Candles on the drillfield
description: After the vigil,people left candles and flowers on the drillfield to express their sadness and grief.
creator: Jinfeng Jiao
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Stone for candles
description: People volunteered to set up a stone marked with "VT" for other people to light candles.
creator: Na Mi
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Handmade memorials for the victims
description: Handmade memorials were placed on one of the corners of the drillfield.
creator: Jinfeng Jiao
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

Lowering down the flag
description: In order to express the grief, Virginia Tech lowered down the national flag in front of the Burrus Hall for weeks after the shooting.
creator: Na Mi
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Na Mi
language: eng

The killer of room 2121
description: It was 7am on Monday. Another week was starting at Virginia Tech. Then the first shots rang out. Within hours, 32 people lay dead and America was left trying to make sense of the carnage. Paul Harris reports from Blacksburg. Sunday April 22, 2007 The Observer A group of Amish men, all in black, shuffled towards the chapel at one end of the enormous sports field that dominates the centre of Virginia Tech's campus. They had come to pay their respects after a tragedy they knew all too well. It was only last year that a killer struck their community, shooting dead five young girls in a tiny Amish school. Now they had driven many long hours from their Pennsylvania farms to southern Virginia, to offer solace to another American community devastated by a mass killing. They spoke in hushed tones to the Reverend Kelly Sisson, one of the pastors of Glade Church in Blacksburg. Then they entered the comforting dark interior to pray and to mourn the dead of Virginia Tech. 'They understand what has happened to us in a way few others do,' Sisson said. Everyone is trying to understand what happened at Blacksburg last week. Impromptu memorials have sprung up on the sports field, covering the grass in flickering candles, pictures of the dead, and flowers. Students, friends and family have written messages, sad, desperate, noble. They speak of loss and love. They vow to remember lives brutally cut short on what should have been just another Monday morning. But, although there was nothing ordinary about last Monday, there was a dreadful familiarity to it. Cho Seung-hui's bloody rampage cost the lives of 32 of his fellow students and staff. It was the worst mass shooting in American history, but far from the only one. There is almost a ritual to such attacks: the fleeing students, the wailing sirens, the mourning survivors, the suicide of the gunman - Cho shot himself in the face. Columbine, the Amish school, Virginia Tech, all are now names that haunt the popular imagination. Yet no on…
creator: Paul Harris
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Adriana Seagle
rights: In consideration of the fee of GBP 0.00 ("the Fee") Guardian News & Media Limited ("GNM") grants the Licensee the right to: publish on its website for 10 years. Contact info: Eve Thompson; permissions.syndication@guardian.co.uk
language: eng

Final Week: BU to review policies for campus security
description: Emergency notification system a main goal By: Lisa Davis Posted: 5/2/07 After Boston University felt the impact of several tragedies that brought into question the level of campus safety, officials say they will continue to review their safety policies and procedures, including ways to better reach the community in case of an emergency. "These events are starting to highlight, not only on our campus, but on other campuses, this issue of personal safety and risky behavior in a broader context than people have thought about it before," said President Robert Brown in an April 27 interview. Methods the BU Police Department uses to communicate emergency information to the community are important, said BUPD Chief Thomas Robbins, who added his department often reviews its procedures when a problem arises. "How you communicate in different emergencies is different," Brown said. "There is not one size that fits all." Robbins, who attended a Coffee and Conversation with the dean of students after the April 16 Virginia Tech shootings, said BUPD plans to add safety information for students to its website, similar to how BU launched a fire-safety website after the two deadly fires that killed three students Feb. 24 and March 16. The day after the Virginia Tech shootings, in which senior Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people before killing himself, BU formed a committee headed by Administration Vice President Peter Fiedler to review emergency and communication policies, Brown said. "One of the things we put on the table was a blast communication system, which we do not have," he said. "People think that you can send 20,000 emails instantly. The fact is: It takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the technology you're using and how you do it." In a town hall meeting last week, Robbins said he is considering the use of email and text messaging to contact the community in an emergency. It is currently impossible to reach every community member at once because the BU registry does n…
creator: Lisa Davis
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

LETTER: Shooter didn't represent Korea
description: By: Don Lucas Posted: 4/30/07 Two weeks ago, I was shocked once again when a maniac took so many innocent lives at Virginia Tech. I focused on the many news events that followed this tragedy in my home state. I reflected on the campus, wrapped in such scenic beauty, where my many of my friends attended and later taught. Virginia Tech is a university in which many of my former students attended. It is also a university where my former students and I visited while teaching and performing music. As I continued to watch the television coverage throughout the week, I had many reflections and feelings, including shock, outrage and compassion. Late last week, officials posted a letter written by the sister of the murderer. Her words touched me very much. I felt her pain and hurt for those who suffered at the hands of her brother. I perceived her words to be most sincere and heartfelt. In a week of such tragedy, this is the moment that produced my tears. I couldn't help but think she didn't have to write that letter. But she did. In the last ten years, I have had the opportunity to teach and perform music in South Korea on four occasions, most recently at Yonsei University in Seoul. During my first trip, I remember an older man looking me straight in the eyes and thanking me for the United States' intervention in his country years ago. I am very proud of the United States' involvement in the Korean War. South Korea is a beautiful country, a beautiful culture and a beautiful people. The Daily Free Press's article ("After VT, Koreans prepare for backlash," April 25, p. 1) quite, and cited the Korean values of community support. I would like to add the values of courtesy and a great work ethic. At the end of the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, South Korea has the eighth-highest gross national product wordwide. I read in a recent book by Lee Iacocca that of all international students recently rated in math and science, Korean studen…
creator: Don Lucas
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

BUPD to increase communication for campus safety
description: By: Lisa Davis Posted: 4/27/07 Increasing communication in case of an emergency within the Boston University community will be a top priority for the BU Police Department for the next few months, officials said last night at a town hall meeting in the Student Village organized in response to the April 16 Virginia Tech shootings. The BUPD will also be looking into all possible means of communication to stay in close contact with staff and students by using phones, email and text messaging, said BUPD Chief Thomas Robbins at the meeting, which was attended by one Student Village Resident Assistant in addition to a reporter and photographer for The Daily Free Press. "In the case of a crisis, there would be various communications," Robbins said. "One way or another, in a crisis, we'll get the word out." The community must be able to openly discuss public safety, which was the motivation behind holding the meeting, Robbins said along with Sgt. Jack St. Hilaire and Office of Residence Life Director David Zamojski. The three BU officials stressed the importance of being aware of safety even when there is not a crisis at hand. "Sometimes it comes down to just being aware of your surroundings," Robbins said, adding that those who ever think they need help off campus should call BUPD. "In terms of safety, the avenue to bring that up is through a [Resident Assistant]," Robbins said. "It's about communication." When BU administrators inform students about safety at freshman orientation, parents tend to pay close attention while students "glaze over," Robbins said. "You should think ahead," Robbins said. "We are in the middle of a city, and that's what makes us great as a university." Students should program the BUPD phone number into their cell phones, in addition to numbers of taxi companies, to ensure further security, Zamojski said. The low turnout will not discourage the BUPD from holding more meetings on a regular basis, including one more before the semester ends, Robbins …
creator: Lisa Davis
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

Council plans future preparedness meeting
description: By: Victoria Demaria Posted: 4/26/07 More than a week after the worst shootings in U.S. history happened on the Virginia Tech campus, the Boston City Council decided yesterday to plan a future meeting to discuss emergency procedures at Boston's universities and hospitals. "It made me realize we have hospitals that have huge campuses, [and] we have so many universities in the city," said Council President Maureen Feeney. Feeney said the hearing will focus on the concept of unifying a system to contact people in the event of such an emergency, especially on large campuses with many buildings. Last Tuesday, the day after the April 16 shootings, local law enforcement agencies met with 19 area universities to address emergency protocols. "Things like [the shootings] can happen at any point and at any time," said Councilor-at-Large Stephen Murphy. "It's a perfectly reasonable order for a hearing." Councilor Michael Ross (Back Bay, Fenway) said the city's University Accountability Act requires colleges to track their off-campus students for such an emergency, which would hopefully avoid the troubles the Virginia Tech administration had contacting commuter students during the shootings. Councilor Jerry McDermott (Allston, Brighton) suggested Virginia Tech officials may not have publicized news of the first shooting, in which the gunman killed two students in a residence hall nearly two hours before he killed 30 more in an academic building a half-mile away, for fear of marring the school's reputation. "Put yourself in the place of an admissions officer," McDermott said. "You wouldn't want this information getting out." McDermott said schools should not keep such information quiet and said the hearing should also investigate whether universities tend to suppress negative news. "Schools need to let everyone know the good, the bad and the ugly," he said. In other Council news, Councilor Rob Consalvo (Hyde Park, Roslindale) suggested Boston join the "national movement" of citie…
creator: Victoria Demaria
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

After VT, Koreans prepare for backlash
description: By: Hannah McBride and Andrea Rodi Posted: 4/25/07 Acknowledging cultural repercussions of last week's Virginia Tech shootings, Koreans at Boston University said they have been facing racial pressures as details have emerged about the killer, who came to the United States from South Korea when he was a child. Although Koreans -- whose culture traditionally values community support -- initially did not know how to react to the Virginia Tech shootings, many agree they should not feel responsible for the actions of Virginia Tech senior Cho Seung-Hui and should not fear persecution when expressing their culture, said BU Korean Student Association Secretary Clara Pyo. "Because it wasn't racism-driven, personally, we can be sorry that it happened, but we shouldn't feel responsible," she said. Almost immediately after Cho shot and killed 27 students and five teachers before killing himself on the Blacksburg, Va. campus April 16, many Korean organizations -- in the United States and overseas -- prepared for racial backlash against them. Members of BU Asian groups say they have not received a backlash from their peers, and the shootings are not a reflection of their culture. Nevertheless, KSA discussed taking extra precautions before its Korean cultural show, "Lost in Translation," on Saturday. Officers considered postponing the show, and the Student Activities Office offered to bolster security for it, but the group decided to continue with almost no changes. "We didn't know if we should be afraid or if we should celebrate [our heritage]," said Pyo, a School of Education sophomore, "but we decided that if there was any hostility against us, we didn't want to be swayed by the incident." In the wake of the shootings, the media can affect Americans' perceptions of Asians, said BU Asian Student Union President Lisa Tobari. "[Media portrayal] impacts the way you behave and the way you see yourself," the College of Communication junior said. "[However,] the fact that [Cho] is Asi…
creator: Hannah McBride and Andrea Rodi
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

LETTER: Gun violence is what needs to be controlled
description: By:Daniel Ross Posted: 4/24/07 "The Changing Gun Debate," an article written by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in response to the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, can be found in the April 30 issue of Newsweek. I applaud his insight and his efforts; Mayor Bloomberg is leading an uphill battle against gun crime. For as long I can remember, the gun debate has been about special interests -- on both sides. Our political leaders remind us that they are concerned about guns in America and either passionately advocate or decry gun regulation. Our two parties are entrenched in this opposition. Sadly, this debate is far more about ideology and not at all about restoring the peace and safety of American homes, businesses and schools. Mayor Bloomberg proposes a middle ground that sidesteps the dogma of regulation. He intends to stop gun crime, and he is making measurable progress doing so. In the past six years, murders in New York City have dropped 40 percent. Specifically, Bloomberg wants to stop crime perpetrated with illegally purchased guns. Although the Virginia Tech shooter legally purchased his weapons, most criminals do not. Most criminals who use guns purchase them illegally. "FBI statistics show that violent crime is on the rise across America," writes Bloomberg, and the weapon of choice is an illegal gun. Unfortunately, our federal government is doing little to help the fight against illegal guns. In fact, Bloomberg says federal regulations prevent his police department and cities across the nation from using the resources they need to bust illegal gun dealers. "Statistics show that 1 percent of dealers sell more than half of all illegal guns," Bloomberg said. In order to stop the sale of these weapons and keep them out of the hand of criminals, Bloomberg started a coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Now, more than 200 cities participate, sharing information about the sale of illegal guns. Our national debate on guns must change. Following Bloombe…
creator: Daniel Ross
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

EDITORIAL: The need for gun control
description: By:Anonymous Posted: 4/24/07 Many believed last week's Virginia Tech shootings would trigger immediate gun-control legislation from the Democrat-controlled Congress. But apparently, that won't be the case. Rep. Michael Capuano seemed to represent the Democrat majority's attitude Monday when he said tackling gun control is "just not worth it," as reported by an April 23 Boston Globe article. He said although he would ideally like to support stricter gun-control laws, putting up a losing fight on such a divisive topic could be political suicide. Capuano added it would be a difficult battle because, when it comes to Congress, "the NRA has this place wrapped up." And most other Democrat leaders seem to agree. But that doesn't mean the fight shouldn't be made. Some of this country's greatest societal changes came after long struggles. The United States entered a civil war in part to end slavery. Activists lost their lives fighting for civil rights in the 1960s. Gay marriage is an undying debate on Capitol Hill. Change is never easy. The last time Democrats held a majority in Congress, they made headway on gun control. In 1994, President Clinton passed a federal ban on selling semi-automatic weapons. This ban expired in 2004 under a Republican Congress. Now that Democrats have regained dominance in the legislature, gun control should be championed again. Many Republicans will see gun-control efforts as an irrational reaction to the Virginia Tech tragedy. Too much emphasis on the issue will appear as if Democrats are trying to take advantage of emotional circumstances to push their agenda. But gun-control efforts are necessary even if they are reactionary. Politics are about responding to society's demands and addressing issues that need to be fixed. It cannot be stressed too often that April 16 was the worst shooting in U.S. history, and it should have been prevented. In 2005, a Virginia court determined Cho Seung-Hui to be mentally ill. Virginia law prevents people who a…
creator: Anonymous
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

BU community honors Va. Tech
description: Candelight vigil marks one week after shootings By: Jenna Nierstedt Posted: 4/24/07 Though many Boston University community members gathered last week at a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings, a few students were not ready to let the flames extinguish just yet. Late last week, those students organized another vigil for yesterday evening, in which about 50 students and staff came together again for prayer and the chance to express their emotions on Marsh Plaza. Though the winds were too strong for most of the candles to remain lit, Rheanne Wirkkala, who helped organize the vigil, stood on the steps of Marsh Chapel and said the fact that the community had gathered again was just as meaningful as each candle burning. "It's easy Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday when you constantly see it in the news to keep remembering, but we hope that people will remember a week later and a month later and a year later," the College of Arts and Sciences junior said afterward. The crowd huddled together to try to block the wind from blowing out candles, as Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore jokingly asked Marsh Chapel dean Robert Hill to direct a prayer to calm the wind. "Maybe in some way, I'd like to hope and think that the wind is moving down south to the good folks in Virginia, and maybe they'll hear our songs, smell the lit candle and know that we are thinking about them," Elmore said afterward. Hill led a prayer calling for BU to "withstand what we can't understand" and "to offer ourselves for one another." "How do we do something here that can resonate somewhere else," Elmore said, "and how do we also send a strong message to the world -- that we do matter and that we think other people matter?" CAS junior Caitlyn Hessell expressed her feelings through a song she sang while playing guitar on the Marsh steps. "Just seeing that some of the victims had everything taken away from them, it was just more intense knowing that I [have] this whole life…
creator: Jenna Nierstedt
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

BU community honors Va. Tech
description: Students reach out with support to VT campus By: Clarissa Bottesini and Angela Marie Latona Posted: 4/24/07 After last week's deadly shootings at Virginia Tech, many Boston University students have joined efforts to offer their physical and emotional support. The BU community is still in the early stages of organizing how to best aid those directly affected by the shootings, though Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said many students have approached him about how they can reach out to the Virginia Tech community. "It's a tough one, because people are thinking, 'What does the community need?'" he said. "People are trying to figure out how best to be effective and what can be done to reach out." Marsh Chapel and the Office of Residence Life are in the process of sending support letters to Virginia Tech. A candlelight vigil held last night at Marsh Plaza marked the second time the BU community came together to reflect on students affected by the shootings, in which 32 people were killed by a Virginia Tech senior who then shot himself. Elmore said students have also discussed ways to help hospitalized victims and offer assistance to fire department and police officials. In an email sent to students April 20, President Robert Brown expressed his condolences to the Virginia Tech community and announced efforts to improve campus safety and communications procedures. "Our hearts go out to the students, parents, faculty, staff and families impacted by these senseless killings," Brown said in the letter. "Many members of our community are grieving." Response has also reached the Internet, with some BU students changing their Facebook.com profile photos to Virginia Tech tributes that read, "Today, we are all Hokies." Some groups, including Champions, a College of Communication community service organization, are taking small steps to help Virginia Tech by planning to compose support letters at its upcoming meeting Monday. However, members have not decided whom the letters will b…
creator: Clarissa Bottesini and Angela Marie Latona
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

PERSPECTIVE: Covering Virginia Tech as a student journalist in Blacksburg
description: By:Priyanka Dayal Posted: 4/23/07 I spent three days last week at Virginia Tech University as a reporter covering the heinous murder of 32 innocent people. I had never felt so many things all at once. I had never been so nervous and so excited and so sad and so scared all at the same time. I had never eaten so much fast food, then slept for three hours then worked for 16. I've spent this semester at Boston University's Washington Journalism Center, where I write for a newspaper in Massachusetts and intern at USA TODAY's main bureau in McLean, Virginia. Last Monday, I was sitting at my desk doing some mildly interesting research. That's when I heard the first reports that people had been shot at Virginia Tech. The newsroom started bustling. What was going on in Blacksburg? Which reporters and editors would go? How many should go? Mindy, a reporter who sits next to me and, for weeks, has been the best mentor an intern could have, started gathering some fresh notebooks and yelled over the wall dividing our desks if I wanted to go. "Go where?" I asked. "To Blacksburg!" she said. That's not what I expected to hear. My heart started beating really fast. I've been a reporter, albeit a student reporter, for four years. I've never had that kind of an adrenaline rush before. I know I should have jumped on the assignment. But I didn't. I got scared. I didn't know what to do. Did I really want to go straight to a place where a psychopathic killer had just stunned the world? Yes. Once we reached Blacksburg, I wasn't nervous anymore. I set about reporting the story like I would report any other story. I talked to people about the situation. But I wasn't always prepared for their answers. Through tears, a girl my age, named Tina, who was in Norris Hall last Monday morning, told me about hearing gunshots in the classroom below her. She heard pounding. She heard screams. She heard maniacal laughter. Later that night, she heard all those things again in her dreams. While Tina was tel…
creator: Priyanka Dayal
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

LETTER: Shooter needed counseling
description: By:Bethany Morris Posted: 4/20/07 n In reaction to the Virginia Tech shootings, different advocacy groups are focusing on gun control and security as issues that should be addressed after this latest tragedy. While these are valid points, doesn't the problem stem from mental-heath care? It is nearly impossible to get individuals into mental-health facilities after they turn 18 unless they commit themselves or have committed some act of violence against themselves or others. If the professor who had tried to get Cho Seung-Hui help had been able to get him committed to residential treatment (treatment that he had needed for years) this tragedy might have been prevented. Unfortunately, this young man was too far gone to acknowledge his need for treatment, and his behavior went unchecked. Bethany Morris CFA '09
creator: Bethany Morris
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

LETTER: VT editorial, NBC wrong
description: Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Opinion The Daily Free Press's editorial sounded like it was taken straight from the NBC anchor's monologue, complete with the required clichés of "difficult decision" and "responsibility to tell the story," ("Airing murderous motives," April 19, p. 11). It gave NBC every benefit in assuming its goal here is to selflessly provide "the story." "Before even thinking about putting the information on the air, NBC contacted the FBI." This sounds great, and it was very humble of NBC to do that, but was it true? It seems to me the more likely timeline was to first make copies of everything, contact the FBI and finally slap the NBC logo on each frame before starting the round-the-clock replays. A more interesting analysis for the editorial could have been to walk through that journalistic decision making process: Does a mass media outlet weigh the good or bad that might come from their exploitation of a situation? I can easily think of many bad outcomes from this such as additional psychological damage to the victims and their families and the obvious danger of inspiring the next mass murder out there. The editorial said Cho Seung-Hui copied previous killers, so it acknowledges that there is a real danger. Perhaps his words are being written into some other loner kid's notebook right now. The editorial does, however, dismiss this danger: "These threats will surface regardless of whether the media provides all the information or not." This is a weak justification (might as well make drugs legal, people will do them anyway). That excuse is also an attempt to remove the mighty responsibility which comes with the journalism profession. As far as the good from showing the video, I can't think of anything beyond profiting from human misery. Does anyone feel better knowing the final thoughts of a killer, or seeing what must have been the last thing all of those innocent people at Virginia Tech saw before they were killed? Please let me know what benef…
creator: David Stifter
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-14
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

Examining Safety at State, Local Levels
description: EMS director outlines city's disaster-response system By: Evelyn Ratigan Posted: 4/20/07 As the efficiency of the emergency response system at Virginia Tech faces scrutiny, with critics saying the school was slow to notify its members of the attacks in which 32 people were killed on campus Monday, Boston's expert on emergency response systems said the city is prepared for a large-scale disaster. Boston Emergency Medical Services Chief Richard Serino, detailing the city's strategy to a group of about 20 yesterday at Harvard University, said the city is focused on improving communication within departments and with the community. "Everybody has to be involved in all the various parts of this," Serino said. "Communication is a huge issue. You don't want to be exchanging business cards at the scene of the disaster." Serino cited Boston's historic landmarks, dense population and subway system as factors that make the city a top terrorist target. He said the city has been aware of this and has spent more than 25 years revising tactics in case of an emergency. "Emergency preparedness is not something new for us," he said. "It's not just something we've been looking at since 9-11." Serino said the key to emergency preparedness is encouraging partnerships among the city's departments and private businesses, as well as the public services involved in the process. This collaboration has become "institutionalized" from years spent building these relationships, he said. The BEMS constantly works with the Boston police and fire departments, the MBTA and other state and local agencies, he said. In addition, hospitals sharing staff members and enhanced radio communication systems linking state and local agencies coordinate first responders who would otherwise remain disconnected, he added. Serino said high-profile events such as the Democratic National Convention in 2004 and the Boston Marathon are used to practice for emergencies, calling them "planned disasters." Monday's maratho…
creator: Evelyn Ratigan
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-14
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

Examining Safety at State, Local Levels
description: BHE takes a look at campus security By: Kate Davies Posted: 4/20/07 The Board of Higher Education, during its meeting that was previously called to clarify the fine print on Massachusetts's policy toward allowing undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition, said it plans to review universities' security policies in wake of this Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech. Taking time to reflect on the shootings, in which 32 Virginia Tech members were killed by a gunman who then took his own life, Board officials said although universities already have adequate crisis response plans in place, it is important to review such policies and possibly seek more statewide funding for the schools. "We have strong plans in place to secure a safe learning and working environment that we can go to everyday," said Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts President Mary Grant. "We always have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best." The BHE announced it will meet in June at the University of Massachusetts with public and private universities and state police to review existing response programs. In a BHE press release yesterday, Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke said the schools' existing plans are extensive. "The Department of State Police review of these plans is designed to ensure that the plans continue to reflect best practice standards," he said. After further work with universities, schools may adopt more high-tech communication methods, including automated voice and text-messaging systems and better counseling services for students, the BHE press release states. When the Board turned to its original agenda, it released a "fact sheet" detailing the fine print of the in-state tuition system as it applies to undocumented immigrants. BHE chairman Aaron Spencer said the fact sheet is meant to clarify two bills filed separately by the Senate and House that would each allow undocumented immigrants to attend state institutions at the same price other state residents pay.…
creator: Kate Davies
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-14
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng

LETTER: BU must be responsive
description: By: Natalie Orphanos Posted: 4/20/07 In light of recent events, I am very disappointed in the administration's lack of a response to its students. Boston University prides itself on being a close-knit community despite its large size, a community in which each person is fully supported. However, this is not being expressed. In the past, after tragedies, such as the fires near South Campus, BU students have been notified through email of the tragedy immediately and how the university is handling it. However, I sit by my computer three days after the Virginia Tech tragedy without an email. The only places I've been able to read about the tragedy on campus are The Daily Free Press and BU Today. My Residence Assistant even sent out an email giving us support and guidance. I need more than a publication to tell me that everything is okay. And while my RA showed that she cares, I need to feel like the university officials care, too, and that they are doing everything to ensure our safety. And I need to hear that directly from them. This massacre is one that has affected the nation; it is not a remote incident. We have been reminded time and again through similar tragedies that these events can happen anywhere. The students at Virginia Tech were not notified by the university after the first shooting took place in a dormitory. The shooter was able to send a video and his manifesto to NBC en route to the classroom building where he killed 30 people. Had the university taken more action, had it notified the students and faculty of the situation and had they placed the university on lockdown, the incident may have been prevented. If that is not compelling enough, perhaps the fact that a BU student threatened to go on a rampage at another college in Boston similar to the one at Virginia Tech is more reason for the university to send an email out to the students. The media knew of this incident before many BU students had even heard about it. In these times, BU's administration…
creator: Natalie Orphanos
publisher: The Daily Free Press
date: 2007-08-14
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Matt Negrin <editor@dailyfreepress.com>
language: eng