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By: Yoni Noble Posted: 5/7/07 April 16th, 2007, the awful day when a disturbed student killed 32 people at Virginia Tech, will be forever etched in the Jewish consciousness. Liviu Librescu, professor of aeronautical engineering and a survivor of the Holocaust, sacrificed his own life for those of his students. The magnitude of this act is a cause for mournful reflection on a Jewish life cut short. Liviu Librescu was born in 1930 to a Jewish family in Ploiesti, Romania. During World War II, when Romania joined forces with Nazi Germany, he was imprisoned in a forced labor camp. Subsequently he was sent, along with his family and thousands of others, to a ghetto in the city of Focsani about 100 miles from his home. Hundreds of thousands of Jews from across Romania died in the Focsani Ghetto and in Transnistria, a Romanian-run Nazi killing field where Librescu's father, a lawyer, perished. Liviu survived the horrors of the Focsani Ghetto and the Holocaust and nobly committed his life to academia, studying aerospace engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, where he received both his undergraduate degree in 1952 and his Masters in 1953. In 1969 he received his Ph.D. in fluid Mechanics from Academia de Stiinte din Romania. Liviu Librescu was a brilliant mind and quickly established himself as a top researcher at the Bucharest Institute of Applied Mechanics and the Academy of Science of Romania. Yet his refusal to swear allegiance to the destructive Communist regime in Romania ultimately left him jobless. Without means to support his wife, Marlene, and two sons, Joe and Arie, Librescu tried to leave Romania for Israel. But under the Romanian communist regime Jews were not allowed to emigrate. In 1978 the Romanian government finally permitted Liviu to leave, but only after a direct request was made by the Prime Minister of Israel--Menachem Begin--to Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu. From 1979 to 1986 Librescu was a Professor of Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering at Tel-Aviv University and Haifa's Technion. In 1985 he took a sabbatical from Tel Aviv University to research and teach at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. He quickly became a vital part of the School of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and in 1986 decided to make Blacksburg and Virginia Tech his full-time home. These extraordinary accomplishments in the face of such tribulations made Livui Librescu a hero to those who knew him. But his actions on the morning of April 16, 2007 shine through as beacon of everything that embodies his heroic spirit. On that frightful morning when a deranged gunman chose Librescu's classroom as a target for his heinous, senseless murdering spree, Liviu Librescu barricaded himself against the classroom door in an attempt to lock the gunman out. He told his students to flee through a classroom window while he threw his body against the door. Librescu was fatally shot, but the gunman never managed to gain access and no student in the classroom was harmed. Following the tragedy, representatives of the Borough Park-based organization Chesed Shel Emes quickly contacted the morgue holding Librescu's remains. Before an autopsy could be performed, Librescu was brought to Brooklyn for a levaya (funeral service). Though Liviu had no family in Borough Park, hundreds of Jews packed the tiny funeral chapel to grieve, console, and, celebrate a life nobly lived. After stirring remarks by New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Librescu's body was flown to Israel for burial. The death of this great man forces us to reexamine our own grasp on life. What inspires a man to willingly forfeit his life in defense of another? Branded with the memories of the Holocaust, Librecu understood that life is fleeting and transitory. The end can come at any moment, without prior notice. When given the opportunity to save many lives , Liviu unflinchingly sacrificed his own, concretizing the boundless devotion he carried for humanity. Surely such a man deserves concrete memorials, at the very least a postage stamp or a place renamed in his honor. His name must soar as an inspiration for future generations -- not just for Jews, but for all. -- Original Source: The Commentator - May 7, 2007
People placed flowers,candles and gifts under the tree near the Norris Hall to mourn for the victims. Photo taken April 18,2007
Several tribute posters were collected from the Virginia Tech community. Later, these posters were posted around the Graduate Life Center of VT.
In front of the Norris Hall,people placed different flowers there every day after the shooting. Photo taken April 19,2007
A lot of wreathes and flowers were placed besides the Norris Hall. People also wrote solace messages on the posters and set them with the flowers. Photo taken April 24,2007
Numerous people visited the Hokie stone memorial site on the drillfield. They placed flowers and gifts around this memorial site. We will always remember the victims.
People brought handmade gifts and flowers to the drillfield memorial site to mourn and pray for the victims every day.
