Virginia Tech | SU counseling center resources
By: Melanie Hicken Posted: 4/26/07 As more information rapidly becomes available through media reports, it has become quite clear Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho was deeply troubled. He had few friends. He had harassed several female students. A counselor had recommended involuntary commitment. A judge had ordered a mental evaluation. A doctor had declared him mentally ill. But he was not committed, and rather was to have outpatient mental health treatment, according to an article in The New York Times. It is unknown whether he ever attended. Though no one can know if treating Cho could have prevented the tragedy, Syracuse University officials say they urge anyone who feels they or a friend needs counseling of any kind to contact the Syracuse University Counseling Center at any time. The center offers a full range of mental health services, including regular counseling, a 24-hour crisis line and training to the campus community, said Rebecca Dayton, director of the counseling center. The center also offers consultations, in which anyone with concerns about an individual can be given advice on how to help them. "Dealing with someone who is emotionally distressed is often very difficult," said Dayton, who co-chairs the Critical Incident Management Team. "People often don't know what to do." Dayton said in the end, she believes counseling centers do the best they can. "We do out best," she said. "I think we do a really good job of listening to and attending to and giving people appropriate resources and intervening at the appropriate time." But even then, it may not always be enough, she said. "Nobody can predict human behavior," she said. "It's complex. Human behavior and human emotions are incredibly gray." -- Original Source:The Daily Orange - April 26, 2007
UC Davis responds to Virginia Tech shootings
Officials discuss emergency notification systems By: Talia Kennedy Posted: 4/17/07 Editor's note: Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech marked the deadliest act of violence on a college campus in American history. Here, The California Aggie provides information on the shootings and responses from the UC Davis campus community. When an unidentified gunman entered the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on Monday morning and opened gunfire, killing two students in a residence hall, the news instantly made national headlines - but the 25,000 students enrolled at the Blacksburg, Va. college were not notified of the incident until hours later, when dozens more had been injured or killed, reports said. At about 7:15 a.m. in Virginia, the gunman entered a residence hall on campus, fatally wounding two students. According to reports, the campus community was not notified of the incident because university officials believed it to be an isolated event. "We knew we had two people shot," said Wendell Flinchum, a Virigina Tech police officer, at a press conference Monday afternoon. "We secured the building. We secured the crime scene. We acted on the best information we had at the time." About two hours later, the gunman returned, this time to Norris Hall, an academic building on the opposite side of the campus. It was here where the gunman reportedly lined students up against a wall, shooting them all. By noon California time, 33 were confirmed dead and at least 22 were reported injured. The shooter, whose identity had not been determined by press time, was found dead among his victims, apparently due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to reports. In the hours after the shootings, universities across the country began showing their support for the Virginia Tech victims, including the University of California. In a statement released Monday, UC President Robert Dynes said, "Shock and horror only begin to describe our reactions at the University of California to the terrible events that have unfolded today at Virginia Tech. Our hearts go out to the families of those whose lives have been lost, and our prayers are with those who have been wounded physically and emotionally by today's campus shootings. "All of our campuses will be reviewing again their safety programs and procedures in light of today's events, and as we learn more about the specific circumstances of the Virginia Tech shootings, we will apply those lessons as well," he said. "We take these issues extremely seriously and will continue working to provide the safest possible environment for our students, faculty and staff." The Virginia Tech killings marked the deadliest act of violence on a college campus in U.S. history. In 1966, Charles Whitman shot 16 people from the 28th floor of a clock tower at the University of Texas before he was shot and killed by campus police. Eight years ago this Friday, two students shot 12 of their peers and one teacher before turning their guns on themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. "Clearly, university campuses are not immune from the threats of violence that exist in our broader society," Dynes wrote in his statement, and that includes UC Davis. On Dec. 14, 2004, Martin Louie Castro Soriano, 26, who was seen loitering near the Regan Hall residence halls in Segundo, was reported as a suspicious person to the UC Davis Police Department. When three officers responded and attempted to calm Soriano with three Taser shots, he opened fire. The officers returned fire, shooting and killing Soriano, who died at the scene. It was later determined that the man had been under the influence of methamphetamine and marijuana at the time of the shooting, but his death was the first officer-involved shooting on the UC Davis campus. On Jan. 18, senior mathematics student Glenn Kirkpatrick was arrested by campus police after 9-1-1 callers reported seeing a man with a rifle in the Mathematical Sciences Building. Though Kirkpatrick's rifle was a rubber replica he used as a Reserve Officers' Training Corps student, the report prompted the lockdown of two campus buildings. Lisa Lapin, UC Davis' assistant vice chancellor for university communications, said UC Davis has a police force well-trained to respond to emergencies of any kind. "Our police are trained in rapid-response to exactly this kind of thing," she said. "Our police department is like any that would serve a city. That helps us respond to any kind of crisis. "However, we are pretty much an open, public campus," she said. Lapin said emergency plans are in place for UC Davis, but the campus' emergency notification systems are not yet efficient. Students at Virginia Tech were not notified by e-mail of the initial shootings on campus until hours after they took place. "We have a system that can dial all campus phone numbers, but it takes three hours," she said. "We can also send e-mails to everyone, but it also takes three hours." Lapin said UC Davis police officers would immediately evacuate students and other campus community members susceptible to a threat. She also said the university is in the process of obtaining a new emergency notification system that would be able to instantly send messages to cell phones, landline phones, Blackberrys and pagers. Lapin also said several UC Davis faculty members are connected to Virginia Tech. Mark McNamee, a former dean of what used to be the Division of Biological Sciences at UC Davis, left the university after 26 years of service to take a position as provost of Virginia Tech in 2001, she said. Michael Parella, an assistant dean in UC Davis' College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is an alumnus of Virginia Tech. He was scheduled to accept an alumni award at the school this Friday, Lapin said, and Brad Fenwick, a former American Council on Education fellow at UC Davis, is currently the vice president for research at Virginia Tech. "Our hearts go out to [them]," she said. In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, some UC Davis students expressed varying reactions. "It doesn't really affect how I feel here," said sophomore managerial economics major McKenzie Bryan. "[It's] tragic, [but] it's very uncommon. I'm much more likely to die from a shark attack or lightning. "I really believe that if we did not have 'gun-free zones' or really strict gun control, there could have been people on that campus that could have stopped the shooter right after he got started, way before the SWAT teams got there," he said. "[But] no, I don't feel any more unsafe. Nothing's really changed." In a statement released to the entire UC Davis campus community, Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef reminded students to be aware of their environment. "Be sensitive to your surroundings and report any suspicions to the campus police department," he wrote. "Be familiar with campus policies related to emergency response. Bookmark the campus's homepage (ucdavis.edu), and emergency services webpage (ucdavis.edu/help/emergency_services.html), where breaking news related to emergencies on campus will be posted. With your help, we can best ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of all members of our campus community." Students who would like to discuss their reactions to the Virginia Tech shootings should contact UC Davis' Counseling and Psychological Services at 752-0871 or visit its office in 219 North Hall. Any suspicious activity on campus should be reported to the UC Davis Police Department by calling 9-1-1 from campus phones or 752-1230 from any phone. -- Original Source:The California Aggie - April 17, 2007
Senate acknowledges Virginia Tech shooting
By: Carey Elizabeth White, Contributing Writer, cwhite@smu.edu Posted: 4/18/07 Student Senate held a moment of silence for the victims and families of the Virginia Tech shooting and discussed campus safety yesterday in the second to last meeting of the semester. Senators discussed the need to increase awareness of safety procedures in addition to voicing their support of those affected by the Virginia Tech tragedy. One senator was concerned that no one knew the correct procedures for when the tornado sirens sounded last week. Senate agreed that more concrete legislation needs to be enacted to assure the safety of the students and our campus. Student Body President Taylor Russ said, "The first thing in our minds is survival," adding that, "We really do need an effective crisis management policy, because nothing in my mind outweighs the loss of a life." The current emergency preparedness plan can be found at smu.edu/newsinfo. The Senate hopes to help create a more effective policy for fall 2007. Later in the meeting, the League of United Latin American Citizens, otherwise known as LULAC, presented its case to be chartered as an organization on the SMU campus. The league advocates civil rights, supports leadership skills and provides scholarship funds to Hispanic educational communities. Several universities around the area charter this national organization. Universities like TCU, UT, UNT and TWU each have LULAC as a campus organization. Additionally, the executive committee ruled on the David Mingus Open Meetings Act. The act will create more transparency within Student Senate, making standing committees open at all times to all Senators and officers of the Student Senate, space permitting. The act was passed. The last Student Senate meeting of the year will be held next week on April 24. -- Original Source:SMU Daily Campus - April 18, 2007
"Norris, Mark William" <mnorris@mail.smu.edu>
MEADOR: Virginia Tech shootings show need for humanity
By: Jake Meador / Freshman English major Posted: 4/30/07 When I first sat down to write my column after the massacre at Virginia Tech on April 16, my thoughts were two-fold: First, to write a column advocating stricter gun control. Second, to write a column praising the selfless heroism of Leviu Lebrescu and Waleed Muhammad Shaalan. I did the latter, but I've since decided not to do the former. Gun control is such a divisive issue; the last thing we need right now is further division between people. Today is a day for reconciliation, not debate. Besides, if 33 dead bodies, including the gunman's, won't change your mind (one way or the other), then 850 words probably won't either. But as I browsed the Internet reading stories of the awful event, sometimes wondering what sick curiosity drives us to such exploration, I stumbled across a link with pictures and a brief bio for each victim. Many of the pictures were highly pixilated - a sad reminder that they were never intended for such use. And at that moment I realized I, and many others, have forgotten to talk about the most important lesson to come from Virginia Tech. And it has nothing to do with gun control or stricter campus security policies. Among those killed were husbands and fiancés, wives and mothers, fathers and sons, daughters and sisters, Muslims, Jews, Christians and Hindus. One was a resident assistant who was in the marching band. Another was trying to find a cure for cerebral palsy. Still another had started a sorority for female engineering students. Another was in the dance ensemble. I'm listing all these things for two reasons. Each individual was unique and had diverse interests and a never-before-seen personality. And when these individuals died, it wasn't just another tally on Cho Seung-Hui's killing spree; it wasn't a nameless number. It was the loss of a unique human being that God created and knew intimately. We've heard the number over and over, "32 dead," but we haven't heard about them as individuals, and if we keep repeating the number, it's easy for us to forget that there are 32 families in mourning, as well as countless friends and others who were touched by these individuals. There is another reason I listed all those individual traits. Despite their differences in interests, age, ethnicity, political beliefs, gender and religion, they shared a common humanity (something also shared between the victims and Seung-Hui, incidentally.). Sadly, in the wake of this tragedy, many of us have spent more time discussing those differences than the commonality. We've spent lots of time debating gun control, religion, university security policies, etc. And, of course, we need to talk about all of those issues. You might be like me and think stricter gun control is needed; you might be like many of my friends and think this event is the greatest argument possible for carrying concealed weapons. You might be like me and think the only final solution to this event is through some sort of metaphysical belief that transcends debate about public policy. I spoke with a Buddhist monk on the day of the shooting, and he was convinced the problem is one of ignorance. I'm convinced it's the problem of a sinful human heart, and all the knowledge in the world can't change that - only Jesus can. You might be like me and think tighter security measures might be a good idea, but you have no idea how they'd be implemented. Or perhaps you think they're important enough that significant sacrifices in student freedoms are necessary to ensure our safety. I say all of that because these conversations are important. Having strong opinions is not a bad thing, but you have to know how to express them. So often as we have these conversations we lose sight of the fact that, ultimately, we're all human, and even if someone disagrees with you, he or she is not your enemy. If you're a Democrat, Republicans are not the enemy; if you're Christian, atheists are not the enemy. Because of the intensity of the events at Virginia Tech and the topics being discussed, it's easy to develop the idea that people with differing ideas are hindrances to progress - if they'd just believe like me, maybe we'd get somewhere. But it's never that simple, and even if it were, arrogance gets us nowhere. So listen, learn, respect - and love every moment of it. To quote the late Kurt Vonnegut, "Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies - God damn it, you've got to be kind." I've got about 100 words left this year, but rather than waste them on further elaboration, I thought it'd be appropriate to print the names of the 32 victims. As you read, remember each of these people had friends, family, hopes and dreams, just like you. And right now those dreams have gone to the grave with them, and their friends and families are still mourning two weeks later. Even if some of us have already forgotten: Ryan Clark, 22. Emily Jane Hilscher, 19. Christopher James Bishop, 35. Daniel Perez Cueva, 21. G.V. Loganathan, 51. Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20. Mary Karen Read, 19. Caitlin Hammaren, 19. Kevin Granata, 46. Liviu Librescu, 76. Brian Bluhm, 25. Austin Cloyd, 18. Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, 49. Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, 24. Jeremy Herbstritt, 27. Rachel Elizabeth Hill, 18. Jarrett Lane, 22. Matt La Porte, 20. Henry Lee (Henh Ly), 20. Partahi Lumbantoruan, 34. Lauren McCain, 20. Daniel O'Neil, 22. Juan Ortiz, 26. Minal Panchal, 26. Erin Peterson, 18. Michael Pohle, 23. Julia Pryde, 23. Reema Samaha, 18. Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, 32. Leslie Sherman, 20. Maxine Turner, 22. Nicole White, 20. -- Original Source:Daily Nebraskan - April 30, 2007
Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>
By: Sara Dover Posted: 4/17/07 NYU officials heightened security on campus in wake of yesterday's mass shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute that left 33 people dead. The lone gunman also wounded 29 others before shooting and killing himself at the school in Blacksburg, Va., making it the deadliest mass shooting in American history, CNN reported. The shooting began when two people were killed at a dormitory around 7:15 a.m. yesterday, and 30 more were killed about two hours later at Norris Hall, the university's engineering science and mechanics building. University spokesman John Beckman said that the shooting is a horrible tragedy for the nation as well as higher education. "I think that everyone on this campus is grief stricken over what happened at Virginia Tech," Beckman said. "It is a tragic and sorrowful day for higher education to think of so many lives lost in what appears to be an appalling and utterly senseless act." Beckman said that, though it is difficult to draw lessons from the tragedy because so much is still unknown, Public Safety is heightening security on campus "over the next day or so to provide a sense of reassurance for the community and to let them know that we have their safety on the forefront of our minds." In addition to being on high alert, patrol officers will double and triple up while on duty for the next day or so, Public Safety officials said. Beckman also urged students to remember the availability of the Wellness Exchange for those who are affected by the tragedy and need someone to talk to. Many NYU students said they knew others at Virginia Tech who they were concerned about. "I'm really worried about a lot of people I know [that] go there," said GSP freshman Kathy Chau. "It's surprising, Blacksburg is in the middle of nowhere. Everyone was scared about coming to New York City and this is the middle of nowhere." GSP freshman Anthony Cox, who is originally from Galax, Va., two hours away from Blacksburg, said he was relieved to find out that his friends at Virginia Tech were unharmed. "As far as I know, I haven't known anyone that's been injured," he said. "When I talked to them [my friends] earlier, we were worried because two of the girls I graduated with, they live in the dorm next to where it started. I know that their parents went and got them." Although Virginia Tech plans to resume classes this Wednesday, students from the area are still recuperating. Ben Zachary, a sophomore who attends Radford University and lives in Blacksburg with two roommates from Virginia Tech, said that when he found out about the shooting, he immediately went home, locked the doors and called his roommates. "I was worried about one of them because they had an earlier class," he said. One of the most difficult parts for Zachary was not knowing exactly what was happening. "What's really hard for us right now is that they're not releasing names of who was affected," he said. "All our direct friends are OK, but we don't know about friends of friends." Yesterday's shooting was the second to take place at Virginia Tech this school year. On the opening day of classes last August, an escaped jail inmate killed a sheriff deputy just off campus after he had allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus, the New York Daily News reported. In addition to heightened security, Public Safety will also be putting out a community alert tomorrow about a Columbia student who was raped and tortured in her Hamilton Heights apartment, said crime prevention manager Jay Zwicker. The individual is said to still be at large. -- Original Source: Washington Square News - April 17, 2007
The focus of a discussion between public safety officials on area crime issues quickly turned to Virginia Tech at the 2007 Chapel Hill-Carrboro-Orange County Forum sponsored by WCHL. The forum was intended as an opportunity to discuss local issues, but the Monday shootings left leaders reflective. Chapel Hill has experienced similar incidents on a smaller scale, such as when alumnus Mohammad Taheri-Azar drove through the Pit in March 2006, injuring nine students, and the 1995 Wendell Williamson shooting, in which a law student opened fire on Franklin Street, killing two and injuring two others, including a Chapel Hill police officer. "This community can associate somewhat with the community of Blacksburg because we've come so close ourselves," said Dan Jones, Chapel Hill fire chief. Interim Chapel Hill police Chief Maj. Brian Curran said he also noted the similarities between the two campuses. "It's something that we're afraid could have happened here." Panelists discussed the town's preparedness to handle such an event if something similar was to happen at UNC. Jones noted how difficult it would be to secure the campus. He said every exit door to every building would need to be guarded, in addition to every intersection, sidewalk and open area. "It's easy to see that in a matter of minutes you'd need over 1,000 officers to close off the campus," Jones said. "That'd be just about every officer in Orange, Chatham, Durham and Wake counties on any given day." Capt. Charles Blackwood, of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, said he felt the Va. Tech emergency response was the best it could have been given the magnitude of the tragedy. "I think they did as good a job as they can, and I think we would do the same," Blackwood said. "You try to have a good plan in place, and you hope you can respond in such a situation." Many of the participants noted how failures in addressing mental health issues lead to safety issues, both for the individual and for the town residents. Joyce Kuhn, executive director of Orange Chatham Alternative Sentencing Inc., said it is important to provide services for those in need, something panelists agreed has become more difficult to do as more of the burden is shifted to local municipalities. "There has to be more of these things so people have the care they need," she said. District Court Judge Joe Buckner said that only an estimated 1 percent of those held at Orange County Jail for misdemeanors are repeat offenders, with 10 or more charges, but that they create problems for the entire criminal system with their recurring offenses. Curran reiterated that point, and said what frustrates police is their relative inability to intervene in situations where an individual has not committed a crime and is unwilling to seek mental help. "We're dealing with a relatively small population, but we're dealing with them over and over again," Curran said. "We just kind of stand by and watch these folks spiral out of control - there's really very little we can do." And arresting individuals with mental health issues on minor offenses creates overcrowding in the jails and forces the county to assume costs of treating and housing the individuals. "You can't really arrest yourselves out of a problem," Curran said. Public safety incidents have risen in all areas of the county, and many attribute the increases to the influx of residents into the region. "Growth is all across the public service spectrum," Jones said. "We're seeing a more transient population that makes all of these issues ... more difficult." Part of approaching those difficulties more successfully includes adjusting to the fact that Chapel Hill is growing. "People still think they're living in a small town," said Donna Kay Smith, executive director of the Family Violence Prevention Center. "People are having to make that transition of recognizing that this is not a small town area anymore." -- Original Source:Daily Tar Heel - April 19, 2007
By:Sarah A. Newlin Posted: 4/27/07 I am writing in response to Richard Poskozim's opinion piece in the 4/25 issue of The Lantern. In the article, the author seems to imply that Cho's motivation to kill somehow originated from his alleged mental illness: "After everything that's come out about him, I think it's pretty safe to say his motivation was that he was crazy." While it is clear that something had deeply distressed Mr. Cho, one should be careful about jumping to conclusions about how mental illness played a role in this tragic event. Numerous studies have shown that it is incredibly rare for someone with a mental illness to commit gross acts of violence, especially on the scale of the Virginia Tech shootings. Violence is no more prevalent among individuals with mental illnesses than among the general public. In actuality, those suffering from a mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators. Furthermore, I am concerned that the focus on the shooter's possible mental illness will cause many students on college campuses who suffer from mental illnesses to not seek mental health services or to be feared and shunned by their peers, leading to their further isolation and discrimination. If any positives can come out of this horrible event, I hope that one will be a larger discussion about the need for increased recognition of mental health issues among college students and the need for adequate treatment, support and recovery resources on college campuses. I ask that The Lantern staff take this into consideration as they continue to cover the tragic circumstances surrounding the Virginia Tech shootings. Sarah A. Newlin Program Manager Campus Suicide Prevention Program -- Original Source:The Lantern - April 27, 2007
By: Sarah Ball By now, there isn't a soul in the United States who hasn't seen the greasy, glinting forehead of Cho Seung-Hui, the gunman responsible for what broadcast news and the blogosphere are terming "the Virginia Tech Massacre." His grease and his glint are everywhere, above every fold, at the top of every segment of every news program on every channel. Every anchor and every rural Virginia stringer for every paper have started every story this week with that grease, and that man. Then, invariably, they turn it over to us-to the cell phone cameramen, the bloggers, the Facebook status changers. The era of the citizen journalist, age 19, has arrived. This week, in this new era, I watched major news programs become veritable footage Crazy Quilts, with those same borrowed phone shots and MySpace stills casually inter-cut with traditional anchor shots. In establishing a timeline on that fateful Monday, journalists did not simply seek help from the intrepid reporters at Tech's paper, The Collegiate Times. They posted interview requests to message boards, requested footage to be e-mailed or uploaded to websites, scoured community sites like Facebook and MySpace for leads. Fox News, which has outdone itself with glossy infotainment segments and dirge-like piano soundtracks, ran an entirely viewer-constructed package called "You Report" on the day of the shooting. You Report was comprised of cell videos of police cars and evacuating students, as well as transcribed posts from sites like Fark.com and MySpace. When not plumbing the citizen journalist pool for pre-made reporting, Fox itself reported on other ways students were using Internet tech-kids notifying their families of their safety via Facebook, for example, when cell phone lines were clogged. In the absence of order, the cyber chaos both reported the news and was the news. All this is perhaps unremarkable, given the prevalence of digital communication in collegiate life, and the ways in which crisis tends to unify a body of people in whatever community, digital or physical, they may lie. Yet the transition from man-on-the-street interviewing and reporting in times of crisis to this mish-mashing of homemade footage nuggets can't pass without examination. It's not only a pretty new phenomenon for major network news stations to capitalize on these particular grassroots sources (Facebook? Really?), but it also actually alters the genre of what we're seeing. Ostensibly, we're watching news. But since when did news have weepy soundtracks, or gunman-style storyboard art, or dozens of non-journalist reporters? Is not a Fark post or personal blog entry the kissing cousin of a televised diary-room confession, that familiar feature of reality television that red flags what we're watching as staged and fictional? Even secondary or tertiary differences, like the nauseating bobbing of handheld-cell phone footage, shows viewers a pure and unfiltered strain of raw emotion-a guttural-ness that we perhaps more closely associated with documentary film than with the six o'clock news. Hearing the personal thoughts of students is tremendously moving to me, and has no doubt left my fellow denizens of the beautiful Old Dominion close to breakdown as we wait to hear about friends and family. Yet each time I hear or read those unadulterated thoughts, or see that dizzying cell shot, I am not left with the impression that what I am consuming is news. I am still not sure what I can safely believe. Documentarian takes on soft news, in both conception and delivery phases, may peter out as a trend. We may lose our taste for the sensationalized, the citizen journalist and the unapologetic commodification of fact. At the bottom of a pack of Sour Patch Kids, your tongue eventually goes numb. But we could also adapt. We could learn to better process what hard news means for average citizens, as we see more confessionals, read more superlative language, hear more weepy piano. Emotive, homemade news could be the final frontier in mobilizing apathetic Americans. Or. Jack Shafer, editor-at-large of Slate.com, wrote Tuesday in defense of journalists that there is "no tougher assignment in journalism than knocking on the door of a mother who has lost her young daughter to a killer and asking, 'How do you feel?'" Earnestness and an unshakeable "self-disgust" help reporters to cope and to get the mother on the record in these situations, he continues. Besides, if networks hadn't gone to the wall on this one, chasing Facebook for sob stories, viewers would have been outraged. I'm not sure that I agree. Shafer says we're narrowly avoiding outrageous sensationalism overall, but I'm not sure that it wouldn't take much more than a boost in market competition among media outlets to finally reduce feature journalism to pulp. And if that happens-if rules bend to accommodate the effectively affecting, and if the untrained citizen reporter takes over-what mourning family would dignify that imposing knock with an open door and a somber quote? I know that I would not. Sarah Ball is a Trinity junior and former editorial page editor of The Chronicle. She is a native of Virginia. Her column runs every Thursday. -- Original Source: Duke Chronicle - April 19, 2007
By Sarah Brock Senior Reporter Less than 24 hours after Auburn students created a sign to show support for the Virginia Tech community, the sign was resting on the Drillfield at Virginia Tech's campus thanks to a late-night drive by two Auburn seniors. Around midnight on Tuesday, Cary Farrington and Ryan Hill began to drive to VT to deliver a 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of plywood signed by many Auburn students and faculty. When Farrington and Hill arrived in Blacksburg, Va. around 8:30 a.m., they were received by members of Virginia Tech's SGA, who helped them erect the signed memorial, which reads "We stand with you in Prayer." Farrington described the campus as real silent, partly because many students had left. The students the pair did encounter were still shocked. "It still had not registered with them," Farrington said. "They still had not processed everything. It was really a shock for them." Farrington and Hill had the chance to see the campus, including the buildings where the shootings occurred. Despite the quiet atmosphere, Farrington said police were all over campus. "The Virginia State Police were patrolling everywhere," Farrington said. "I've never seen so many police. On gameday here we see a lot of Alabama State Troopers. This just blows that out of the water." The sign was created by members of Auburn's Wesley Foundation, which held a prayer vigil Monday night. Julie Robertson, associate director of Wesley Foundation, said about 45 people attended the vigil where Farrington and Hill brought up the idea of a sign. "The beautiful thing about the response was the idea of 'what can we do to tangibly show we love them from a distance,'" Robertson said. Farrington, who is president of the Wesley Foundation, isn't sure how many names are on the sign, but he said after the first two hours on the Concourse, he counted 500 names on the front alone. He estimated another 300 on the back. He said the highest guess anyone has made is approximately 2,500 signatures total. "There's literally not any room to put another signature on there," Farrington said. Farrington said the Virginia Tech students received the sign well. "Everybody up there was really appreciative and excited," Farrington said. "It was amazing to see how well they received us." Pictures of the sign on Virginia Tech's campus have been posted on cnn.com and in the photo gallery on usatoday.com. Farrington said he and Hill had to drink a lot of Red Bull and double-shot espressos to make the trip possible. Robertson said an anonymous donor also ensured the sign made it to Virginia Tech by providing the money to make the trip happen. Robertson described the journey as a "labor of love," and one the pair didn't hesitate to take. "The boy has a very busy week," Robertson said. "He did not have time to drive up to Virginia, but it was never a second thought. He never second-guessed it all." But Farrington is reluctant to receive any sort of recognition. "We were real adamant that we wanted to make sure it wasn't about us or us bringing it up," Farrington said. "It was from the Auburn family and that's how we want it to be perceived." -- Original Source:Aubrun Plainsman - April 19, 2007
By Sarah Singer Sun City Editor Apr 18 2007 Cornell responds to recent tragedy at Virginia Tech Yesterday, several university officials hosted a media call-in where they discussed safety and security on the Cornell campus in the aftermath of Monday's shooting at Virginia Polytechnical Institute. The participants were Curt Ostrander, chief of Cornell University Police, Greg Eells, director of counseling and psychological services for Gannett, Tim Marchall, director of mental health initiatives for Gannett and Tommy Bruce, vice president of University communications. Although the tragedy in Virginia did not pose an immediate threat to Cornell's safety, Eells said he had "some concerns" about the safety of all college campuses during this frightening time. "Traumas like this can make students' own problems more clear to them," he said. "We have heightened the police presence around residential areas," said Ostrander, "and we are being especially attentive to all of campus as well." Although the University is in a heightened state of security, according to Ostrander, anticipating the exact measures it would take if faced with a crisis situation similar to Virginia Tech's is difficult, but confidently stated, "we have the plans and procedures in place to deal with situations like this," he said. "We would dispatch a multiple officer response," he continued. Ostrander said that the CUPD "assesses the campus every six months" to ensure its high level of safety for students. He also said that there are "training programs in place for resident hall directors on what to do in dangerous situations. We can track who enters and leaves the dorms, and can implement a lockdown if necessary," he said. This effort to maintain a high level of security on campus extends beyond police efforts. Eells emphasized a number of educational initiatives that involve "working with residence halls directors to identify students and reach out to students if they are struggling," he said. He could not outline the specific steps that a counselor would undertake when helping a student as he said such would have to be determined "on a case-by-case basis." However, Ostrander emphasized that if students encounter a physical threat at any time, "they can receive information from the dispatch at any time." Bruce stressed, "student to student programs are extremely important on campus at times like this." Although he is confident in the University's ability to handle emergency situations, Ostrander said that Cornell's large size does pose complications when faced with a situation that warrants a school-wide lockdown that would affect 250 major buildings and approximately 30,000 residents. The last shooting that occurred at Cornell was on Sunday, Dec. 17, 1983 when 26-year-old Su Yong Kim of Queens, New York shot and killed two freshmen girls, Young H. Suh '87 and Erin C. Nieswand '87, roommates living in Low Rise 7. Kim was Suh's ex-boyfriend. He arrived at Suh's dorm at 11:30 on Saturday night, and Kim unwillingly agreed to see him. After threatening Suh and other dorm residents in her room, Kim agreed to let everyone besides Suh and Nieswan leave the room. The residents immediately called the police, who said the shots were fired at about 11:50 p.m. He used a rifle with a silencer attached. After murdering both women, Kim killed himself, according to an article in The Sun. -- Original Source: Cornell Daily Sun - April 18, 2007
Jonny Lieberman <jdl46@cornell.edu>, <lieberman.jonny@gmail.com>
By:Paul Morrow Posted: 4/20/07 As details regarding Monday's tragic shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute continue to emerge, and in particular, information concerning the of the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, I want to urge all Miami students to show solidarity for Miami's small, but burgeoning, community of international students. Since September 11, student visas for study at U.S. universities have become much more difficult to acquire. The worst possible policy outcome of Monday's tragedy would be to increase to these restrictions. Foreign students enrich the academic and social climates of American universities, especially universities like Miami, where they help diversify our largely homogenous student body. Miami administrators are currently working to increase Miami's population of international students; this is an important process, and should not be halted or impeded because of the actions of a single individual who, it appears, committed his crime out of motives of romantic jealousy that, though disturbing, are all too universal, and hardly restricted to "foreigners" or "resident aliens" (terms incorporated much too glibly into the media's coverage of the massacre). As a resident of Wells Hall, I am privileged to be acquainted with a number of Miami's international students and I want them to know that the university community will continue to support and appreciate their presence even as we grieve over Virginia Tech's losses. Paul morrow morrowpc@muohio.edu -- Hatred toward shooter serves little purpose As the tragedy that occurred Monday at Virginia Polytechnic Institute weighs on our minds, I have been bothered by a widespread sentiment permeating the public mind-set. In the wake of this horrific shooting, there seems to be quite a bit of hatred generated toward the shooter. Having experienced the untimely deaths of two friends my own age over the past few years myself, I understand and can directly relate to the emotional roller coaster that comes with the loss of a close loved one in such a brutal way. In spite of that, I don't think it's necessary or useful to extend loathing or other ill will toward the deceased gunman. No amount of contempt will bring the victims back to life, nor will it bring peace to their families. The disdain I have seen over the last few days mirrors the same sort of malice that led to this tragedy and others like it. As vicious as the act was, and as easy as it is to harbor such animosity toward Cho Seung-Hui, I contend that we should focus our energies elsewhere ­- namely on the return to tranquility, particularly for the friends and families of those murdered. As we mourn and exhibit sorrow over these next several days, by all means hope, wish, and pray for the serenity of the victims' families and friends. However, bear in mind that there are 33 families directly suffering, as there were 33 killed Monday, not 32. Julio santana Santanj@muohio.edu -- No link exists between gun control, shootings I am writing in response to Daniel Witt's letter that appeared April 17. I was very disappointed to see a political response to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute shooting so soon. In all fairness to those who read Witt's letter, I would like to respectfully disagree with the points he made and add a little clarity to the discussion. A little reported fact regarding the Virginia Tech shooting regards Virginia conceal and carry laws. At the end of January, 2006, Virginia House Bill 1572 which would have allowed students to carry concealed weapons on campuses was defeated. Following the defeat Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was quoted as saying, "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions, because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus." This was the same spokesman who is currently speaking to the media about student deaths at VT. Witt also mentions Columbine. When the horrible shooting there took place, a stringent Federal Assault Weapons Ban was in place. This legislature didn't do anything to stop the deaths of those students. Afterwards, one of the parents of a slain Columbine student said, "You can make all the laws you want, but when someone wants to get a gun badly enough, they're going to." I am confused as to the relevance of Witt's decision to cite the 1764 Enoch Brown massacre unless he is advocating restrictions on muskets and tomahawks. Following the Virginia Tech shooting, both ABC and CNN news services hosted a poll on their Web sites asking if gun control was an effective means of stopping violence. The CNN poll ended with 56 percent of participants saying they felt gun control was not effective. The ABC poll, as of 4 p.m., April 17 showed that more than 70 percent believed it irresponsible to link shootings to gun control. Firearms should be taken seriously. They are objects that can kill, just as a car can. In high school, we weren't simply handed the keys to a car, but given detailed instruction. The same should be true of firearms. There are many misconceptions about firearms today. I encourage those who have opinions about gun control to do some solid research before simply suggesting another such gun ban. I feel it is also important to note that after any such large-scale violent act, we as a society search for a solution, a way to end it once and for all. However as sure as there are such people as Cho Seung-Hui, there are people who will do anything in their power to kill others. Whether by one means or another, if a person is motivated enough, they will follow through with such violent desires. scott guye guyesh@muohio.edu -- Original Source:The Miami Daily - April 20, 2007
"Skotzko, Stacey Nicole" <skotzksn@muohio.edu>
Letter to the Editor Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Viewpoint This past Monday, people across the country were glued to their television screens, witnessing the chaos that ensued as the result of the violence carried out on the Virginia Tech campus. Deservedly, this event received a great deal of publicity - it was on the front page of The Observer and also had multi-page layouts and analysis in the Chicago Tribune and New York Times. What didn't receive due media attention were the 37 Iraqi civilians who died the same day of the very same unwarranted and selfish violence, as well as others in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other war-torn regions who perish daily. These stories were overshadowed by the story which undoubtedly hit much closer to home for many on the Notre Dame campus. But we must remember that regardless of the locality of violence, it is still violence. The Virginia Tech students who died are no more or no less human than the countless people who die every day. This is neither a pro- nor anti-war debate. This is a life debate. The murders at Virginia Tech are indeed a tragedy, but please be aware that in many countries violence of this nature is part of their bleak, everyday reality. The frequency of this sort of violence should not discount its impact on our conscience. We must be thankful that we don't suffer from the fear of bombs and bloodshed on a daily basis but also be more mindful about the tragedies and suffering that are experienced by those stretched across the world. Sean Mallin sophomore Keough Hall April 18 -- Original Source: http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/04/20/Viewpoint/Value.Of.A.Life-2870832.shtml
After VaTech, violent creative writing raises concerns on campuses
By: Sean Moroney Posted: 5/17/07 Other than being two of the most-read playwrights in history, Sophocles and Shakespeare share another common thread-a knack for writing gruesome but also unforgettable scenes. Likewise, Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech shooter who was a senior majoring in English, graphically described murder and violence in two plays he wrote for a class in the fall of his senior year. One difference between the well-known playwrights and Cho, however, was that their words stayed on the stage and Cho's played out in real life. Since the Virginia Tech massacre April 16, critics have questioned whether university administrators and professors could have taken further steps to prevent the shooting. Specifically, they have focused on Cho's two plays-"Mr. Brownstone" and "Richard McBeef," in which a 13-year-old threatens to kill his stepfather. "There is that understood latitude in creative writing," Duke English Professor Deborah Pope wrote in an e-mail. "There has to be that room to reach deeply. Not least of all because some of the greatest writers we know have written about quite disturbing events and characters. Many of the Greek plays and Shakespeare, as just two examples, are full of gore." In the English department at Duke, students can take a number of courses that either integrate creative writing into the curriculum or focus solely on it. Pope, who teaches creative writing, said she is not aware of an official policy on regulating a student's creative writing. "I don't know how there could be," Pope said. "It must rest with a teacher's individual judgment." Creative writing in college is a delicate issue because professors oftentimes encourage students to express themselves freely in their writing but at the same time must recognize when highly imaginative writing signals problems in the personal lives of the student. "I read both of [Cho's] short plays. I was pretty horrified and disgusted because I hate violence," said senior and English major Stephen Lee. "I haven't written anything equally violent or disturbing." Lee said he sometimes feels self-conscious about sharing his writing that is particularly grotesque due to fear of how other students might react. He added, however, that his creative writing professors have never censored a student's work just because it was violent or disturbing. "At Duke, I have read some disturbing stories written by fellow students, but I've never felt remotely endangered because the author has always been able to explain and defend his or her creative choices," Lee wrote in an e-mail. A senior in Cho's playwrighting class, Steven Davis, told The New York Times that after reading Cho's play "Richard McBeef" one night, he turned to his roommate and said, "This is the kind of guy who is going to walk into a classroom and start shooting people." After noticing a pattern of odd behavior from Cho-which included taking pictures of women with his cell phone camera in a poetry class in his junior year and a taciturn personality, Lucinda Roy, chair of the English department and co-director of the creative writing program at Virginia Tech, began to tutor Cho privately. Roy and other professors took further steps to ensure that counseling was sought for Cho, who was ordered to attend a psychiatric facility in late 2005. But their actions were not enough to prevent the shooting. "Fortunately, I have never had to deal with writing that struck me as truly psychotic or sadistic," Pope said. "When I heard that the Virginia Tech's writing teacher, of all people, had raised red flags, my first reaction was, 'My god, it must have been something really, really, unsettling-it must have just been completely over the edge.'" English major Melanie Garcia, Trinity '07, said the way she approaches writing is to write about things that mean a lot to her. "By writing things down that are personal, I make them permanent-they become something outside of me," she said. "If it were a painful memory, it would not be as painful." -- Original Source: Duke Chronicle - May 17, 2007
Public Safety assures senate of campus' safety
By: Sergio Hernandez Posted: 4/20/07 The University Senate adjourned for the academic year yesterday after meeting to address a number of campus-wide issues including a report on NYU's emergency preparedness in the wake of Monday's Virginia Tech University shootings. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Public Safety vice president Jules Martin and emergency management director Jim Kerr delivered a report on emergency preparation and response at NYU, informing the senate of the measures in place to handle campus emergencies. Martin lauded NYU's Office of Public Safety, calling it "second to none" in terms of campus security and emphasizing the importance of strong partnerships with outside agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency or the city's Office of Emergency Management. Kerr's presentation, meanwhile, outlined NYU's "emergency plan," which he said would emphasize the importance of "communication, mobilization and action" when responding to campus emergencies. Following Kerr's presentation, John Lee, a student senator from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, voiced his concern about NYU's safety priorities. Specifically, Lee used the example of Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech student who killed at least 33 people - including himself - in a shooting spree at that campus on Monday. Lee, who cited what he called a lack of community at NYU, said he believed a Virginia Tech situation could also arise at NYU and that the university's plans focused too much on response rather than prevention. GREEN ACTION PLAN Lynne Brown and Alison Leary, co-chairs of NYU's Environmental Sustainability Task Force, delivered a report to the senate on the university's Green Action Plan - the series of environmental-responsibility initiatives it announced last fall. Brown said the Task Force would deliver a full report to the university community by the end of the semester, which would include an update on the university's Sustainability Fund. In February, the Task Force announced it would award funding to certain student- and faculty-proposed projects that would contribute to NYU's greening efforts. The Task Force received 46 proposals, 15 of which a Task Force subcommittee had recommended for funding awards, Brown said. She added that the awards range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars and will be publicly announced in early May. CUOMO INVESTIGATION Cheryl Mills, NYU's senior vice president, general counsel and university secretary, briefed the senate on New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's scrutiny of student lenders and their ties to private colleges. Cuomo's investigation, announced in February, aimed to examine whether universities were receiving kickbacks for listing certain lenders as "preferred lenders." Mills said NYU picks its preferred lenders through a "request for bids" process in which it chooses lenders who offer the lowest rates and the highest coverage for students. Early this month, NYU signed an agreement with the attorney general's office that will require the university to return $1.3 million to Citibank, one of its preferred lenders. Mills said NYU had picked Citibank as a preferred lender because its loans offered the lowest rates and were available to 80 percent of students. Mills also said that Citibank had offered part of its profits to NYU, which the university agreed to take and use for financial aid. Citibank has said it will credit the returned $1.3 million to students' accounts. During the meeting, President John Sexton called Cuomo's investigation "an aggressive exercise of government power" and said NYU's signing of the agreement had nothing to do with wrongdoing, but was because the university was not interested in prolonged litigation. CALENDAR CHANGES The senate also passed a proposal that will add an extra day to the Columbus Day "fall break" beginning in the fall 2008 semester. Proponents of the measure said making Columbus Day a four-day weekend would alleviate stress commonly felt by undergraduates in mid-October. Meanwhile, opponents of the calendar change said they were concerned about its impact on graduate students and whether the extended weekend would really reduce or just postpone the "stress" problem. -- Original Source: Washington Square News - April 20, 2007
Intenta virginia tech volver a la normalidad
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 virginia tech tras la matanza regresaban al campo universitario. El pastor contó la experiencia de un profesor que había quedado muy afectado por la muerte de varios de sus estudiantes en Norris Hall. El profesor dijo que en principio no deseaba retornar. Pero que lo haría, para no traicionar los recuerdos, las esperanzas y los sueños de las víctimas. Mientras se aprestaban a reanudar las clases, las autoridades universitarias invitaron a los centenares de periodistas que acamparon en predios de virginia tech, a irse del lugar a más tardar hoy. La vocera de la universidad, Liz Hart, dijo que las autoridades de virginia tech apreciaban lo que habían hecho los periodistas, pero era hora de ir hacia adelante. "La mejor manera de hacer eso es que la universidad retorne a la normalidad", señaló Hart. © Servicios -- Fuente Original: Diario La Raza - Chicago http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=43402&pag=0
Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August 13, 2007
People Already Profiting from Virginia Tech Shooting (Updated)
Posted On: April 16th, 2007 Normally that would take at least a couple days. The sad state of the domain squatting industry, and society in general, is that after a horrible shooting a bunch of "business people" sprint to grab up every VT shooting/massacre domain possible. If your first thought upon seeing the news of this horrible shooting, is "Oh crap, how can I make money off of this?", then you need to get off the computer because the internet has completely warped your ability to care for other people. After noticing that domains were popping up right after recent tragedies like Katrina, I was curious how often these tragedy induced domain buying frenzies actually happen, and the results were naturally disgusting and not surprising. This latest VT tragedy is just a long history of people snatching up tragedy domain names immediately and then selling them off later for a profit. The domains that were immediately purchased within 20 mins of the shooting are: virginiatechshooting.com virginiatechmassacre.com vtmassacre.com vtshooting.com Special Note: virginiatechschoolshooting.com is still avilable! Hurry, you too can profit from other people's suffering! UPDATES: The first domain is already up for sale already. These poor kids aren't even in the ground yet and this guy is already making his money: (Copy and paste if you want, I'm not linking to their auction.) http://cgi.ebay.com/Virginia-Tech-Massacre-info-Domain-name-lot-vatech-va_W0QQitemZ320104764149QQihZ011QQcategoryZ3767QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Not only has virginiatechschoolshooting.com been taken quickly after posting this, but the following domains were grabbed up as well (hokiemassacre.com is probably the worst): Source 27BStroke6 on Wired virginiatechshooting.com virginiatechshooting.net virginiatechshooting.org virginiatechshooting.info virginiatechshooting.us vatechshooting.com vatechshooting.net vatechshooting.org vatechshooting.info vatechshooting.us vatechshooting.biz vtshooting.com vtshooting.info vatechmassacre.com vatechmassacre.net vatechmassacre.info vatechmassacre.biz vtmassacre.com vtmassacre.net vtmassacre.org vtmassacre.info virginiatechrampage.com vatechrampage.com vtrampage.com virginiatechmurders.com virginiatechmurders.net virginiatechmurders.org virginiatechmurders.info virginiatechmurders.us vatechmurders.com vtmurders.com hokieshootings.com hokiemassacre.com blacksburgshootings.com Also, thank you to the dozens of people including (Washington Post, Univ of Kansas, Wired, Hipinion, and others) who have referenced my blog and did not just steal my content! -- Original Source: http://www.secondcityceo.com/2007/04/16/breaking-news-people-already-profiting-from-virginia-tech-shooting/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5
By: Shamus Williams (April 16 -- 11:55 a.m.) I am on campus as we speak and am under lockdown in Shanks Hall, which is located on the opposite side of campus from the shootings. But it is still too close for comfort. I was in class, working on a paper, when I got an e-mail saying that a shooting had occurred on campus. It was about 20 to 25 minutes later when we received word that the gunman was loose and we were on lockdown. It is a pretty scary thing, because of the recent bomb threats and the whole William Morva thing that happened earlier in the year. The students in my class have been pretty calm. Everybody is trying to reach friends and family and let them know that we are OK and that nothing has happened on this side of campus. We have all been sending instant messages trying to find information, and there are plenty of rumors swirling. We are all trying to figure out what is real and what is not. There are plenty of different emotions flying around the room. Some people are trying to make jokes to lighten the mood. Others are trying to scour the Web for information (I would fall into that category). Somehow, others are still trying to get their paper done. I'm definitely not trying to do anything associated with schoolwork with this thing going down. I really think that it will be a long time before we are let off campus, and the longer they keep us in here, the more worried we are all becoming. -- Original Source: Big Lick U - April 16, 2007
Chris Winston <Chris.Winston@biglicku.com>
By: Shamus Williams (April 16) Well, I'm back safe and sound in my off-campus apartment. It has been a very scary and hectic past couple of hours to say the least. We were released at noon, but it was not an assisted evacuation as we were hearing that it would be. I was a little apprehensive that we were not assisted in leaving the campus, and I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I have never seen so many police officers in my life. There were police cars, ambulances, SWAT vehicles and other emergency vehicles lining every street possible that I could see. There were students running to their cars and it seemed every person was on their cell phone trying to call friends and family. It is definitely a scary time on campus. I am usually not one to worry about these things, but this has surpassed anything that the mind can even fathom. This is probably the most scared I have ever been in my life. The police made things seem somewhat safe, but I'm not sure all the police in the world could have made things seem perfectly safe. -- Original Source: Big Lick U - April 16, 2007
Virginia Tech coverage not lacking when D.O.'s resources considered
By: Shannon Pittman-Price Posted: 4/26/07 Last week, the worst school shooting in American history happened on the campus of Virginia Tech. The day after the shooting, most students went to The Daily Orange to read the coverage on the shootings. Some students were disappointed with how much coverage was shown in the student newspaper. D.O. reader Alisa Lopano wrote, "I'm very disappointed in the minimal story coverage in Tuesday's Daily Orange of the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech ... Rubin stepping down as dean of Newhouse and the inadequate condition of South Campus are important, but not as important as one of the most memorable and horrific days of recent years." Ashley Tabor, sophomore English and textual studies and political science major, and Sydney Axson, sophomore political science and biology major, wrote, "It is a shame to admit, but for some students, The D.O. is their primary source of information. It's the paper they pick up first in the morning before anything else. There is no excuse for making an article about something as infinitesimal as housing woes... out to be a bigger issue than an event that has shattered the lives of so many." Last week's editions may not have seemed to reflect much coverage of the Virginia Tech tragedy to some readers, but with the resources The D.O. had, it did provide as much information as it could have at the time. "What goes on the front page is a decision made by all head editors of each section," said Melanie Hicken, The D.O.'s news editor. "We did try to get in contact with people down there, but we did not get a hold of anyone." As a campus newspaper, there are only so many resources that are available. There are not any reporters or photographers that would have been at the scene to provide stories and photos. The paper also has a policy of not running stories that are not written by staff. That would rule out any wire photos and stories. Hicken said The D.O. tries to take stories like this particular one and see how it can be told by the way it affects the SU community. They wanted to provide information that was not available anywhere else to the community. That is exactly what a newspaper is supposed to do. "We wanted to look at how the SU safety was, and how safe SU was. We have not forgotten about the VT victims. We just did not have resources to provide news that has not already been told, especially when on this campus you can go and get The New York Times and The Post-Standard," Hicken said. The D.O. did provide stories that covered the Virginia Tech tragedy. They did not ignore the magnitude of the event, and the decisions they made were good. There were still stories above the fold that dealt with the tragedy even on Tuesday. They had a story about SU's mourning and vigil, and about how the SU community reacted to the tragedy. The paper did its job as a campus newspaper with the resources that were available. Shannon Pittman-Price is the public editor for The Daily Orange. E-mail her at publiceditor@dailyorange.com. -- Original Source:The Daily Orange - April 26, 2007
Community Conversations Through the Arts
Press Release from Community Conversations Through The Arts Community Group, HERE, continues artistic response to VT tragedy with Anniversary Event.