Tragedy may cause RA training review
description: By: Kellen Moore, Staff Writer Posted: 4/25/07 With last week's Virginia Tech shootings still fresh in the minds of many, UNC officials are looking to evaluate residence hall safety as one area of emphasis. With about 7,700 students living on campus, resident advisers often are the first line of defense in emergencies. At Va. Tech, Ryan Clark, an RA in West Ambler Johnston Hall, was one of the first of 32 victims killed in last week's shooting rampage. He was investigating a loud noise when he met the gunman in a hallway. Kyle Jordan, coordinator for student leadership and programming and a member of the committee responsible for training RAs to deal with emergencies, said that while the training RAs receive is extensive, it deals only with situations within the confines of everyday life. "We don't train them to deal with any type of assailant that might have a weapon," Jordan said. At UNC, RAs are responsible for a section of a residence hall, and they are placed throughout 14 campus communities. Training is held two weeks before the semester starts, and it includes preparation for emergencies such as fires, medical accidents and sexual assault, among others. RAs also are instructed how to deal with roommate conflicts and how to approach students who they suspect might be experiencing emotional problems. "Really, it is a top-down process from the highest administrators living in a building down to the RAs," Jordan said. "Everybody is a part of crisis management, and we do it very well." But despite his confidence in those guidelines, Jordan said there has been talk about UNC reviewing safety procedures more. "There's no time that we're going to say our policies are 100 percent," Jordan said. Kareemah Lewis, a former RA in the Olde Campus Upper Quad Community, said the training she received came in handy. "We were prepared because we had specific training in that area, in dealing with a crisis - not specifically somebody coming to shoot, but students hurting themsel…
creator: Kellen Moore
publisher: The Daily Tar Heel
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

Shooting amps up gun debate
description: By: Alexander Trowbridge, Staff Writer Posted: 4/25/07 The shooting at Virginia Tech last week put the gun control issue back in the national public forum. While Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine dismissed taking political advantage of the incident as deplorable, both pro-gun groups and those advocating gun control rallied for change. Barbara Hohlt, executive director of States United to Prevent Gun Violence, said stricter gun laws could have saved lives at Va. Tech. "We do a very poor job in this country at doing adequate background checks." Pro-gun advocates attacked gun-free safe zones such as the Va. Tech campus, which they claim prevented victims from protecting themselves. Carl Abbe, the owner and president of Calibers Indoor Gun Range in Greensboro, said gun-free zones let criminals know that no one is there to stop them. Abbe said Va. Tech should consider arming and training select members of the campus community to defend their fellow classmates. "If that one professor who blocked the door had had a handgun, he would have been able to do more than just block the door," Abbe said. "He would have been able to stop that man." The N.C. House passed a bill on Thursday that would allow judges to carry concealed weapons. Rep. Walter Church, D-Burke, sponsored the bill and said it was a response to the shooting of a judge in a courtroom in Atlanta last year. "The judges that I've talked to thought it was a good idea," Church said, adding that even those who don't carry guns appreciate the attention to their security. The passage of the bill just days after the shooting at Va. Tech concerned some N.C. residents. Lisa Price, executive director of the North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Education Fund, said courtrooms already are protected. "In general, we dislike putting guns in more places," Price said. The issue of gun control is complex, and in North Carolina it is not always divided along party lines. Though Church sponsored the bill allowing judges to carry concealed w…
creator: Alexander Trowbridge
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

