was advertised via Facebook invitation, aims to bring together students "whatever your religion, faith, belief, or background ... [to] show our support together to those who really need it right now." The undergraduate student councils are working together to organizing a candlelight vigil for Wednesday night after sundown. Seth Flaxman, CC '07 and Columbia College Student Council president, said that the councils wanted to put together an event that would enable the University to come together. "I've had so many conversations with students wh…
creator: Amanda Erickson
date: 2008-02-17
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Tom Faure (tomfaure@gmail.com)
language: eng

Students mourn, talk about safety after Va. Tech shootings
description: By Dawn Witlin/Chronicle Staff Cambridge Chronicle Thu Apr 19, 2007, 01:30 PM EDT Cambridge - While some MIT students mourned the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings at a Wednesday prayer service, others reflected upon campus safety. A gunman, identified as student Cho Seung-Hui, opened fire on classrooms and a dormitory at Virginia Tech Monday, killing as least 30 students and professors. "I think it's pretty safe here," said MIT student and Virginia native Mariam Candid. "You would never imagine it would happen at any universities. I have friends that go there who lost friends and I am just trying to be there to help out." Cantabrigia blog: What do you think? The prayer service was held at the MIT chapel, where the institute's Chaplain Robert Randolph read the names of the dead as mourners lined up to light a single candle in their memory. "It's very saddening and scary, that seems to be the case for everyone," said MIT freshman Christine Bognet. "We're all just trying to keep our heads up...life has to go on." Harvard and MIT officials said they're prepared for a disaster similar to what happened at Virginia Tech last week. Although Joe Wrinn, spokesman for Harvard University, would not comment on security protocol, he said there are many tools at the disposal of Harvard Police. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etCWbT6bPRM "For obvious reasons, we do not comment on security details, if security details were known it would compromise security efforts," said Wrinn. "I can tell you that there are many tools that would be used in the case of a major emergency." Wrinn said Harvard students have access to emergency information through a 24-hour phone number, 617-496-NEWS. "You have reached four-nine-six news, Harvard's weather emergency and special conditions phone line," said the message left Thursday. "There are no special conditions to report today." Another tool used by Harvard to notify students of an emergency is blast e-mails and voicemails, sent to all student…
creator: Dawn Witlin / Cambridge Chronicle Staff
date: 2007-06-01
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5
language: eng

Students of Virginia Tech Prepared for the Memorials
description: On April 19, the Virginia Tech Association of Chinese Students and Scholars(VT-ACSS) organized a donation for the victims on the drillfield.
creator: Na Mi
date: 2007-07-31
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Students participate in VT Tech t-shirt fundraiser
description: By Kristi Oberholzer Copy Editor Thanks to a good idea from a caring Auburn student, Operation: Passion has started what hopes to be a successful fundraiser for victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. Jordan Towns, a junior majoring in animal sciences pre-veterinary studies, created Operation: Passion as a response to the events at Virginia Tech on April 16. Being the T-shirt chair for Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority, Towns immediately knew how to organize the fundraiser. "I got the idea that we need to do something to help those people, and this was the first thing that came to mind," Towns said. Operation: Passion aims to raise money for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, established to aid in costs for memorials and counseling, as well as communication and comfort expenses for the friends and family members of victims. Students and community members are encouraged to go to the Concourse and in front of Comer Hall, where they can order a maroon and orange shirt which commemorates the date of the incident. Each shirt costs $11. The shirts are shipped within a couple of days and are available for pick-up at the same locations. Master Graphics, located off of South Gay Street, printed the T-shirts for Operation: Passion. The corporation provided a discount rate to Towns to help with the donation. "I can't say enough about Master Graphics," Towns said. "They've been so wonderful." The developing organization has a few volunteers and recruits assisting in dispersing the orders. Through word of mouth, Towns hopes to gain more helpers. Prospective faculty advisers include Dr. Elizabeth Wagner, assistant professor of animal sciences and Dr. William Hardy, the assistant dean of the College of Agriculture and Virginia Tech alumni. Operation: Passion hopes to become a university organization in the fall semester. The group plans to aid other organizations like Impact and the World Food Programme. Hunter Stone, a senior majoring in agronomy and soils, heard abo…
creator: Kristi Oberholzer
publisher: Daily Nebraskan
date: 2007-09-03
contributor: Sara AA Hood
rights: David Ingram <ingradc@auburn.edu>
language: eng