Students at University of New Hampshire gather after a vigil to sign a banner which will be sent to Virginia Tech. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/82312517@N00/470760480/ Photo Courtesy of Zac Lowel
Permission: Zac Lowel http://www.flickr.com/photos/82312517@N00/470760480/
By: Zach Kun Lin Han Posted: 4/19/07 The massacre at Virginia Tech gripped the nation the way Hollywood films always do. Except that it wasn't a film. The slayings were real, brutal and heartless. And while the gunman shot "randomly," it was also with an unmistakable precision. Death is always a surreal event. It marks the natural conclusion of a unique cycle, which, like birth, isgrotesque and beautiful in equal measure. Yet when death is inflicted by force, we can never speak of the unspeakable loss and can never express the torment a victim experienced during that brush with mortality. For some, it might be an endless eternity; for others, a fleetingly swift one. And for those who fell during that battle, through tributes and condolences we remember and commemorate the memories they left. During these times, we mourn and grieve with empathy for the victims. Our roles as part of the community become especially magnified, and our responses become a warning that such behavior of acting upon others is a behavior nobody tolerates. Nonetheless, where does the Virginia Tech massacre leave us? It is important to understand the reasons why the massacre occurred in the first place. Cho Seung-Hui has frequently been described by his peers as a socially isolated individual. Twice, his professors were shocked by the severity of the plays he composed, in which he described certain themes of revenge and bloodlust in graphic detail. And he acted as a result of societal disillusionment. The moral collapse of "what he considered the more privileged students on campus" was cited as the underlying motivation behind his actions. The signs were there, but it wasn't acted upon sufficiently enough, due to both external as well as internal factors. This shouldn't be a blame game about responsibilities, though. From a national perspective, the blame game about gun-possession merits reverberates even louder. It seems fatalistic to conclude that the event was an inevitable conclusion of a gun-toting policy, yet the tragedy was always a possible consequence of weapons possession. Others have questioned the long delay of immediate action being taken to identify the cause of the problem, which would have possibly allowed for more stringent security measures. More recent revelations have revealed that investigators were misled by a bad lead, hence the lag time of two hours between the first killings and the rest. Yet in a sprawling, large campus such as Virginia Tech, it would arguably have been difficult for instant prevention policies to be successfully implemented at such short notice, but action was still necessary. Moreover, Seung-Hui's nationality also meant that fears of future possible racial recriminations against the Korean and Asian community have been expressed. Yet it is foolhardy to shift the blame onto one race simply because of this incident. Emotions do not choose, irrespective of race or nationality. Violence, a frightening product born out of various factors, can overwhelm regardless of one's status, wealth or privilege. It is heartwarming though, to hear about the character and bravery displayed by those who acted selflessly in trying to protect their fellow brethren while in the knowledge that they might fall in the process: "Students said Professor Liviu Librescu had blocked the door to his classroom to prevent the gunman from entering." Professor Librescu fell, but for his courage he was anointed by President Bush as the first hero of the Virginia Tech massacre. And many of the victims were souls who never got to live longer than they deserved, and their actions are reminders that we all have the capacity to do good during the most crucial moments. The fundamental unity of this diverse nation is built on trust. And, while the gory Virginia Tech events have been appalling, it is during these times that we should all gather together as a people, and look toward solving what has become our challenge. -- Original Source:The California Aggie - April 19, 2007
The shooting at Virginia Tech is undeniably one of the worst tragedies American students have ever faced. Stories of heroism make their way out of the situation, but the media is focused on the death and destruction caused on the campus of Virginia Tech University. One thing, however, should give Virginia Tech students, and Americans throughout the country, something to be proud of. In the absence of professional newsmen, students took control of the media, showing an unprecedented ability to shape the coverage regarding their event. In the wake of the worst campus massacre ever in the United States, dozens of news organizations flocked to Virginia to cover the tragedy. Before they arrived, however, the mainstream media relied on reports from those already on the ground: the college students themselves. Armed with the video and still cameras on their mobile phones, dozens of students set out to create their own coverage of an incident that was very much their own. The first audio and video accounts of the incident aired by CNN came from iReport, their citizen journalism program. The video, shot on a Nokia smartphone, made its way around the networks, all courtsey of a Virginia Tech student named Jamal Albarghouti. Dozens of similar stories are to be told. In the hours preceding the arrival of professional reporters, Virginia Tech students had, unfortunately, the opportunity to shape the world’s news. Their coverage helped to show the world