Hokies return seeking routine
description: Some students able to forgive By: Erin France, State & National Editor Posted: 4/24/07 BLACKSBURG, Va. - The first day back to class for Virginia Tech students began with a morning ceremony honoring the 32 students and faculty killed by senior English major Seung-Hui Cho. Thirty-two white balloons were released with the strike of a bell in front of 33 small stones placed in a semi-circle on the wide expanse of the field known as the Drillfield. The 33rd marker, placed between Matthew Gwaltney's and Dan O'Neil's, was for Cho, who killed himself at the end of his rampage; it was removed later Monday. There still is a sizable showing of flowers and notes in the place where his stone lay. "He was still a person, too," junior Matthew Quinn said. "He was still a Hokie." In this community of more than 25,000 students, there are signs of forgiveness toward the gunman, but it is not a consensus. There were not many on campus willing to talk to the media Monday, and while the campus population spiked from last week, it was far from a normal spring day. "There are a lot of students back, but this is pretty sparse," graduate student Amy Tanner said. "I think it will be just a slow, long week." Instructors received e-mails from the Va. Tech administration encouraging them to mention last week's events in their classes. Ting Cai, a graduate student, is teaching a general chemistry class today and said he cannot predict how many of his students will attend. "We're only going to meet for 15 minutes," he said. "I think I'll probably start with a moment of silence." Teachers are using Monday and Tuesday to assess the grades and conditions of their students before finishing the semester. Exams are optional in calculating students' final grades. Andrew Blando, a junior oceanic engineer, said he still is debating the different options. "I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of the situation," he said. The students remaining on campus Monday were searching for normalcy. Many stu…
creator: Erin France
publisher: The Daily Tar Heel
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

The right to life
description: More gun control doesn't infringe on right to bear arms By: Editorial Board Posted: 4/23/07 It took little time for the journalists and political pundits to start talking gun control. This editorial is not just about last week's Virginia Tech shooting. It's also about the North Mecklenburg High School student who brought a gun on campus last Wednesday, threatened two other students and then left and shot himself. It's about the rumors of a planned shooting that circulated around Orange County High School last Friday and about the student who killed his father, then injured two others at that same school last fall. This editorial isn't about the Second Amendment or taking away Americans' right to bear arms. It's about how to keep guns away from those who are unfit to use them. It's about taking away an easy means of suicide for the roughly 16,000 Americans who killed themselves with a firearm in 2004. It's about limiting the 14,000 murdered by guns in 2005 and the 650 fatal accidents the year before. One reason to study history is to avoid making the same mistakes as in the past. Stricter gun control laws might not prevent tragedy from striking, but they can make it far less likely. Even simple regulations such as background checks can make a huge difference. If somebody has a history of mental illness, that should certainly show up in a background check and prevent that person from buying a gun. And there is no sense in destroying information gathered during those checks after 24 hours, as is mandated by national law, when, in some states, that person can return to buy another gun 30 days later. A comprehensive registration system of gun owners would not hurt anyone but criminals. In Texas, residents do not need a permit to own a gun and do not have to register their firearms. The authorities don't even know how many guns are in the state. In addition, 80 percent of prisoners who own guns received their gun from family or a friend or bought it on the street or illeg…
creator: Editorial Board
publisher: The Daily Tar Heel
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

Religious leaders defer in healing
description: Few mention Va. Tech during Sunday sermons By: Allison Nichols, Assistant State & National Editor Posted: 4/23/07 The Rev. Ruth Stevens, whose son graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004, was one of few ministers of Franklin Street churches to address in a sermon Sunday the deadliest shooting in U.S. history. "The most vulnerable were not the 32 students who were shot," she said at University United Methodist Church, linking the week's events to Christian teachings. "The most vulnerable was the one who did the shooting." Stevens said some of her parishioners have felt out of step with society at large because they feel empathy for Seung-Hui Cho, the Va. Tech senior who shot 32 others before killing himself, in addition to their compassion for his victims. She and other area religious leaders said no one has come to them in the past week for help coping with the tragedy "I think the University really counsels itself," said Rabbi Ben Packer of the Jewish Experience Movement of the South, a UNC student organization. "It's amazing how the University community has come together to deal with it communally, whether it's religious or in other ways," he said, adding that the Va. Tech shootings were a main topic of conversation at Shabbat meals on the Sabbath. Packer said the reactions of students with whom he's spoken about the tragedy were neither uniquely religious nor uniquely Jewish. "Everybody's hurting from it," he said. "Everyone kind of feels the same pain." The Rev. Bob Dunham of University Presbyterian Church said that for people within any faith tradition, there is an element of basic personal compassion for the pain of others, as well as a responsibility to intervene whenever possible. He said the most important thing people can do now is to listen to those most affected by the deaths at Va. Tech. "It's too early to talk about forgiveness," he said. Rabbi John Friedman of the Judea Reform Congregation in Durham said he's talked to his congregation about gun control …
creator: Allison Nichols
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