Students rally against religious protestors at Tech funerals
description: Online groups decrying anti-gay protestors grow rapidly Max Hall, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor Students across the nation are taking to Facebook in response to planned anti-gay protests at the funerals of Virginia Tech shooting victims. Shirley Phelps-Roper, attorney for the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., confirmed that the organization is planning to protest at the funerals of Tech students killed in Monday's shootings. Virginia Tech junior Victor Kasoff expressed his anger at WBC leader Fred Phelps' decision to protest. Virginia Tech "should do anything in their power to stop this guy from coming," Kasoff said. At press time, one open Facebook group, "Stop Fred Phelps & WBC from protesting at fallen VT students funerals!!," created to stop the WBC funeral protests had 32,923 members and had at one point gained more than 1,000 new members in an hour. Phelps-Roper placed the blame for the Tech killings on tolerance for homosexuality, saying the attack was a result of "those young people sitting in their classrooms being taught rebellion against God [and] being taught that God is a liar ... He says 'Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind,' and you're teaching it. That's a lie: It's OK to be gay." Kasoff said he found these claims to be absurd and offensive. "The fact that [Phelps] thinks my friends, my Hokies, died because of America's decision to let people make their own decisions completely sickens me, and I hope they do everything in their power to stop him." J.T. Segal, University Queer Student Union President-elect, echoed a similar sentiment, saying no one was to blame for Monday's tragedy other than the gunman. Northwestern University senior Zak Kirchner, a member of the Facebook group, described the outpouring of support for Virginia Tech at Northwestern and his outrage toward Phelps and the WBC. "As a Christian, it infuriated me," Kirchner said. "He's an overzealous hate-mongerer. He gives all the Christians out there who are praying…
creator: Max Hall
publisher: The Cavalier Daily
date: 2007-07-31
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Meggie Bonner <meggiebonner@gmail.com>
language: eng

Students show support for Virginia Tech with photo
description: By: KAY OYEGUN Staff Writer Posted: 4/23/07 Colleges all across America have come together to show support to the Virginia Tech students after the shootings that occurred there on April 16. Pitt organized a student support group photo outside the Petersen Events Center on Friday April 20 at 4 p.m. "The university came behind SGB, traditions committee, greek life and Student Alumni Association and helped spread the word for this event," Nora Duncan of the Athletics Department said. An estimated 300 students dressed in Hokie orange and maroon and gathered in the Petersen lobby before getting the group photo taken. At exactly 4:02 p.m., the crowd of supporters, which included Petersen Events Center staff and members of the Athletics Department, collectively made their way outside to the panther statue by the event center. "I am here just to support the Hokies. The whole thing affected my life," junior John Hollenberger said. "We are college students and that could have happened anywhere. I think its good that everyone pulls together to support those schools states away." Although the reason for the gathering was a tragic one, there were smiles and playful chatter all across the crowd as they took their places for the photo. Students climbed up on the University panther, crouched together at its side and sat on the pavement in front while the rest stood close by. The cameraman gingerly climbed to the top of his ladder and coached the students on how to pose. More and more students in orange and maroon shirts flowed in to join the picture. "Are we supposed to smile?" a girl from the crowd called out. The crowd was then instructed to smile for the photo and say "Hokies" instead of the classic "cheese." The coordinator counted down from three, the crowd yelled "Hokies" in unison, and he took the photo. In fact, this process was repeated five or six times. Those who gathered for the group photo decided to come out and show support for various reasons. "I am used to this sor…
creator: KAY OYEGUN
date: 2007-08-19
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Annie Tubbs <annietubbs@gmail.com>
language: eng