how terrible the massacre was and helped to qualm some fears about students that were safe. Twitter, a “stream of consciousness” blogging tool by Obvious Corp (utilized mostly by web celebrities such as Robert Scoble and Thomas Hawk), served constant updates to the internet, courtesy of a user named Tom Markiewicz. Chris Pirillo, a web celebrity in his own right, helped to stream live coverage with a tool called UStream.tv. His conversation with Planet Blacksburg, a new student-run publication from Virginia Tech, captured nationwide attention as sections were aired on various evening news programs. What most surprised me, however, was the caliber and tenacity of the coverage coming from the students themselves at Virginia Tech. Via the aforementioned Planet Blackburg, they helped to broadcast news of the tragedy throughout the world, becoming the go-to site for immediate updates. The Web2.0 movement, which many experts see as a bubble ready to burst, finally showcased its effectiveness yesterday. YouTube has showed its staying power by drawing users in to watch videos on their website. The entire citizen journalism movement, however, displayed its prominence yesterday with the Virginia Tech shooting. Never, in years past, would internet surfers be granted the same hard-hitting coverage as Planet Blacksburg provided yesterday. In this day and age, everyone is a reporter. Yesterday, as CNN broadcast video from a student’s cellphone video, and as Planet Blacksburg updated faster than the almighty network news, it became apparent. The “new media” is here to stay, and, from the looks of it, it’s ready to provide better coverage than had ever been imagined. The shooting at Virginia Tech has caused incredible sadness and grief. It has, however, caused something else: the birth of a new generation of reporters. News of the incident continues to stun the staff here at New School Politics. In the coming days, we’ll be doing everything we can to help, but for the moment, the best we can do is to give our condolences to those involved in the tragedy at Virginia Tech. On April 30th, we’ll be participating in One Day Blog Silence, a day of quiet on the blogosphere dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy. Date : 19 April 2007 Categories : Liberal Content, media, culture, education, tragedy, web2.0, Virginia Tech -- Originally posted by Zach Sims on the New School Politics blog: http://www.newschoolpolitics.com/liberal-content/out-of-darkness-comes-light/ Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
By: Zak Kazzaz Posted: 4/23/07 Early Friday morning, Duke University Police Department received an anonymous bomb threat for Bell Tower Dormitory and another building, which does not exist. The threat-received through a telecommunications device for the deaf-was not found credible by the police, but they investigated the dorm to ensure there was no hazard, said Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs. Bell Tower residents were not evacuated and received an e-mail about the threat several hours later. The incident added Duke to a list of schools and universities across the country that have received security threats since the Virginia Tech shootings a week ago. Although some universities have chosen to evacuate buildings and cancel classes in response to the threats, others have opted to continue normal activities. "Threats are made over the course of the year, and [the police] exercise a judgment," Moneta said. "They have expertise in determining that something's credible or not." He added that DUPD is currently investigating who called in the threat. Some Bell Tower residents said they were wary of how the situation was handled. Freshman Jordan Rice said he saw a police officer searching the dormitory Friday. "We asked him if he needed any help, and he said no," Rice said. "He looked to be in no hurry." Rice added that he was unsure whether or not evacuation would have been necessary. "They deemed it was not credible," he said. "I trust that, but then again, you really don't want to make the same mistake the Virginia Tech administrators made in not closing down classes or, in this case, evacuating a dorm." Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residential life, wrote in the e-mail sent to the residents that there was no reason for students to feel unsafe. "We do not believe Bell Tower residents have any cause for concern at this time, but we wanted to make you aware of it and encourage extra vigilance on your part," he said. In addition to Gonzalez's e-mail, Moneta sent out a message Friday to the entire undergraduate body, referencing the threat and encouraging students to remain safe and cautious. "Institutions across the nation and world, including Duke, begin hearing murmurs of violent acts to follow at home on one's own campus," Moneta wrote in the e-mail. "While institutions must take such threats seriously and do their best to explore their veracity, this grim reality underscores our need to be extra vigilant in all that we do." Freshman Jon Silverman, a Bell Tower resident, said he preferred to remain unaware of threats unless the University chooses to take action. "I just don't really want to know that they're not going to do something," Silverman said. "It's perceived risk versus actual risk." He added that, in this turbulent time, bomb threats have the potential to shut down universities and that Duke should only inform students of threats if they are concrete. "If they do start responding to every single bomb threat, we won't have finals or classes," Silverman said. "If they just stop responding and don't let all these copycats take it seriously, then hopefully it'll die off." -- Original Source: Duke Chronicle - April 23, 2007