Carson consoles in tragedy
description: New leader reaching out to Va. Tech By: Meghan E. Woods, Staff Writer Posted: 4/23/07 Not even three weeks into her term, Student Body President Eve Carson has found herself trying to console both the UNC and Virginia Tech campuses. Hours after learning of the Va. Tech tragedy, in which 32 people were killed by a suicidal student gunman, Carson, along with student body presidents from other schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference, formed an e-mail listserv to send messages of condolence to Va. Tech student government leaders. "Hearing the news was just so incredibly shocking," Carson said. "The listserv was a way of reaching out. In a moment of need, there's nothing like having someone to reach out to you." Carson said she hopes to expand the communication between the schools by encouraging UNC student leaders to reach out to their counterparts in Blacksburg. "We're asking people to send their counterparts an e-mail or a letter," Carson said. "Just something to let them know you're thinking about them. We thought it'd be important to show that we were caring about the Virginia Tech community." Carson said that the matchup program is a collaborative idea and that she has been motivated to reach out because of her experiences with the death of Jason Ray, the UNC senior who portrayed Rameses for three seasons . "When Jason Ray died, I received a number of letters from people expressing their sympathy," said Carson, who took office the week after Ray's death. "I thought it was so incredible. It's nice to know that others are with you and thinking of you." Carson also is talking to UNC athletics officials about putting Va. Tech emblems on baseball helmets and working with other ACC schools to coordinate a full-page advertisement in the Collegiate Times, the Va. Tech student newspaper, expressing support during the wake of the tragedy. Former Student Body President Seth Dearmin said communication among students was the path toward healing last March when nine people were…
creator: Meghan E. Woods
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

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

State looks to review
description: Will examine campus security By: David Reynolds, Staff Writer Posted: 4/20/07 In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy, school systems across the country are discussing new security measures to ensure that such a harrowing event never could be duplicated. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announced Thursday that an independent review panel has been formed to analyze the circumstances surrounding Monday's shooting. Retired Virginia State police Superintendent Col. Gerald Massengill will be the head of the panel, which also will include Tom Ridge, the former U.S. secretary of homeland security. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper also has called for a special task force in conjunction with the State Bureau of Investigation, the UNC system, the N.C. Community College System and the N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities to look for improvements in campus emergency plans. "We'll be looking at issues such as guidelines for when to declare a campus lockdown, how to better communicate with students and faculty in a crisis and more ways to identify a potential shooter, along with many others," he said in a Wednesday press conference. Hope Williams, president of N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities, said school administrators will choose a task force during the next 10 days. She said this task force will release a report within six months containing suggestions for the 2007 fall semester. The task force will not mandate changes, Williams said, because a one-size plan cannot fit different universities' needs. "I think the major question is one of modifying and adjusting existing emergency response plans as institutions feel it is necessary." Jeff Davies, the chief of staff for UNC-system President Erskine Bowles, said discussions already had begun concerning improvements in security before the Va. Tech incident, but the event has added impetus to the debate. "The decisions have been made to ensure that all residence halls will have card access, alarms and cameras," he said.…
creator: David Reynolds
publisher: The Daily Tar Heel
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