Students to relay a message of hope
description: By Annie Augustine Friday, April 20, 2007 This weekend, 35 cancer survivors will join nearly 1,000 UCLA students and community members for a 24-hour relay to raise money for the disease. UCLA's Relay For Life is planned to take place in Drake Stadium from Saturday at 1 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Ninety-six teams have signed up, and participants will include UCLA students, students from L.A. high schools and Westwood community members. At UCLA's Relay For Life, the survivors who are attending will walk or run alongside participants. Brittany Maxwell, the mission delivery director for UCLA's Relay For Life, said the relay's opening ceremony will encourage and motivate participants. "A cancer survivor is planning to speak before the relay begins and survivors will walk the first lap around the stadium while all other participants stand inside the track to cheer them on," she said Eric Lam, a first-year mechanical engineering student who started Relay For Life at his high school and is the captain of two UCLA teams this year, said being involved in Relay For Life is a fun way to help a good cause. "At the ceremony you get to meet survivors and it is inspirational to watch them take the first lap," he said. Teams will spend the entire night in Drake Stadium with the goal of keeping one person from each team on the track at all times. The American Cancer Society's annual Relay For Life began because of the efforts of one man. According to the Relay For Life Web site, Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Wash., wanted to increase the income of his local American Cancer Society office. In May of 1985, Klatt spent 24 hours circling a track at the University of Puget Sound, covering more than 83 miles and raising nearly $27,000. The following year, 19 teams took part in the first Relay For Life event and raised nearly $33,000. Now more than 3.5 million people partake in 4,800 Relay For Life events nationwide each year, and in 2006, the UCLA Relay For Life raised over…
creator: Annie Augustine
publisher: The Daily Bruin
date: 2007-07-15
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Saba Riazati <editor@media.ucla.edu>
language: eng

Students view tragedy from afar
description: SEVILLE, Spain - The news of the 33 deaths in Blacksburg, Va., on Monday spread a sobering cloud over the UNC students studying in this traditional Spanish city. Here, where the streets still shut down for the sacred midday siesta, students have pulled themselves away from the news on their computers and have begun to speak with foreign friends and host families about the Virginia Tech shootings. In places around the world, UNC students are seeing the foreign reaction to the violence at home. Some of the 436 University students abroad have found that the attacks did not surprise their non-American acquaintances as much as they surprised themselves. "This has happened so many times in the U.S.," said Kristin Haug, a student from Oslo, Norway, in reference to the Columbine shooting. "It's just so weird that it's still so easy to get a weapon." Her friends, all Norwegians in Spain for the semester, nodded in agreement outside the school building they share with UNC students. International media have spotlighted the shootings. On Wednesday, two days after 23-year-old senior Cho Seung-Hui opened fire on Va. Tech's campus, the events were still on the front pages of newspapers in Paris, Dublin, London, Israel, Turkey, Dubai and Iran. But the impact has not resounded with most foreigners in the same way it's hit Americans abroad. Norwegian students here called the shootings, with no intentional callousness, "typically American." Michael Turner, a junior from Elizabeth City, first heard of the shootings when he turned on Al Jazeera in Jordan. He stated in an e-mail that local coverage depicted the violence as part of a trend. "I don't expect it comes off that way in American media, and it certainly doesn't in my mind," he stated. UNC sophomore Rosanne Niforos, a former advertising representative for The Daily Tar Heel, was in Puebla, Mexico, when she saw news about the shootings online. Lacking her cell phone, she waited for a friend at Va. Tech to change his Facebook.com s…
creator: Julie Turkewitz
publisher: Daily Tar Heel
date: 2007-07-27
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

