Professor who died in tragedy worked at UNC
Christopher James Bishop, known as Jamie in his five years at UNC, was killed Monday in the tragedy that left 33 dead on the campus of Virginia Tech. He was 35. Bishop worked as an academic technology liaison at UNC from 2000 until 2005 with the Office of Arts & Sciences Information Services. He also taught an intermediate German course in 2004. He left UNC to become an adjunct instructor of German and a technology trainer with the Faculty Development Institute at Va. Tech. He was leading a class in introductory German at about 9:50 a.m. Monday when the gunman aimed at his head and fired, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. "Jamie's thoughtfulness, energy and laughter made him a wonderful peer and friend to many," his former co-workers said in a collective statement. "His legacy continues to shape the education of thousands of students to this day." Bishop first was hired at UNC as a temporary employee in 2000, his former supervisor, Jason Li, said. Bishop later was hired as a full-time employee, working with instructors in language departments and providing one-on-one training in computer applications. "He was such a motivated, dedicated employee," Li said. Charlie Green, associate vice chancellor for teaching and learning at Information Technology Services, looked back fondly on his time working with Bishop. "He was a creative thinker," Green said. "He was someone who saw technology as a creative tool." One innovation of Bishop's was a way to record students' language practice through laptops. Previously, students had to tape-record their practice and physically bring the tape to their instructor, Green said. Bishop crafted a software package to record and send the practice digitally - which is of much higher quality and much more efficient. But Bishop's value was more than just in his work. "He cared about people," Green said. "He would spend a lot of time making sure people he worked with had everything they needed." Green said this aspect of his personality is reflected in the fact that Bishop was nominated for an Information Technology award - designed to reward versatility and willingness to go beyond the call of duty - each year he was at UNC. Bishop's wife, Stefanie Hofer, earned her Ph.D. in Germanic languages from UNC and later taught with Bishop in the German program at Va. Tech. Bishop was a Fulbright scholar at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, and lived in Heidelberg from 1995 to 1996. He earned his bachelor's and master's in German at the University of Georgia. Bishop was also a prolific artist. He had posted an extensive gallery of photos, multimedia projects, graphic designs for book covers and computer-generated images on his Web site - www.memory39.com. "He was a member of our family," Green said. "He will be deeply missed." -- Original Source: Daily Tar Heel - April 18, 2007
Thousands honor fallen, rally hope BLACKSBURG, Va. - Resounding cries of "Lets go Hokies!" echoed off the walls of Cassell Coliseum on Tuesday, capturing the mix of grief and pride that marked Virginia Tech's first full day of coping with the aftermath of Monday's massacre. The basketball stadium was filled with shouting students and community members, clad in the orange and maroon reminiscent of a Hokie Homecoming rally. Only minutes earlier, the room had been silent. The campus and the community gathered at the coliseum for a Convocation to mourn the deaths of the 33 students and faculty members who died Monday. President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush attended the event, along with all of Virginia's congressmen, Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife, members of the university board of visitors, members of the clergy, poet and Va. Tech professor Nikki Giovanni and local officials. "For many of you, your first instinct was to call home and let your moms and dads know that you were OK," Bush said. "I know many of you feel awfully far away from people you lean on and people you count on during difficult times. But as a dad, I can assure you a parent's love is never far from their child's heart." The 10,000-seat arena reached capacity about 20 minutes before the event began at 2 p.m. Several thousand people also camped out in Lane Stadium to watch the ceremony on the JumboTron, filling the football field and parts of the stands. Many students rested their heads on friends' shoulders and cried as speakers took the stage. The Convocation marked the first time the Tech community was brought together after learning that a senior English major, 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, was responsible for the shootings. "How can we know if something like this will happen again?" junior Brandon Campion questioned. "That's like everyone here." Later Tuesday night, as students gathered on the campus' sprawling Drillfield for a candlelit vigil, a crowd of thousands stood silent for almost 10 minutes. The only sounds were of sniffles and camera shutters, as hundreds of photographers from across the world took in the scene. But even that somber event would not have been complete without the inevitable shouts of "Hokies!" and thousands of candles hoisted in a defiant toast of light. At one point, a stadium-style wave rippled across the field. "This is definitely a football school," quipped Weston Hunter, a graduate student in the mathematics department. Hunter said it felt right to remain on campus, even as many students left to be with family and friends. "It's good to be here," he said. "This is the most relevant place to be." Police confirmed Tuesday morning that Seung-Hui was the gunman in the shooting at Norris Hall, an engineering building, which left 31 people dead, including Seung-Hui. His death is being called a suicide. An earlier shooting at West Ambler-Johnston Residence Hall left two people dead - resident adviser Ryan Clark and freshman Emily Hilscher. Campus police Chief Wendell Flinchum said Tuesday that one of two handguns recovered from the Norris Hall crime scene also was used in the dorm shooting. However, he stopped short of saying Seung-Hui was the shooter in both incidents. One gun was a 9 mm handgun and the other a .22-caliber handgun. Seung-Hui was a South Korean native and a legal resident alien of the United States, here on a visa. He lived in Harper Residence Hall. His permanent residence is listed as Centreville, Va. As of Tuesday evening, nine people remained hospitalized in stable condition and two in serious condition. More than 20 people were injured in the incident and taken to hospitals across the region. As the names of victims leaked to the media, students found comfort and grief in the news. "(Clark) was doing his job and I think that's the hardest thing to deal with," said senior Manisha Joshi, who was a resident adviser with Clark for two years. Joshi said being around other people who understand what's going on has helped her deal with the tragedy. And even on such a large campus, with more than 25,000 full-time students, it is hard to find anyone who isn't somehow connected to the victims. "You've either had class with them, they lived on someone's hall, or you've seen them around," junior Staci Hudy said. "I'm waiting to see when individual memorial services are going to be held." Many students are using Facebook.com to create groups for friends and supporters of the deceased. Some groups also have relayed information about those believed injured or dead. Numerous students expressed the need for solidarity in this time of crisis, and even many of those planning to spend time at home elected to stay long enough to attend the group events Tuesday. "I think it was a really nice thing that everybody got together," freshman Tiffani Price said after Convocation. Price said that her biology lab partner was killed and that one of her high-school friends still is missing. "I think it helped a lot of people. It helped everybody feel they had someone who was experiencing the same thing as them." Time is what students say it will take to move on and put this incident behind them. The semester is scheduled to close May 2, with Commencement set for May 12. "Please don't be concerned right now about how your academic situations will all work out," said Tom Brown, senior associate dean of students, at the Convocation. "You cannot get your mind back on academics without first taking some time to take care of yourself." Classes have been canceled for the remainder of the week to give students time to cope with the situation, and Norris Hall will be closed for the rest of the semester. "I think going to graduation this year is going to have a different effect on a lot of us," Joshi said. "It's going to be a time to celebrate, but it's also going to be a time to remember." -- Original Source:Daily Tar Heel - April 18, 2007
Erin France, Eric Johnson, Jessica Schonberg and Alexandria Shealy
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 candles as an expression of community. "As we pass the flame let us be silent and reflect on these events and remember our peers in Blacksburg," Linas said. Student Body President Eve Carson urged students to carry the feelings of community and solidarity forward. "We need to keep this culture of peace at the forefront of our mind." Chelsea Stahr, Va. Tech class of 2005, who sported maroon and orange from head to toe said she was encouraged by the UNC response. "I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that UNC and all other schools have shown, and it just made it a lot easier." Stahr, who now lives and works in the area, commended Va. Tech for how it's coped with the situation. "The amount of support that they have shown the students and the amount of unity the students have shown ... that's what's going to get us through this," she said. Winston Crisp, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, said counselors and representatives from the dean of students office and various campus ministries were available to students Tuesday in the Union. He said his office will evaluate the situation today to see if a similar need exists. "We want to make it easy for students," he said, also citing the availability of counselors with walk-in hours in Counseling and Wellness, the office of the dean of students, community directors, resident advisers and faculty members. Campus Y Director Virginia Carson said that difficult times show what's truly important. "Our values are connecting with each other," she said, urging students to reach out to those most directly affected by the shootings. "They need you a little more now than they did yesterday." -- Original Source:Daily Tar Heel - April 18, 2007
La cultura del arma de fuego en los Estados Unidos
Traducción libre. Original en francés Publicado el 22 de Abril, 2007 El miércoles pasado se publicó en Le Monde una interesante entrevista realizada a Pap Ndiaye, historiador en la Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, donde habla acerca de la cultura del arma de fuego en Estados Unidos. Esta entrevista fue impulsada por la tragedia ocurrida el pasado lunes 16 de abril en el Instituto Politécnico de la Universidad Estatal de Virginia en Blacksburg. Pap Ndiaye afirma que historicamente las armas de fuego en los Estados Unidos han tenido gran relevancia en el imaginario colectivo y que grupos de poder organizados en torno a su uso, como la National Rifle Association, juegan un papel fundamental en cuanto a la regulación de estos artefactos. Para Ndiaye este tipo de organizaciones se amparan en la Segunda Enmienda de la constitución estadounidense, la cual estipula que no se puede restringir el derecho de las personas a tener y portar armas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¿Usted piensa que se puede hablar de una cultura de la violencia en los Estados Unidos? Yo hablaría sobre todo de una cultura del arma de fuego, es decir, de una parte de la población americana para quienes poseer un arma no es únicamente un derecho, sino de igual manera una protección indispensable. Se ha conformado una comunidad de algunos millones de activistas que coleccionan armas, se entrenan regularmente, con frecuencia son miembros de la National Rifle Association (NRA), profesan un patriotismo a ultranza y se organizan eficazmente, en particular al seno del Partido Republicano. Por otra parte, la difusión masiva de armas de fuego favoriza su utilización rutinaria en situaciones de delincuencia, de conflicto, etc. Por ejemplo en Filadelfia en 2006 se registraron más de 330 muertos por arma de fuego. La situación se ha tornado tan alarmante en esa ciudad que los partidarios por el control de armas no militan por su prohibición, pero sí por una limitación en la venta de armas a razón de un arma por persona y por mes. Cada año se registran alrededor 10 000 homicidios por arma de fuego en los Estados Unidos, teniendo por víctimas y autores fundamentalmente a hombres jóvenes, de los cuales un número desproporcionado son negros e hispanos. Tan dramática es la situación que tiroteos como los de Virginia Tech cuentan poco dentro del total anual. En fin, existe una tradición de violencia política: los presidentes Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley y Kennedy fueron asesinados, del mismo modo que personalidades como Martin Luther King y Robert Kennedy. La cultura del arma de fuego afecta a la mayoría de los estadounidenses, pero eso no es objeto de una movilización política suficiente que permitiera hacer retroceder al poderoso grupo de presión de armas y los intereses económicos asociados. Tan solo las ventas anuales de armas de fuego ligeras sobrepasan el millón de dólares. Gracias a la NRA, desde 2005, los fabricantes de armas y de municiones están al abrigo de toda acción judiciaria. ¿Las armas son parte de la ideología americana? En cierto sentido sí. La Segunda Enmienda de la Constitución estadounidense garantiza el derecho a poseer armas de fuego. Pero los historiadores han subrayado que las armas de fuego no siempre han hecho parte de la cultura americana. Antes de la Guerra de Secesión, muy pocos americanos poseían armas, comprendiendo a los habitantes del Oeste, que tenían más libros que fusiles... A partir de 1860, las armas se generalizaron, llegaron a ser menos caras y más precisas, fueron promovidas por los industriales del armamento y los políticos. Las armas formaron parte de la cultura popular gracias a personajes como Buffalo Bill, cazador de bisontes, que presentará la conquista del Oeste como una historia de carabinas y colts. La NRA fue fundada en la misma época, en 1871, y ha mantenido relaciones estrechas con el poder político hasta nuestros días. En su más reciente libro, Gun Show Nation (New Press, octubre 2006), Joan Burdick ha mostrado que la puesta en marcha de la Segunda Enmienda se remonta a los años 60, cuando una franja ultraconservadora del pais promovió las armas como medio para defenderse contra los movimientos sociales de la época, la sublevación negra, comunista y feminista, asociando su uso a un pasado mistificado: la de los verdaderos americanos de la libertad y el patriotismo. Precisamente, la Segunda Enmienda es uno de los principales argumentos de la NRA... SÃ­, pero es objeto de interpretaciones jurídicas variadas en un sentido más o menos liberal. Varias leyes han venido a regular el comercio de armas, desde el Gun Control Act de 1968 hasta la ley "Brady" de 1994, que impone la verificación de los antecedentes penales del comprador de un arma. Pero eso no atañe a las ventas en los "gun shows", las ferias donde se vende una cantidad increíble de armas de todo calibre. Conseguir un arma es siempre muy cómodo, particularmente en los Estados del oeste o el sur, como Virginia. ¿La matanza de Blacksburg puede hacer evolucionar el debate? Víctimas, como las de Columbine en 1999, tuvieron la oportunidad de hacerse entender por los partidistas del control de armas, pero no supieron, hasta el presente, estar tan organizados como el grupo de presión de armas, muy bien representado en el Congreso y en la Casa Blanca. Sin embargo, el Congreso viene de cambiar de mayoría y el momento podría ser propicio para la consolidación de la legislación. Pero es necesario permanecer prudentes, ya que la NRA es influyente y activa. Es uno de los más poderosos grupos de presión en los Estados Unidos, de los cuales los 4 millones de miembros contribuyeron a las victorias electorales de George W. Bush. Los demócratas que piensan en la elección presidencial de 2008, se muestran circunspectos sobre la cuestión. Es probable que no pasará nada. -- Fuente Original: Sociología Contemporánea, Recursos electrónicos para la generación de crítica social. http://sociologiac.mitus-serveur.net/2007/04/22/la-cultura-del-arma-de-fuego-en-los-estados-unidos/ Licencia de Uso: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0
Creado por: Salinger (a.k.a. Al Valdes) Posteado por Äl a las 2:37 AM Tarde, pero no quiero que las fatales e inocentes victimas de Virginia Tech caigan en el olvido de este mi humilde blog. Por ende, quiero escribir unas palabras en su recuerdo. Ya se que no tiene remedio, pero todos esperamos que descanseis en paz. Sabemos que no lo mereciais, ni vosotros ni las familias, ni la ciudad, ni siquiera el mundo entero. No empañaré vuestra memoria mencionando al instigador de semejante atrocidad. Total, es lo que queria, visto lo visto. Y tampoco voy a entrar en nacionalidades, razas o credos. Todos somos iguales, para bien o para mal. Alla donde esteis, 'Rest in Peace'. -- Fuente Original: Acuse de Recibo Retazos Sutiles en forma soñica, España. http://parajeremoto.blogspot.com/2007/04/rest-in-peace.html Licencia de uso: Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 2.5 España
Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 2.5 España
VirginiaTech: 32 muertos, 4.3 millones de cómplices y 6.000 millones de víctimas
Creado por Santiago Bustelo April 17th, 2007 La masacre estudiantil en Virginia Tech ocurrida ayer (lunes 16 de abril de 2007) ha vuelto a instalar la discusión de algunos de los valores de la sociedad norteamericana y del resto del mundo... de una manera tan estéril como en ocasiones anteriores. Los cómplices, o el lado correcto de la mira En el tema de la regulación de armas, las opiniones en Norteamérica son opuestas. Básicamente, porque dependen de qué lado de la mira esté -o crea estar- quien opina. La Asociación del Rifle Americano (NRA) cuenta con 4.3 millones de miembros, lo que la convierte en la ONG más grande del mundo. En esta ocasión, al igual que en todos los casos anteriores, sus miembros y autoridades están preparados a expresar sus condolencias... y a dejar claro que no creen que la facilidad con la que se pueden conseguir en EE.UU. armas diseñadas para matar a una gran cantidad de gente en poco tiempo y con un mínimo esfuerzo, tenga algo que ver con que alguien haya decidido -nuevamente- ponerlo en práctica. Claro que no sólo en EE.UU. ocurren masacres de este tipo. En el resto del mundo, cada tanto algún Don Nadie se siente inspirado por quienes pasaron a la historia atentando gratuitamente contra la vida de los demás. Que las armas no estén al alcance de cualquiera, impide a la mayoría pasar a la acción. En el caso de la masacre estudiantil de Carmen de Patagones, Argentina, el perpetrador era el hijo de un policía: le bastó con abrir un cajón para pasar a los hechos. Los miembros de la NRA creen que portar armas garantiza su seguridad personal. O sea, que tener un arma les asegura mágicamente estar del lado correcto de la mira, y que otros no los consideren como un blanco posible. Mientras que la realidad es que en el momento en que alguien nos está apuntando, tener un arma (descargada y prolijamente guardada en un lugar seguro para evitar que nuestros hijos se vuelen la cabeza por accidente), difícilmente haga una diferencia. Sería preferible que otro no nos esté apuntando en primer lugar. En la mentalidad de la NRA, la portación de armas es más que un derecho. Tratándose de la "segunda enmienda", se lo compara en importancia a la primera (la que garantiza la libertad de expresión). Veamos qué dice la famosa Segunda Enmienda: A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. En castellano: Siendo necesaria una milicia bien regulada para la seguridad de un Estado Libre, no debe ser vulnerado el derecho del Pueblo de poseer y portar armas. Esto es, el derecho a portar armas tiene para la Segunda Enmienda el propósito de garantizar la seguridad nacional. La seguridad personal no está contemplada como finalidad. Sin embargo, teniendo el ejército más poderoso del planeta, la posibilidad de que EE.UU. sea víctima de una invasión extranjera es prácticamente nula. Más bien, su ejército tiene la costumbre de invadir "preventivamente" todos los países que puedan suponer una amenaza política o económica. El mantenimiento de la Pax Americana debe poco a los más de cuatro millones de miembros de la NRA, a quienes no vemos formando filas quilométricas para partir a Medio Oriente. En lugar de ello, el grueso de las tropas se compone de clases bajas e hijos de inmigrantes. Para ellos, alistarse y arriesgar la vida, es la única manera de obtener una educación y una posición social. Las víctimas, o la cabeza de turco del loco del gatillo ¿Por qué alguien puede alimentar deseos de matar a diestra y siniestra y, peor aún, llegar a hacerlo? Calificar a los perpetradores de estos actos como locos y desquiciados, es la mejor manera de no responder a esa pregunta. Están locos, punto, fin de la discusión. Una veta de "respuestas" aún "mejores" que enuncian algunos norteamericanos, busca culpar al ateísmo (la separación de la Iglesia y el Estado en la educación) o a una "posesión demoníaca", que para esta gente viene a ser más o menos lo mismo. El perpetrador abandonó a Dios, fuente de toda razón y justicia, así que todos sus actos estaban desprovistos de ambas. Y ahora arde en el infierno, fin del problema. De estas maneras, se evita tocar el problema de fondo: cómo una sociedad que valora a sus individuos sólo en base a lo que pueden tener o producir para que tengan los demás, termina alienándolos y convirtiéndolos en Nada, al punto en que pierden el amor a sí mismos y por extensión, al resto de la especie humana. Los alienados y desesperados de clase baja merecen todos los días las páginas de policiales, por su capacidad de asesinar a otro para sacarle dos pesos. El hecho de que en ello no valoren su propia vida (a diferencia de la mayoría de la humanidad, que vive con menos de US$ 1 por día y enfrenta dignamente la pobreza sin matar ni exponerse a morir), queda oculto bajo el motivo de una satisfacción material. Que es la más valorada por la mecánica capitalista: como el capital genera capital, se erige como un fin en sí mismo y como fin último. El Hombre queda desplazado de este círculo, cumpliendo meramente el rol de fuerza laboral necesaria para que la rueda siga girando. El caso de quienes empuñan un arma contra sus compañeros de clase, en cambio, no admite una desesperada necesidad material como explicación. Pero nadie parece dispuesto a analizar qué tienen en común los ricos y los pobres que salen a matar o morir (o ambas cosas). Conclusión Quienes dedican su vida a cualquier rama de la ciencia -tanto exactas como humanísticas-, saben que no existen casos inexplicables. En todo caso, hay casos que los puntos de vista y teorías actuales no contemplan. Y que requieren ampliarlos o reformularlos. Ante las masacres estudiantiles, podemos atrevernos a analizar los valores que nuestra sociedad considera normales y enfrentar las causas de nuestra propia alienación (y las del resto de la humanidad)... o concluir rápidamente que "hay gente muy loca", cambiar de canal y seguir en nuestra cómoda ignorancia. -- Fuente Original: santiago bustelo - detras de las pantallas blog. http://www.bustelo.com.ar/index.php/es/2007/04/17/virginia_tech_shootings_aftermath/ Licencia de uso: Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 2.5 Argentina.
Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 2.5 Argentina
EEUU endurece sus leyes sobre armas tras la matanza de Virginia Tech
Creado por Periodista Digital 14.06.07 El asesinato de 32 personas por un estudiante desequilibrado el pasado mes de abril en la Universidad Politécnica de Virginia, en Estados Unidos, ha propiciado que por primera vez en 10 años el sacrosanto derecho a portar armas que impera en el país vaya a ser matizado con un control más estricto en los puntos de venta y del historial (psiquiátrico y delictivo) de los compradores. La nueva ley ha sido propuesta por la ultraconservadora Asociación Nacional del Rifle (NRA, en sus siglas inglesas) y aprobada por aclamación ayer en la Cámara de Representantes. Ahora espera el trámite final en el Senado. "Tal y como nos recordó el tiroteo de Virginia Tech, existe una urgente necesidad nacional de mejorar el sistema de antecedentes" para controlar a quién llegan las armas, señaló la presidenta de la Cámara, la demócrata Nancy Pelosi. Según el texto, los Estados que conforman EE UU se beneficiarán de importantes incentivos financieros para poner al día la base de datos sobre personas para las que está prohibido comprar un arma, en particular criminales y sujetos con problemas psiquiátricos. Además, los Estados serán multados si no ponen en marcha estas medidas. Sin embargo, y como una concesión a la NRA, la nueva legislación permitirá también que personas que hayan cometido "infracciones menores" sean eliminadas del fichero, así como que los veteranos de guerra con problemas mentales incluidos en el mismo tengan la posibilidad de limpiar el registro. Una matanza evitable En el caso de Cho Seung-Hui, el estudiante que mató a 32 personas en Virginia, éste nunca debía haber obtenido el permiso para comprar un arma, dado que tenía antedecentes de problemas psiquiátricos. Wayne La Pierre, vicepresidente de la NRA, ha precisado que la ley no "descalifica a nadie" que tenga la intención de comprar un arma legalmente, si no que, "al contrario, al contrario, da la oportunidad aquéllos que han sido descalificados de "limpiar su nombre". "Los dueños de armas no pierden nada en la ley, tal y como está formulada por el momento", ha recordado La Pierre a los más de cuatro millones de miembros de su asociación. -- Fuente Original: Periodista Digital.com http://blogs.periodistadigital.com/tizas.php/2007/06/14/virginia_tech_armas_seung_rifle_9933 Licencia de uso: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5.
Virginia Tech Memorial... (Text in english & Spanish)
Publicado por markapazos - Un punto de encuentro. In Memory of the lives that were lost in this senseless tragedy Our hearts go out to the fallen and the injured. Our prayers are with the family and friends of the victims. I want to share with You these words that a friend sent to me and who is professor of the Faculty of Engineering and that by things of life did not have to be present at that tragic moment. Yo quiero compartir con Ustedes esta palabras que me envio un amigo quien es profesor de la Facultad de Ingenieria y que por cosas de la vida, el no estuvo ese tragico momento. A quote out from one of our members "Lets us all pray that no blame be placed. Let us pray that something this tragic never happens again. Let us pray for the media to look beyond the story here and allow all who have been affected an opportunity to gain understanding and to heal. Let us pray for this to be something which will draw us all closer together as a country and closer to God. Let us all pray that there will be no retaliation by those who believe it is warranted against any culture, nationality religion or any other human being in this beautiful world created by our maker. "Let us pray" Written & submitted by: Kennysr61 We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness ... We are the Hokies ... Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist. En el marco de locura y baño de sangre originado por un estudiante surcoreano fuera de sí en la Universidad Virginia Tech, nos muestra que su ser y su corazón estaba en crisis y no tuvo esa mano amiga para enseñarle la verdad y mostrarle la cosas hermosas que tenemos alrededor. Vivimos en una época de falsos héroes, hombres arañas vestidos de negro, estrellas mediáticas cuyo único afán es el egocentrismo y culto a si mismos, y sin embargo en este mundo de contrastes que nos toca para vivir, un profesor sobreviviente de la máxima barbarie cometida contra el pueblo judío, se inmola, sin importarle la raza, religión status de clase de sus pupilos, el simplemente puso su cuerpo, como escudo contra el demente asesino, despechado por el amor de una mujer (que cosa más patética), del loco segado por los sentimientos que le originaba otro ser humano. Por todo esto sigo insistiendo en mi blog sobre todo aquello que se requiere a través de la reflexión para entrar a una conciencia segura que nos garantice bienestar personal, familiar y al entorno en el cual nos movemos, manteniendo esos principios fundamentales de vida. Se requiere conciencia y amor como el inicio de nuestros valores... Pero al hablar sobre el amor, sería conveniente considerar las siguientes premisas que debemos inculcarnos a nosotros mismos y a los demás seres queridos: No se puede dar lo que no se posee... Porque para dar amor hay que tener amor. No se puede enseñar lo que no se entiende... Porque para enseñar sobre el amor y de amor, sencillamente hay que comprender el amor. No se puede saber lo que no se estudia... Porque para estudiar el amor es necesario vivir en el amor. No se puede apreciar lo que no se reconoce... Porque para reconocer el amor es necesario estar receptivo al amor. No se puede dudar de aquello en lo que uno quiere confiar... Porque para confiar en el amor es necesario estar convencido del amor. No se puede admitir aquello ante lo que uno no se rinde... Porque para rendirse por amor es necesario ser vulnerable al amor. No se puede vivir de aquello a lo que uno no se dedica... Porque para dedicarse al amor es necesario crecer eternamente en el amor El amor es dudas es la experiencia mas sublime e importante en la vida y por supuesto es el estado que engrandece al ser humano. -- Fuente original: http://markapazos.blogspot.com/2007/04/virginia-tech-memorial.html Licencia de uso: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5
How Carnegie Mellon is keeping campus safe after VA Tech massacre
News | Sarah Mogin Wednesday night, students and faculty gathered by the Fence. In the midst of the cold and windy weather, 70 hands cupped 70 flickering flames as the Carnegie Mellon community mourned the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. Last Monday, 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed himself and 32 others in the deadliest shooting executed by a single person in United States history. The attacks occurred in a dormitory and an academic building, both located on the Virginia Tech campus. The vigil by the Fence is only one example of the ways in which colleges and universities nationwide are coming together to honor those slain. "Students totally took the lead on creating this opportunity to express themselves after the Virginia Tech shootings," said Jonathan Kroll, housefellow for Morewood Gardens. "I think it definitely helps with the grieving process." The vigil began at 9 p.m. with a moment of silence. As the group grew in number, participants continued to light the candles of those who gathered along the periphery of the crowd. Student Body President Karl Sjogren passed out lyrics to to "Lean on Me" and the group then joined in song. After that, students and faculty members, one of whom was an alumna of Virginia Tech, took turns speaking informally. Two hours earlier, the Hillel Jewish University Center (JUC) of Pittsburgh hosted a vigil led by rabbi Jamie Gibson of Temple Sinai. Gibson led those attending in song and prayer, and students read prayers as well. During the vigil, Gibson gave personal attention to each of the departed. "We knew that we wanted to read the names of every single person whose name had been released," said Sahar Oz, the JUC's assistant director. "And we also wanted to say a few things about them." Students lit candles for each of the known victims: Liviu Librescu, a 76-year-old Holocaust survivor; Reema Samaha, an 18-year-old first-year; Kevin Granata, a biomechanics researcher and a leader in his field; and 26 others. The group also lit three candles for the victims whose names had not yet been released. Oz found Librescu's death particularly troubling. Librescu, a professor at Virginia Tech, was shot while protecting his students by guarding the entrance to his classroom. "He was murdered on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is an occasion observed around the world," Oz said. "It sent shock and a tremendous sense of loss to the Jewish community." The tragedy resonated in particular with several Carnegie Mellon students in the JUC who met Virginia Tech students last May while on a Birthright trip to Israel. "One of the things we did immediately was try to reach the eight students who went on this trip from Virginia Tech," Oz said. All eight were unharmed. "We had that added element of emotional proximity," Oz said. The modern languages department is also making plans to reach out to Virginia Tech, in part because so many of the shootings took place in foreign-language classrooms. "We feel closer," said Sono Hayes-Takano, a Japanese professor. "We've been brainstorming," Hayes-Takano said. "People in MLSAC, [Modern Languages Student Advisory Committee], they're thinking about raising money for [the victims'] memorial fund." Beyond the campus community, the Internet has helped many feel connected to the Virginia Tech victims. "I think the Internet in this case has been a tremendous asset," Oz said. "I think Facebook is a great example." Profiles of victims on Facebook, in addition to those on news sites such as CNN and BBC News, have helped humanize the tragedy. "We don't want these victims to become statistics," Oz said. "Keep it personal." But with such accessibility, fear is often not too far behind. "There is this sense of, 'It could happen to me,' " Oz said. Students feeling vulnerable might benefit from becoming familiar with Carnegie Mellon's security policy. "We have trained a certain number of people ... in every building," said Madelyn Miller, director of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) at the university. RAs, building marshals, and other qualified individuals are among those who have received training, she said. EH&S has had a system called AlertNow in place for the past couple of years. AlertNow enables EH&S to make 5000 phone calls in about a minute, which could help alert floor marshals of a campus emergency. "Not everybody knows that we have these procedures in place," Miller said. In the past, EH&S's procedures were kept online behind a firewall. The procedures were privatized because they included the cell phone numbers of various staff members, in addition to the locations of hazardous materials throughout campus. After Virginia Tech, EH&S decided to make the procedures available to the public — without the information regarding cell phones or hazardous materials. Carnegie Mellon's urban campus is an asset in the event of an emergency, Miller said. The university is within close reach of city, county, and state police. "I think it makes us safer," she said. Moreover, RAs are trained to recognize suspicious students, which could help prevent a future incident, Kroll said. Concern from other students is often cause for immediate action. "Undoubtedly, we take that very seriously," he said. -- Original Source:The Tartan - April 23, 2007
Internet plays powerful role in wake of Va. Tech
Forum | Tartan Board Amid the chaos of what is already being called the Virginia Tech massacre, the Internet was a steady flow of fairly accurate information. Blogs — typically the anti-news source — were what helped piece together the events of early last Monday. Facebook — the social networking site of the century — was what helped friends and family know loved ones were okay. AIM idle times — usually an annoyance to anyone who wants to talk to someone — were identifiers to possible whereabouts for specific times. Wikipedia — what you shouldn't quote in your class paper — garnered a timetable of events from the aforementioned online "sources." News sites — reliable sources — assembled information about victims from their online profiles. Most of us were affected by the shootings at Columbine in April 1999; as middle schoolers and junior high students, a high school shooting wasn't something to which we could easily turn a blind eye. Yet the shootings at Virginia Tech seem different, as we are all more closely linked by our similarities — we are all college students — and by our constant connection to the Internet. As we have seen with the deaths of students on our own campus, a Facebook wall can become a memorial; and as students who don't know the deceased read the walls, it's often an additional cause for legitimate sorrow. Facebook, and the Internet as a whole, lets us get a little bit closer to knowing the people who have died, and lets us understand what victims' friends are going through, too. The walls of the Virginia Tech massacre victims are experiencing the same flood of visitors, and a lot of it stands to show that as a generation, we are capable of coming together to support each other. ABCNews.com 's April 16 article about online developments included bits from some students' online postings; one included a request for a Facebook group that calls to keep the facts of the incident straight. Another posting from ABCNews.com's article said that people from all over the world were soliciting videos of personal reactions from students via the Internet. The way the Internet has been utilized by our generation for the Virginia Tech Massacre is telling. While great in some ways, the Internet cannot be a substitute for action or an acceptable replacement for tasteful behavior. The sheer volume of people expressing condolences is amazing and, perhaps, comforting. At the same time, the deluge of Internet gestures makes each one progressively more meaningless. A group search for "Virginia Tech" and "pray" on Facebook returns over 500 results. Except for two groups, at least the first five pages of search returns for just "Virginia Tech" are some kind of remembrance groups. The sentiment is spectacular if it's based in fact or action, but it is important to remember that starting a Facebook group does not necessarily solve problems or incite real action. Ultimately, human contact is what will help us all move on from this tragedy, not staring at a computer screen. The varied uses for the Internet in the case of the massacre backs arguments from both sides about the Internet: It globalizes, but also singularizes; brings people together, but also prevents actual involvement. We encourage students to use the Internet to help grieve and show support for the Virginia Tech community. When grappling with such terrible loss, the Internet is an excellent tool — it just shouldn't be the only tool. Good things come from the Internet being used to its fullest capacity, and so do weaker things. We are the Internet generation. We just need to learn to harness the power of the Internet, to use it to unite, but to not expect impossible things from it. -- Original Source: The Tartan - April 23, 2007
University safety procedures leave students in the dark
Forum | Claire Morgenstern The day following the Virginia Tech shootings, a message from President Cohon was sent out via e-mail outlining procedures for seeking psychological counseling and reassuring us that we had security on campus. The university wished to provide reassurance that "it couldn't happen here." Two days later, on April 19, Carnegie Mellon endured its own potential nightmare. A graduate student was apprehended by police with a three-foot-tall, torpedo-shaped metal cylinder in the backseat of his car behind Smith Hall. Police determined that the object was benign — though they would not, or could not, reveal what it was used for. Not exactly a reassuring scenario. The entire incident lasted less than two hours, and most students were blissfully unaware of it. Officials sent out no e-mail warning, issued no official evacuation or lockdown order. Even now, after 10 days, Official Communications has yet to explain the incident or reassure the campus. No press release has been posted on our own university website, though Media Relations spent hours in the wake of the incident talking to local TV and newspaper reporters, presumably to ensure they had the latest information. University Police literally hung up the phone when asked for information. Despite the horrific events at Virginia Tech and all that we had supposedly "learned" there, Carnegie Mellon made precisely the same potential mistake — cutting off communication to the campus community. President Cohon's post-Virginia Tech e-mail was similarly ambiguous. Serving more as a liability waiver than an instructional tool, it put the burden on students to seek help in an effort to return to normalcy. Cohon and the administration should first hold up their end of the deal by ensuring campus saftey through effective communication instead of arbitrarily offering counseling. That e-mail also linked to an obscure university website that — who knew? — outlined campus safety procedures. This site, ehs.cmu.edu, previously firewalled, was only made accessible in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre. Still, its utility is limited. A student who visits the site can learn how to prepare for heat rash, SARS, or West Nile virus — but not what to do when he sees someone wielding a handgun. Environmental Health and Safety's (EH&S) emergency communication consists of AlertNow, a system that enables the department to make 5000 phone calls a minute to alert floor marshals of a campus emergency. This system was not implemented on April 19 — an unforgivable decision in the age of text and instant messaging, PDAs, and podcasts. Furthermore, the system only alerts floor marshals and RAs, enabling those who are already in a building to stay there and offering no instructions to those already outside — exactly what happened at Virginia Tech. Carnegie Mellon can do better. Days before the Virginia Tech massacre, Princeton University instituted the Connect-ED alert system. It enables campus leaders to send simultaneous alerts to individuals through landline and cellular phones, text messaging, and e-mail in a matter of minutes using contact information provided by each member of the campus community. While no one could expect such a system to be implemented tomorrow, we have the right to expect basic, essential information to be disseminated promptly through the systems we already have, specifically e-mail and the university website. The university's actions, or lack thereof, are completely insufficient. Clearly, "it could never happen here" is not a valid excuse; hopefully, no student, let alone 33, will have to die before the university improves its safety measures. -- Original Source: The Tartan - April 30, 2007
Virginia Tech panel discusses prevention strategies
Experts in fields of security, law and mental health comprise panel; victims' families voice reactions Daniel Colbert, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer Thursday, April 19, while the nation was still coming to grips with the tragedy that had unfolded in Blacksburg three days earlier, Gov. Tim Kaine created an eight-member panel of experts in the fields of security, law and mental health to investigate fully what had gone wrong and what could be done to help prevent a similar incident in the future. Last Wednesday, the panel held what was to be its last public meeting -- it has since been announced that another will follow -- at the University. While the panel heard testimony on topics as wide-ranging as community mental health services and gun control laws, much of the discussion centered on the unique challenges faced in servicing and protecting a college population. Beyond "lockdown" As schools consider the most efficient and safe methods for responding to threats such as an active shooter on campus, lockdowns are a common solution. In fact, much of the panel's discussion of security procedures focused on the appropriateness and plausibility of a campus-wide lockdown; however, all of the law enforcement experts who testified at the meeting in Charlottesville suggested that responding to such an event is not so simple. "I think we have this impression that we hit a switch and everything is locked and everything is secure, and that is not the case," said Don Challis, chief of police at the College of William & Mary. Challis testified that a lockdown creates a "target-rich environment" in the academic buildings where students congregate. He instead recommended that colleges advise students to take refuge in their own rooms or other safe places. Challis emphasized that colleges need to make it clear in advance what would be expected of students in a crisis situation. "Hope is not a plan," Challis said. "We can't hope that when something happens these people hang on our words and do what we say." Avoiding a tragedy Perhaps the most vexing question surrounding the Virginia Tech tragedy regards the various warning signs of the danger that shooter Seung-Hui Cho posed to others. The panel spent much of the morning hearing ways for universities to more readily identify a troubled student. Central to the goal of pre-emptive action are Threat Assessment Teams. These teams, present at many schools though not formally at the University, are made of up administrators, deans and law enforcement officers that meet to identify and evaluate potential threats posed by students, according to Challis's testimony. Both Challis and Dr. James Madero, a professor at Alliant International University, testified that teams like these can be helpful in preventing school violence. "It needs to be a campus-wide group that includes ... people who have the most contact with students," Challis said. "If they see a flag, they can run that by others." The panel also heard testimony on the effectiveness of campus psychological services, primarily from Russell Federman, University director of counseling and psychological services. Federman pointed to the low suicide rate at the University-- three suicides in the last seven years, which is less than a third of the national average -- as evidence that CAPS is effective in dealing with high-risk individuals. Among the factors contributing to this success, he said, are frequent communication between the administration, faculty and CAPS to determine individuals who may pose threats and follow-up procedures for high-risk individuals who do not appear for counseling. "My hunch is that if Mr. Cho had been involuntarily hospitalized at U.Va. [as he was at Virginia Tech before the shootings occurred], CAPS staff would have become involved with him much earlier," Federman said. Not everyone was satisfied with Federman's reasoning, however. Holly Sherman, whose daughter Leslie was a victim of the shootings, told reporters she thought the procedures Federman described were "very similar" to those in place at Virginia Tech before the shootings. Although he said he was confident that academic deans would have contacted CAPS about a student exhibiting the strange behaviors attributed to Cho, Federman said in a later interview he also could not say with certainty that CAPS would have prevented the shooting. "We can't buy into the illusion that we can control the uncontrollable," Federman said. "The bottom line is if someone chooses to be violent, he or she can be without us being able to stop that." Issues of confidentiality One of the hotly debated issues of the day was the importance of students' rights, as adults, to privacy regarding their mental health records. Panelist Diane Strickland, Law School alumna and former dean of Student Legal Services, asked if CAPS had access to the mental health records of incoming first-year students while another panelist, Dr. Roger Depue, said he wondered if such information would prove to be helpful. Privacy concerns dictate that the University does not have such access, Federman answered, but that is not necessarily a problem for CAPS. Mandatory on-Grounds housing for first-year students ensures that mental health problems are observed quickly by Resident Staff or fellow students, Federman said. He added that even if mental health professionals had access to background information on a student, it would not always be necessary in deciding how to proceed with treatment. Several victims' parents expressed concern that privacy issues may hinder communication between administrators about students who present potential threats and may prevent mental health professionals from informing parents if their children seek psychological help. The experts testifying were divided over whether privacy laws make it difficult to share information among administrators. While Challis testified that privacy laws sometimes make it difficult to determine what information can be shared legally, other experts did not believe this to be the case. "I have been very alarmed by the perception that the law somehow impedes colleges and universities from doing what they think to be the right thing," University law Prof. Richard Bonnie said. Parental involvement does not always help mental health professionals treat students, Federman said, and it is rarely absolutely necessary. College represents a time of transition between dependency and autonomy for many students, and he said he believed, in most cases, automatically involving parents would undermine that transition. "That's quite different from a very acute situation where we're looking at issues of violence and danger to self and where we absolutely need the family involved to help us prevent a tragic outcome," Federman said. During the panel's meeting, Federman resisted a call from Tom Ridge, former secretary of homeland security, to develop standardized guidelines for informing parents when their children seek psychological help, but assured the panel that mental health professionals would breach privacy laws if a situation demanded it. Several of the victims' parents present were unsatisfied with the explanations. "I worry about a society that places individual rights in such a high regard that it jeopardizes public safety," said Catherine Read, step-mother of victim Mary Read. -- Original Source:http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=30458&pid=1596>The Cavalier Daily - July 26, 2007
Police identify Norris Hall shooter as Va. Tech student
Cho attended Northern Va. high school, peers describe him as 'loner' Maria Tchijov and Thomas Madrecki, Cavalier Daily Senior Writers BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Police identified Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student, as the gunman responsible for killing 30 victims Monday in Virginia Tech's Norris Hall. Some who knew him described Cho as "a complete loner" and the author of "disturbing" and "excessively violent" plays. Cho was found dead among the carnage that spanned four rooms and a nearby stairwell in Norris Hall. Cho, a native of South Korea, was linked to the murder weapon through a fingerprint contained in immigration documents. Ballistics tests confirmed that one of the two guns found at Norris Hall was also used at the shooting that took place two hours earlier in West Ambler Johnston dormitory. While police said it is likely that the two shootings are related, the investigation is ongoing. An ongoing investigation Cho was an English major at the university from Centreville, Va. Peers from Cho's middle school in Centreville said he was quiet, shy and withdrawn. "He was made fun of a lot by everybody," said Samuel Linton, a homeroom classmate of Cho's during seventh and eighth grade. "He was a complete loner, he never said a word ... he had no interaction with teachers -- he just stared like he wasn't paying attention." David Gearheart, who also attended middle school with Cho, said he talked to Cho once or twice, but that talking to him was just that -- talking to somebody rather than with somebody. "He had a lot of crazy writings in his notebook and stuff, how he hated Americans," Gearheart said. Linton said Cho was once reported to the principal for writing down the names of people he was supposedly planning to kill. "It was like a hit list," Linton said. "They found one in his locker." Linton said people "constantly" talked about how Cho might be the type of person that would one day attempt to kill someone. Officials at a press conference yesterday said they could not comment on allegations that Cho had a previous run-in with law enforcement officers in Blacksburg in 2005. Authorities executed a search warrant yesterday of Cho's dorm room in Harper Hall and removed mostly documentary evidence, including his writings that were widely characterized as violent by peers and professors. Stephanie Derry, a senior English student at Virginia Tech, said she knew Cho from a playwriting class. Derry described Cho's plays as "disturbing," but said nobody in the class took them as entirely serious. "The plays were excessively violent," Derry said. "But you can't really assume that everything written is true or is going to be true." The Associated Press reported that officials recovered a note in Cho's dorm that lambasted "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans." Virginia State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty said, however, there is no evidence of a suicide note. Flaherty also announced that the handguns used by Cho in the massacre were purchased in accordance with Virginia law in March. Police have not yet determined whether Cho had an accomplice in the shootings. Officials indicated that a person of interest from the first shooting is cooperating with police. That individual was an acquaintance of the female victim of the first shooting and was stopped by police and questioned by authorities at the time of the second shooting. As of press time, this individual was still considered a "person of interest." Officials respond Gov. Tim Kaine extended his condolences to the Virginia Tech community during a televised broadcast last night. "Our hearts go out to the entire community, Kaine said. "This is the darkest day in the wonderful history of Virginia Tech." Kaine also said he will commission an independent panel of law enforcement experts in the next 48 hours to examine the administration and law enforcement response to the events leading up to and immediately following Monday morning's shootings. The purview of this examination will include complaints about the university administration's delay in notifying students of danger immediately after the first shooting. That decision has been questioned publicly by some students and members of the media. Kaine did not answer questions regarding policy changes. "Before we talk about any policy changes we have to get our best assessment of what occurred," Kaine said. Kaine added that families of the victims were the number one priority. "This is not a crusade or something for a political campaign," Kaine said. "It's about comforting families ... and helping this community heal ... For those who want to make this into some kind of crusade I say take that elsewhere." Officials said yesterday they are not releasing the names of the victims until they have identified all the remains and notified the next of kin. Several media sources, including the student newspaper at Tech, have released preliminary lists of the victims' names. Virginia Tech president Charles Steger said Virginia Tech will cancel classes for the remainder of the week. Further announcements about classes were expected today. Norris Hall will remain closed for the rest of the school year. "As you can understand, we are still working to understand this terrible tragedy," Steger said. "It is very difficult for me to express how we feel." -- Alex Sellinger and Stephanie Kassab contributed to this article -- Original Source: The Cavalier Daily - April 18, 2007
Deadliest shooting spree in U.S. history claims 33 victims Jordan Dods and Courtney Kessler, Cavalier Daily Associate Editors "Horror, disbelief and profound sorrow" was how Virginia Tech President Charles Steger described the Blacksburg community's reaction to what is the deadliest shooting incident in the nation's history. The school now faces what Steger called a "long and difficult road" to recovery after two shootings yesterday morning resulted in at least 33 fatalities, including that of a gunman, and about 30 injuries. The first shooting occurred at about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, resulting in two confirmed deaths. One of the victims has now been identified as one of the dorm's resident advisors. Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum cited evidence that a domestic dispute led to the first shooting. As of press time, police had questioned a person of interest who knew one victim and was potentially involved in the first shooting; however, police had not taken the individual into custody. After the first incident, Virginia Tech officials issued two e-mails informing students that there had been a shooting. The first e-mail was sent at 9:26 a.m. and stated that a shooting incident had occurred at West Ambler Johnston. The second e-mail followed at 9:50 a.m. and alerted the community that there was a gunman loose on the campus. Students and faculty were urged to remain inside and away from windows. As these e-mails were sent, the second shooting began in Norris Hall, ultimately leaving at least 31 dead, including the gunman. Virginia Tech sophomores Trey Perkins and Derek O'Dell said in a televised interview with Brian Williams the shooter entered their German class, shot their professor and opened fire on students. Perkins, one of the few students not shot, said the shooter fired for about a minute and a half as students used desks to shield themselves from the fire. O'Dell, who was shot in the arm, described the shooter as "an Asian male, about six-feet tall." "I think we're both still in shock," O'Dell said. "It's amazing that we were saved." Shortly after the second shooting, Virginia Tech students received a third e-mail at 10:16 a.m. announcing that classes were canceled and that outside persons were not to come on campus. Students were also urged to "lock their doors and stay away from windows." A fourth e-mail at 10:52 a.m. notified the community of the second shooting in Norris Hall with multiple victims. At that point, police were on the scene and a suspect had been detained, but police continued to search for a second shooter. Bodies were later found at different locations throughout Norris Hall, and doors to the building were chained when police arrived on the scene, Flinchum said, noting that this was "unusual." According to Flinchum, the campus did not go on lockdown until the shooting in Norris Hall took place because officials believed the dormitory shooting to be an isolated incident. Fifteen victims are being treated at hospitals in the Roanoke and New River Valley area. Officials confirmed reports of some individuals jumping out of windows to avoid facing fire. Officials declined to release the Norris Hall gunman's identity. Police continue to investigate whether a different gunman was involved in the dormitory shooting. Steger said an investigation remains underway to determine whether or not the two shootings are connected. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, currently flying back from an Asian trade mission in Tokyo, declared a state of emergency earlier yesterday to help organize the flow of assistance into Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is currently receiving assistance from state police, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, local jurisdictions and the Red Cross, according to Steger. U.S. President George W. Bush spoke from the White House earlier today, saying he was "horrified" by the shootings and promising to "do everything possible" for the victims. Media officials have reported that President Bush may travel to Virginia Tech today. Virginia Tech classes are canceled today and the university will hold a memorial service at 2 p.m. today at Cassell Coliseum. "I cannot begin to covey my own personal sense of loss over this senseless and incomprehensible, heinous act," Steger said at an earlier press conference. "Today the university was struck with a tragedy we consider of monumental proportions." -- Original Source:The Cavalier Daily - April 17, 2007
In wake of tragedy, students reflect on shootings that rocked community, describe "fearful environment" Jordan Dods and Courtney Kessler, Cavalier Daily Associate Editors Only in her worst nightmares could Nicole Shyti have anticipated the carnage transpiring as she slept on the fifth floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory yesterday morning. One floor beneath her, two Virginia Tech students had been murdered by a gunman who was still at large. It wasn't until 9:30 a.m., when a friend called her to make sure she was safe, that she learned about the killings. Shyti said she heard the sounds of siren after siren outside her dorm room. It was at that point, she said, that she knew something serious had happened. "I saw people running across the lawn outside, and it was just a lot of commotion," Shyti said. The shootings, which eventually left 33 dead, instantly transformed the Virginia Tech campus into a worldwide epicenter of tragedy and confusion. The campus was left nearly deserted as the university went on lockdown. An impromptu vigil on the Drill Field yesterday evening captured the intensity of emotion. Students locked arms -- some crying -- still waiting to find out whether friends had made it out alive. Virginia Tech student George Lane-Roberts said the rapid escalation of casualties left him "dumbfounded and shocked." As students spent the day within the familiar walls of their dorms, press outlets from around the world descended on Blacksburg to report the greatest tragedy to hit an American college campus. That blanket of media coverage provided many Tech students, hunkered around televisions, with their primary window into the events of the day. Tech student Joseph Chapman said he first found out about the shootings on TV before reading official e-mails from the university. Some have criticized Tech's response to the initial shooting as too little too late, saying that an earlier lockdown of campus could have prevented 30 deaths. The initial e-mail from the university came almost two hours after the first shooting occurred. Lane-Roberts recalled a shooting in Blacksburg on the first day of classes last August. He said he remembered that the entire campus had been locked down, even though no students were casualties of that shooting. Members of the media may be coming to their own conclusions, but students at Tech are still more confused than angered by the administration's response. Nathan Carter, who is still waiting to find out whether three of his friends are all right, said he doesn't blame the administration for its handling of the shootings. "Hindsight is 20/20," he said, adding that what Virginia Tech officials thought they had on their hands with the Ambler Johnston incident was a domestic dispute gone wrong. Freshman student Holly Faust said she was leaving campus, on her way to Radford University with a friend. By late afternoon, she said half of the students in her dorm had already left. Faust, who lives on the top floor of Slusher dormitory, one of the tallest buildings near Norris Hall, said a number of students went up to the top floor to observe clumps of police. Despite being within eye shot of the center of events, Faust said she also relied on television news reports for information about the unfolding events. Faust said she received the first official e-mail informing students of the shooting at about 9:30 a.m. and decided not to go to class. Many students first heard about the massacre not from the Virginia Tech e-mails, but through calls, e-mails and instant messages from friends and concerned family members. A resident advisor in Payne dormitory, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said he found out about the incident through an instant message from a friend. To notify his residents, the RA said he posted notices in stairwells and alerted students leaving the building to be cautious. He said RAs are trained extensively to handle serious situations such as this. Most of his duties yesterday included dispelling rumors and providing his residents with as much information as was available, he said. Carter described how the lack of solid information added to the confusion surrounding the events, saying the rumors ranged from gang-member involvement to "ridiculous" reports that the shooter was eight feet tall. Some may have falsely assumed that the shooter was lurking nearby, even after he had killed himself -- fears that were heightened by the saturation of gun-toting police who were sweeping the campus for any suspicious activity. Lane-Roberts said he and other students watched from a window as two police officers with assault rifles "tackled" a black student. The officers were "shouting" at students to close the blinds and "get in our rooms," he said. Chapman said RAs played a major role in communicating the lockdown to students. Virginia Tech freshman Margaret Hatcher said she never left her room because she had been advised to stay there and distance herself from the windows; however, her roommate had to find shelter in an academic building. "My roommate was actually in class this morning, and actually she was in the building next door to Norris," Hatcher said. "They took them all into the basement for a few hours" and around 12:30 p.m. told them to leave campus immediately. Sophomore Erik Stange said he lives off campus and learned of the situation when his parents called him around 11 a.m. Stange said he later learned from friends that a friend of his who was an RA in West Ambler Johnston had been shot. "He got shot in the leg, [so] hopefully he'll be okay," Stange said. Hours later, Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Finchum confirmed that an RA in West Ambler Johnston had died. Stange is just one of many students forced to cope with uncertainties about yesterday's events. "At this point, there are still a lot of questions and not answers," Shyti said. "We're in a fearful environment right now, [and] I think what contributes to the fear is that people don't know what's safe." As the community looks to beging the healing process, Virginia Tech has organized a memorial service in Cassell Coliseum, the basketball stadium, to be held today at 2 p.m. Freshman Elizabeth Rogers said she plans to attend the service. "Even though I don't know anyone directly who [has] been harmed, I just feel that as a university we need to band together ... and try to find the best way to be there for everyone in this time of need," Rogers said. Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said the university is starting a "long, difficult road" to recovery from the massacre. As the initial shock turns into a quest for answers, students at Virginia Tech are finding that the first step on that road is coming to terms with the magnitude of what has occurred. As one RA said, "Most of us are just kind of sitting here wondering when we're going to wake up, because it feels like a dream." -- Original Source: The Cavalier Daily - April 17, 2007