UNC to get phone alerts
description: Text messages can notify police By: Katy Doll, Staff Writer Posted: 4/20/07 UNC officials are implementing a phone system that alerts campus police when students are in danger. Beginning this fall, the University will offer the Rave Guardian program, which uses a Global Positioning System timer to notify police of students' locations when needed. "You can set a timer on your phone that says: 'If I don't reset this timer, I want you to send a signal to campus police,'" said Larry Hicks, director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education. When the time expires, the phone alerts the student, and if it's not turned off, Rave contacts campus police, who can locate the phone using GPS technology. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, campus security is on everyone's mind, but UNC officials were planning to implement Rave Guardian before Monday's shootings. UNC officials are in negotiations with different providers and do not know the exact costs associated with purchasing the program. Hicks said the housing department plans to offer a reduced price on GPS phones to all on-campus students next year. There will be a push for incoming freshmen to buy the phones, which will be promoted at C-TOPS. The program is part of the Rave Wireless system, an existing service that allows students to receive text messages about Blackboard updates and bus routes. The service also has an emergency broadcasting system. "We could basically send out a broadcast message to all the users of the Rave system," said Brian Payst, director of technology and systems support for the division of student affairs. Students whose phones aren't equipped for the GPS program can use Rave's other features, such as emergency text messaging. Students can sign up at www.unc.edu/rave. Rave was established as a pilot program at UNC last summer with a group of about 20 students and now has 364 students, Payst said. The emergency system never has been used, but officials said they have completed tes…
creator: Katy Doll
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Kevin Schwartz <kschwartz@unc.edu>
language: eng

https://april16archive.org/items/show/751
description: Caitlin's memorial at Tech Orginial Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolbeebr/535467219/in/photostream/ Photo courtesy of Carol Brandt
creator: Carol Brandt
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission: Carol Brandt cbbrandt@vt.edu
language: eng

https://april16archive.org/items/show/752
description: The area around Liviu's stone is filled with flowers, notes, and other items. Orginial Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolbeebr/535479889/in/photostream/ Photo courtesy of Carol Brandt
creator: Carol Brandt
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission: Carol Brandt cbbrandt@vt.edu
language: eng

https://april16archive.org/items/show/753
description: The area around Jocelyne's stone is filled with flowers, notes, and other items. Orginial Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolbeebr/535467181/in/photostream/ Photo courtesy of Carol Brandt
creator: Carol Brandt
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission: Carol Brandt cbbrandt@vt.edu
language: eng

Virginia Tech
description: Anyone who is not living an incredibly secluded life (if you are, can I join you there?) has probably heard about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. where a gunman killed some 33 people, including himself. I've struggled whether to weigh in on this or not, but I felt that I would do so because I feel like a lot of the subtext of what is being said is awful. First and foremost, as a Christian, I am praying for those actually affected by this. Friends, families and Virginia Tech's students and faculty are hurting right now. God of all comfort, be near to them and somehow work this evil towards good. Christ, have mercy. I implore people to not use this as a springboard for their agendas. Gun control lobbyists, anti-video game lobbyists and people of this ilk: I'm talking about you. While you may have some valid points, just shut up for a while and grieve with those who are mourning. I also understand that, in pain, people want someone to blame. Since the killer committed suicide, he does not prevent the convenient target. Please don't turn the school's president and the the chief of campus police into scapegoats to satisfy your pain-fueled desire for justice. Guess what: there won't be any here. The pain won't go away just because you feel like you have someone to blame. To the news media: you disgust me. Human suffering is not a commodity to be packaged, sensationalized and delivered to consumers. You're a pack of vultures; a bunch of parasites of pain. Stop giving voice to the lobbyists who want to twist this for their own cause. Learn to listen, learn to suffer with those who are suffering. Tell us what's happening, and get the hell out of the way. Please. To those who will inevitably say, "let's ensure this never happens again," I have news for you: you can't do that. What you can do is learn to live a life that is full of joy and pain amidst many uncertainties. I'm not saying that nothing can be done, but I am saying that fear and pain do not drive anyone to make good …
creator: Matt Wiebe
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License
language: eng

Can I Breathe Again?
description: The fact that God repeats those words - with every hardship comes ease - is a much needed emphasis for those suffering, just in case they miss it the first time. By Tarik Trad, April 17, 2007 All day long, I had this sinking feeling in my stomach. No doubt, I've felt it before - after the Murrah Building/Oklahoma City Bombing, the first World Trade Center attack, the horrors of 9/11, the Anthrax letters, the DC Sniper - now today. While horribly sickened and saddened by the senseless loss of fellow Americans shot and killed on campus at Virginia Tech, I couldn't help but think: What if the shooter was a Muslim? I'm not trying to sound selfish. First and foremost, my thought are with those families and friends. Their pain and grief must be overwhelming. During difficult times, I am reminded of the verses from the Qur'an (94:5-6) that state, "With every hardship comes ease. Verily, with every hardship comes ease!" The fact that God repeats those words - with every hardship comes ease - is a much needed emphasis for those suffering, just in case they miss it the first time. It is part of His mercy and compassion. I usually share these words with friends who have lost loved ones. Today, I am sharing them with all those affected by the tragedy in Blacksburg, Virginia. They need them as much as anyone else in the world. That said, I wonder if anyone else was thinking the same way or can relate to what I was feeling? Was the entire world waiting to hear a similar outcome? Am I paranoid or should I have a genuine concern about the fate of American Muslims should another attack on our country come from our so-called co-religionists? When the first video was played on CNN today, the name on the screen was Jamal Albarghouti. My heart sank, only to realize later he was the one shooting the video. When I first heard the shooter was Asian, I thought, "What kind of Asian - South Asian? Afghani? Pakistani? Indonesian?" Should I feel better now that I know he is of Korean ancestry? …
creator: Tarik Trad
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial 1.0
language: eng

The Now Infamous Va. Tech Video
description: Posted April 17th, 2007 - 15:39PM by Steve Fox Well, it didn't take long. One of my students at the University of Maryland has a brother who attends Virginia Tech and lost two friends yesterday. She started to break down as she told me she would not be in class tonight. As everyone steps up to applaud the "citizen journalism" that occurred yesterday, with kudos upon kudos give to the cellphone video made infamous by CNN, I can't help but think what my student's brother thought yesterday upon seeing that video played over and over and over again. Consider this: the video had no inherent news value and told no story. It did have sounds of bullets being fired and screams. Those were bullets that killed, maimed and injured students and faculty members. This wasn't a video game. Is such video responsible journalism? Are these the types of Citizen Journalists that people want to see? Are we doomed to create "citizen journalists" to play the I-patsies for cable television? There were other not-so-proud moments, including the decision to publish this and then the rush to judgment reported here. As most professional journalists who have covered breaking news and tragedy know, the facts are never clear in the first couple of hours and will likely change. And, when reporting on tragedy, two things rise above most -- try not to do harm and think of those involved -- both victims and their families. It means slowing down. And, thinking, should I really whip out my cellphone here? Cable television long ago threw out the baby with the bath water. Now, breaking news events are an opportunity for ratings as viewers watch tragedy unfold. Journalism? Hardly. Students who were in shock were interviewed regularly, with the final question of "how are you feeling" inevitably searching for a sob. Watching tragedy unfold via cable news is the soap opera of the modern era. It's hardly journalism. Which brings us back to our heralded cell-phone videographer yesterday. The London bombing showe…
creator: Steve Fox
date: 2007-07-16
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License
language: eng