Students wear support on their sleeves
description: By: Amanda Younger, Staff Writer Posted: 4/23/07 Ardent UNC men's basketball fans stood aghast at a January defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech, cringing at the sight of any reminder of their Virginian foes. But for one day, students traded their Tar Heel blue for Hokie maroon and orange. "Today we're all Hokies," senior Liz Oden said while donning Va. Tech colors Friday as part of National Orange and Maroon Effect Day. Organized by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the day was designed to honor the 32 victims of the April 16 campus shooting and to provide a sense of community for those attempting to return to normalcy after the tragedy. "It's one of the littlest things you can do," said Whitney Pilson, a sophomore communications major. "I was really proud of our community for binding together." Support will continue at noon today as students across the nation plan to commemorate the one-week anniversary of the tragedy with a moment of silence. Student Body President Eve Carson is encouraging UNC students to gather in the Pit for a moment of reflection. Chicago maroon and burnt orange - Va. Tech's school colors for more than a century - have become synonymous with the university. Orange and Maroon Effect Day began as a tradition to support the school's athletic teams, but Friday it became a way to unite alumni and students across the nation. "I have a lot of friends that go to Virginia Tech, and I felt that it was the least I could do," said Emily Bisker, a sophomore biology major. Carson said the tragedy has impacted the UNC community significantly on both a personal and institutional level. She said that the similarities between Va. Tech and UNC, including both schools' rabid sports fans and size, make the tragedy hit much closer to home. "The tragedy at Virginia Tech was so affecting for students across the nation because it could have happened anywhere," Carson said. Freshman George Drometer, whose friend was asleep in West Ambler Johnston Residence Hall wh…
creator: Amanda Younger
publisher: The Daily Tar Heel
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

SU community reacts to Virginia Tech massacre
description: By: Melissa Daniels Posted: 4/17/07 The doors to Hendricks Chapel remained open on Monday, with a candle lit at the end of an aisle. Chaplains were available throughout the day, willing to talk to anyone who wished to enter. The Virginia Tech shooting on Monday caused widespread raw emotion throughout the country, and Syracuse University was not exempt. "Everybody's hearts are going out to Virginia Tech today," said Dean of Hendricks Chapel Thomas Wolfe. "This is a monumental disaster, a tragedy that has befallen them." An unidentified gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm in the morning, beginning the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. By the end of the day, the death toll reached 33, including the death of the gunman himself. Sources had varying reports throughout the day about whether the gunman committed suicide or if he was killed by police. A two-hour gap between shootings raised the possibility of more than one shooter. Wolfe is also co-chair of the Critical Incident Management Team. The group touched base this morning after hearing about the shootings. The team, which focuses on human response in tragic events, encouraged contacting the counseling center and reflecting in Hendricks for students who may have been affected emotionally by the shooting. "When something like this happens," he said, "the whole university community feels it." Chancellor Nancy Cantor sent a letter to the president of Virginia Tech, extending Syracuse University's sympathies. Wolfe described the letter as "a very genuine gesture." "The higher education world is a very connected world," he said. Interim Chief of Public Safety Tony Callisto said SU is prepared for unexpected violent incidents like Monday's events at Virginia Tech as best as it can be. "Every incident results in learning for the next time," he said. Public Safety officers are trained in active shooting scenarios in case they would ever need to go after an armed suspect, Callisto said. They are also all tra…
creator: Melissa Daniels
publisher: The Daily Orange
date: 2007-08-23
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Peter Waack <pwaack@dailyorange.com>
language: eng

SU must bolster security efforts in light of shootings at Virginia Tech
description: By: Kris Miller Posted: 4/19/07 How do you think Syracuse University would respond to a shooting like the one at Virginia Tech? What could we do differently to make ourselves safer? These questions must be addressed immediately. The university is working diligently to strengthen campus security. Nevertheless, students must sustain pressure on Chancellor Nancy Cantor until emergency response systems are more robust and better integrated. To that end, technology is critical, especially when fewer than 20 public safety officers are on patrol at any time. These officers are responsible for the safety of more than 19,000 students. The chancellor wants SU's endowment to reach $2 billion. Awesome. But I say a significant portion of SU's budget should fund technologies including closed circuit cameras (CCTV) and mass-alert communications systems. As a law student senator, I was concerned when I learned last fall that CCTV systems were not prevalent on campus. Public Safety was also concerned, and to its credit, a vigorous effort is under way to overhaul security technologies on campus. Tony Callisto, the Interim Director of Public Safety, informed me that SU recently hired Mike Kearns to be Manager of Technology and Security Services, which is a new position. Mr. Kearns is a 12-year veteran of the Oswego police force and holds a masters degree in information technology. The chancellor also formed a CCTV committee, which recently examined IT security practices at similarly situated universities. The committee identified 14 priorities for upgrading security technology on campus, but details have not been released yet. SU's challenge is to fully integrate existing CCTV systems. Concurrently, SU is working to expand its network and ensure that all systems are managed from its central monitoring station. The ultimate goal is to share this data with other emergency services like the Syracuse Police Department. This raises another key issue: interoperability. Anyone who has partic…
creator: Kris Miller
publisher: The Daily Orange
date: 2007-08-23
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Peter Waack <pwaack@dailyorange.com>
language: eng