Festival to honor local Virginia Tech shooting victim
description: By PALMYRA COURIER-JOURNAL Posted: Jun 25, 08:50 AM EDT PALMYRA — "What can I do to help?" That was the question on many local lips following the death of Mary Karen Read in the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech University on April 16. There is now an answer to that question. Read's family is sponsoring Rock 4 Mary 2007, a full-day music festival in the Palmyra Village Park, on Sunday, Aug. 5, from noon to 8 p.m. The festival will raise funds for a scholarship in Read's name, to be awarded through her high school in Annandale, Va. Miss Read, a 19-year-old freshman at Virginia Tech, was the niece of Mary Courtney of Palmyra. Her father, Peter Read, was a 1980 Palmyra-Macedon High School graduate. A suggested donation of $5 per person for the entire day is requested, and the first 500 people will receive a memorial bracelet. Eight local rock bands will perform, many of them local student groups. A chicken barbecue will be served from 3 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $8 each, and can be purchased in advance from Courtney by calling (315) 597-5076, or at the customer service counter at Breen's IGA. Other food and drinks will be available throughout the day and T-shirts will also be sold. All proceeds will be donated to the Mary Karen Read Scholarship Fund. Any local business or individual who would like to be an event sponsor, contact Courtney at (315) 597-5076, or by e-mail at mcourtne@rochester.rr.com. -- Original Source: Palmyra Courier-Journal http://www.mpnnow.com/news/view_story.php?articleId=9713 Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0.
creator: Palmyra Courier-Journal
date: 2007-07-17
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
language: eng

Finger-pointing won’t answer problem of evil
description: GateHouse Media Tue Apr 24, 2007, 10:41 AM CDT BLACKSBURG, Va. - A tragedy the magnitude of last week's mass murder in Blacksburg, Va., prompt most of us to ask serious questions. What compelled a student to kill 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus? How could someone so obviously disturbed gain access to the weapons he used? Why didn't anyone recognize his potential for violence and do something to prevent it? These responses are to be expected, given the scope of the collective sorrow experienced by people across the nation. And in time, there is no doubt some individuals may be forced to address some of these questions. The answers may help school officials, counselors and legislators in crafting policies and procedures designed to more effectively deal with such problems. But the finger-pointing masks an inescapable fact: Regardless of who missed what signs and who failed to raise security measures, Seung Hui Cho is solely responsible for all those deaths. And when someone decides to engage in such violence, there often is little that other people can do. Some have described Cho as a loner who didn't interact with his roommates. Others have said his writings were very disturbing. These statements are most likely true, but they don't explain why he killed so many people. How many young people across the country could be described as loners? How many of them have a bizarre attraction to violence and write rather alarming things? Thousands, tens of thousands? Perhaps more? So there are many others who face circumstances very similar to those Cho experienced. Yet virtually none of them make the leap from disturbed loner to mass murderer. While he was plagued by fear, resentment and isolation, Cho had choices to deal with his problems. The difference between him and the countless others confronting the same problems is that he chose not to find alternative ways of handling his fear, resentment and isolation. Cho opted to walk down the path of violence, and this is a…
creator: GateHouse Media / Brookfield Suburban Life
date: 2007-07-17
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
language: eng

Business as usual at high school after Virginia Tech shootings
description: By Ryan Bray GateHouse Media Thu May 03, 2007, 02:22 PM EDT Scituate - In the two weeks since the Virginia Tech shootings swept through the college town of Blacksburg, Va., people nationwide are still struggling to grasp and adjust to the tragic events that left 33 students and faculty members at the school dead. But miles an miles away from all the mourning and controversy, it's business as usual at Scituate High School, as students and faculty members go about their daily routines. Students rush about the halls while seniors, many of whom are in the process of hearing back from colleges and making their plans for the fall, count down the remaining days of their high school careers. "It hasn't impacted them at all," said Sherri Lewis, director of guidance at the high school, regarding the impact of the shooting on outgoing students. "They all seem very excited." But while students have carried on with things as they otherwise would, that's not to say that the Virginia Tech shootings haven't had some effect on the school, however slight. Principal Donna Nuzzo-Mueller said the shootings are of greater concern to teachers than to students, whom have come to learn of the tragedies from a distance through television and the news. "I think our educators dwell on this more than the young people do," Nuzzo-Mueller said. "Developmentally at their age, I think it's difficult to grasp the severity of it all at that stage of their lives." However, students are reacting in their own ways. Nuzzo-Mueller said several school groups and clubs have rallied to raise money for a fund established for the families of the shooting victims. Others, she said, have likely dealt with the tragedy outside the school with friends and family. "We certainly have kids who want to reach out and help, and that's natural," she said. The shootings almost immediately brought attention to the issue of how to better prepare and respond in the event of a similar emergency in the future. Administrators and…
creator: Ryan Bray
date: 2007-07-17
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
language: eng

The news gets worse and worse
description: By KEVIN FRISCH Messenger Post Columnist Posted: Apr 23, 01:00 PM EDT What a difference a weekend makes. Last Friday, the big story was brand new man of leisure Don Imus, who was ousted from his nationally syndicated radio program after making a disparaging remark about a women's basketball team. Since the comment was racist in nature, there were calls for a new discussion on the topic of race; a new dialogue on the parallel universes that are black and white America. By Sunday, this conversation was put on hold — along the East Coast, anyway — as attention turned to more immediate concerns. Namely, the weather. A full-fledged 'noreaster made an unwelcome April visit and, for some 36 hours, it snowed slush. Or slushed snow. Or rained snow and slush. Whatever, the result was inches and inches of precipitation leading to flooding, treacherous travel and widespread power outages. By late Monday morning, even those with cold homes and flooded basements were suddenly counting their blessings as they heard the first news reports from Blacksburg, Va. An unspeakably violent week in recent American history had another blood-soaked chapter. In the past 15 years, the week between April 15 and April 22 has seen the siege of the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, Texas; the Oklahoma City bombing; the Columbine High School shootings and, now, the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history: the massacre at Virginia Tech. Including the gunman, 33 souls were lost on the college's campus on April 16. Another 26 people were wounded. As the initial shock and confusion gave way to anguish and a search for likely-nonexistent answers, a few reflexive voices were raised. There was right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh, who climbed onto his high horse to condemn the "drive-by media," whoever they are. (Apparently, Rush has a problem with news people showing up to cover what may well be the biggest story of the year.) There was the almost immediate debate over firearm rights, a customary ec…
creator: Kevin Frisch
date: 2007-07-17
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5
language: eng

Virginia Tech tragedy continues to hit home
description: By Messenger Post and wire reports Posted: Apr 18, 01:00 PM EDT On a campus proud of its unity, the gunman's anger and detachment alarmed those around him. While parents of a 2004 Irondequoit High School graduate learned their son escaped harm in the Virginia Tech massacre Monday, another relative of a Virginia Tech student is mourning the death of her niece. Virginia Tech students and supporters lifted thousands of candles to a sapphire sky Tuesday to remember the 32 people killed by a campus gunman. The vigil testified to the unity on which the mountain campus prides itself. But in the hours after Cho Seung-Hui's rampage, it was obvious the close-knit school was a community of which he never felt a part. The gunman, who turned his gun on himself after carrying out the worst shooting massacre in modern U.S. history, was a sullen loner who left a rambling note raging against women and rich kids. News reports said that Cho, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English, may have been taking medication for depression and that he was becoming increasingly violent and erratic. Professors and classmates were alarmed by his class writings — pages filled with twisted, violence-drenched writing. In screenplays he wrote for a class last fall, characters throw hammers and attack with chainsaws, said a student who attended Virginia Tech last fall. In another, Cho concocted a tale of students who fantasize about stalking and killing a teacher who sexually molested them. Despite the many warning signs that came to light in the bloody aftermath, police and university officials offered no clues as to exactly what set Cho off on the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history. Among those killed in the massacre at Virginia Tech was 19-year-old freshman Mary Read, who had multiple ties to the greater Rochester area. Read spent summers in the Finger Lakes region, visiting relatives who included her aunt, Mary Courtney. Courtney was interviewed Monday from her Palmyra home by NBC (…
creator: Messenger Post (Rochester, NY)
date: 2007-07-17
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5
language: eng