Such a shame.
description: Its seems very unfair to be caught in something as sad as what happened April 16th. Its a sad world though it seems and most people are to caught up in their own lives to take notice. Think of all the accomplishments that will not be made to society because of these people being struck down in the prime of their lives. All the lost times and stories about these people as to who they were and who and what they may have become are lost now, but they would have filled millions of books and all that is gone, never to be told.
creator: Michael Thomas
date: 2007-05-02
contributor: Michael Thomas
language: eng

Summit reviews campus safety
description: By: Benjamin Lammers Posted: 8/7/07 More than 350 representatives from Ohio's universities met at Ohio State's Fawcett Center last week to discuss school safety and the state of security and disaster response. Following the shootings at Virginia Tech last spring, Gov. Ted Strickland created a task force to look at the disaster preparedness of Ohio's universities. The task force, composed of representatives from Ohio's schools, has been meeting regularly to review campus safety and advise the governor on campus security. The Ohio College Campus Safety and Security Summit was a result of the task force's recommendations. Security experts from a number of schools spoke at the summit, including Col. Steven Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police. Strickland said in a press release campus security in Ohio is the primary responsibility of the state's schools. He asked how the state of Ohio can assist college campuses to improve security and safety in both public and private universities. Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut said universal participation, including professors and students, is needed to maintain public safety. "We have learned that there is no simple cookie-cutter solution that fits all, and that we shouldn't expect that there are any simple, one-size-fits-all, quick fixes when it comes to this issue," he said in a press release. Ohio's colleges and universities were directed to complete the "Ohio Campus Security Checklist" for the Board of Regents by Aug. 24, which will outline actions each university needs to take during the long haul to improve security. Questions in the checklist include coordination, communication, support mobilization to disasters and protocols for identifying and addressing dangerous behavior by students, faculty and staff. Todd Stewart, director of the OSU Program for International and Homeland Security, said the purpose of the summit was not to focus only on shooting scenarios and acts of violence, but to in…
creator: Benjamin Lammers
publisher: The Lantern
date: 2007-08-14
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: GERRICK LEWIS <lewis.1030@osu.edu>
language: eng

Support beyond words
description: UNC community feels connected to Va. Tech Hokie maroon and orange dotted the solemn crowd Tuesday night as hundreds from the Carolina community turned out in support of their peers at Virginia Tech. At a candlelight vigil organized by three UNC students from Northern Virginia, students, faculty and residents gathered in the Pit, on its steps and stood 10 deep in places outside it, many sporting ribbons with Va. Tech colors. Speakers and audience members expressed the need for community, both within UNC and also with all college students nationwide. "This is the time when, for all our words, we are speechless, when our fears trump our hopes," said Jan Rivero, campus minister of the Wesley Campus Ministry. "It is times like this when we need each other the most." Counselors from Counseling and Wellness were circulating the crowd in case of a need. Students were invited to write messages on posters that will be sent to Va. Tech. The posters will be in the Pit until the end of this week. Messages ranged from expressions of love for specific individuals to solidarity with the "Hokie nation" to "It could have been us" - an idea that seemed to be on the minds of many. "Virginia Tech is a lot like Carolina," said Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs, citing traits ranging from campus geography to each school's rabid sports fans. These similarities caused many students to wonder if a situation similar to the tragic shooting by a Va. Tech senior characterized as a loner that left 33 dead - including the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui - could happen here. "No campus is immune from what happened yesterday at Virginia Tech," Chancellor James Moeser said in a Tuesday press release addressed to the Carolina community. "Just as we always do in the wake of a security issue on this campus, we also will learn from the Va. Tech tragedy." Stephanie Berman, Skylar Gudas and Alison Linas, the Northern Virginia natives who organized the event, led the gathering in lighting candl…
creator: Allison Nichols
publisher: Daily Tar Heel
date: 2007-07-27
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng