Mysticchik,

In response to your question, Wake Forest is doing something.



Hatch statement on VT tragedy
President Nathan O. Hatch has expressed condolences to the Virginia Tech community after Monday's tragic events. "From the Wake Forest University community, I send to you, your students, your colleagues, and the families of today's victims our profound sympathy."

Crisis plan review
Monday's events at Virginia Tech have prompted Wake Forest officials to review the campus security plan. In addition, the University has compiled security-related questions and answers for the campus community.

Memorial service
An interfaith memorial service to remember the victims and families of Monday's Virginia Tech shootings will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Wait Chapel. The chapel will open at 6 p.m., when memorial books will be available for attendees to record condolences. The books will be delivered to Virginia Tech.

Read more news at Window on Wake Forest: http:// www.wfu.edu/wowf

A memorial service is going to be held at FSU tomorrow night on Landis Green.

My prayers go out to all the friends and family of the victims.

There's a picture in the link of the ex-girlfriend that crazy shot first in the dorm. Looking at her pic and the pics up of crazy, she was way out of his league. Another weird link is that crazy went to the same high school with two of his victims in the engineering blg. They were freshmen while he was a senior, so he may not have known them at the time.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegrap...001021,00.html

Wow, that kind of a comment just seems...uncalled for. By that I mean I think it's odd that your first reaction after reading about the shooter's primary target was to comment about their looks.

Article headline:

Quote:

THIS is the face of the girl who may have sparked the worst school shooting in US history.

That is totally uncalled for as well. She is absolutly not to blame for any of this, and I think that's exactly what that headline implies.

one of my friends at UVA has a facebook icon that reads: we're all hokies today and then in the corner 'even at UVA' it was sweet but it also made me smile.

you know, i really wish some people would consider better word-choice and sensitivity over catchy headlines. no breakup or girl caused this, the only thing that is certain is this was a profoundly disturbed individual. her poor family, having to hear about things like that about their daughter. :mad:

I doubt anyone who doesn't already know will read this, but all KDPhi sisters at VTech are thankfully accounted for as well.

It looks like someone just passed out during the convocation. I don't think I'd be able to keep myself up. This is way too sad.

Ole Miss to sponsor an observance
 

I just got an email about this:

The leadership of the Associated Student Body and the Office of the Dean of Students will sponsor an observance for Virginia Tech at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18th, in Paris-Yates Chapel. All students, faculty, staff, and members of the public are invited to attend.

We would especially like to invite students from the state of Virginia to participate in a candle lighting ceremony. If you are from Virginia, or have a connection with Virginia Tech, and wish to participate in tomorrow’s ceremony, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students.

I don't think this has been said yet, but Chi Omega headquarters just released a statement that all sisters are accounted for and safe.

That headline IS disrespectful and unneedlessly sullies the reputation of that poor girl. I am appalled.

I don't think the killer was crazy. That gives him an "out". I think he was methodical, cold-blooded, and amoral.

Couple of points:

Fairfax County (Northern VA) Public Schools have very large high schools. Many of the FCPS high schools send a tremendous number of students to Tech. My D's class alone sent 52 from the class of '06. I imagine that Westfields HS (the killer's alma mater) would send a similar number.

My D lost at least one former schoolmate yesterday. Her sorority chapter sister who graduated from Westfields lost 2 high school classmates.

---
The DC area kids who are currently Hokies have had several bad situations befalling them in their adolescent and teen years.

In 2001, the Pentagon was attacked. Many kids were in a state of uncertainty while waiting for word from parent(s).

2002, the DC area was under seige for 3 weeks by a pair of snipers who struck at seemingly random locations. All outdoor activities were cancelled. Athletic competitions were held on military bases or at stadiums 3 hours away. Elementary kids couldn't go out for recess. Adults were afraid to pump their own gas.

2006, The first day of class at VA Tech was cancelled because there was a shooter on campus. Luckily this man was caught before something horrific occurred.

2007, Yesterday

____
I think we need to remember Erin, Rheema, Leslie and all the victims as individuals. They were all on the threshold of adulthood and their lives were brutally snuffed out prematurely.

My school sent this out yesterday.. Tonight, all 120 Resident Advisors have been called to an emergency meeting with the VP of Student Affairs. As an RA and a Greek member, this is a very tragic event and my heart truly goes out to VT. Tech school reunite! <3

TO: RIT Community
FROM: Albert J. Simone, President
SUBJECT: Virginia Tech Tragedy

April 17, 2007

On behalf of Rochester Institute of Technology, I offer our deepest condolences and sympathies to the Virginia Tech community, and especially to the family and friends of the victims. This is a national tragedy of unimaginable proportions. I am in shock and deeply saddened by yesterday’s horrific events. It is difficult to make sense of such a senseless act. We grieve for the victims’ families and friends.

Today, the RIT flag is lowered to half staff in memory of the Virginia Tech victims. At 12:10 p.m., RIT's Center for Religious Life will hold a special service in the Allen Chapel of the Interfaith Center. This will be a time for the RIT community to pray, reflect and support the Virginia Tech community. The 30-minute service will conclude with the bells tolling for each victim.
Counseling services are available for students, faculty and staff at our Counseling Center. Appointments can be made by calling 475-2261.

The tragedy at Virginia Tech can happen anywhere at anytime. At RIT, we will continue to work hard to ensure a safe and secure environment for our students, faculty and staff. We must remain vigilant. We must never forget the events of April 16, 2007 in Blacksburg, Virginia.

this is so good...perhaps the entire country should finally decide to do such things....thought civil defense would come back to our states after September 11 in order to be there to alert and communicate...but we all seem to have forgotten the need for such plans.

WHAT????!!!!??? :eek:

ox News is a bunch of stupid idiots :mad:

According to Fox News (dumb asses), the shooter is from Centreville, Virginia, in Fairfax County. In a fit of irresponsibility, Fox has posted the shooter's parents' home address. he lived not too far from where I worked in Northern Virginia! What the hell were they thinking? :mad:

It has been removed now but I am sure some folks picked up on it

Dude, it is bad enough that they are losing a son. Do they want everyone and their grandmamas harassing and threatening his parents? That is dead wrong!

(sorry for the double response..it didnt go the right way...)

First, the University of Maryland is having a memorial service tonight, tuesday, April 17th go to their website for details. Also the Maryland President wrote a very tender letter to those grieving.

Meanwhile, a lady on another website has written a poem for those at Virginia Tech...and I wanted it to be spread across all the colleges we all represent thru our Greek affiliations:


"My heart breaks when kids fall

To rampage in our schools,

Need to come together and stand tall,

Bless Virginia Tech as they mourn.

My heart aches for all who lost,

a son, daughter, brother, sister,

32 lost at such a tragic cost.

We the world grieve with you today.
We as the world need to stand together and pray."

by Cynde (cynderella) April 16, 2007

Here is what my school did.


To: Campus Community
Date: April 17, 2007
Re: Moment of Silence for Virginia Tech


In remembrance of the victims from the Virginia Tech tragedy and in
concert with the convocation being held there this afternoon, NMSU
campuses across the state will observe a moment of silence at noon
today, April 17. All individuals who wish to participate in this moment
of reflection are encouraged to do so.

Could you kindly explain your other post???


Ok they are saying this kid had a history of mental illness, and that things he used to write in his creative writing class were disturbing and gruesome. I know this sounds bad, but was Emily his girlfriend? Or was he just psychotic over her? Because she is pretty, and doesn't look like the type of girl who would be with someone dark and gruesome. (this is going solely based on looks)

My school has yet to make a statement about this. It's kind of disheartening, considering that our president used to work for VT and many Virginia students attend my school. The only thing that I've heard about is the campus Catholic church is having a quick prayer service at 7 tonight. In fact, it seems that most people on my campus are more worried about partying as this week is widely known as the biggest party time for my school.

Dear Members of the BCM Family:

The flags at Baylor College of Medicine have been lowered to half-staff as a sign of respect for the faculty and students killed at Virginia Tech on Monday. We join academic institutions and individuals around the world in extending our deepest sympathy to the students, faculty and staff of Virginia Tech.

Peter G. Traber, M.D.

www.umd.umich.edu

Virginia Tech Vigil
Wednesday, April 18, 5:30 p.m.
It is with great sadness that we offer an opportunity to gather and reflect on the horrific tragedy yesterday at Virginia Tech. Tomorrow evening, Wednesday, April 18, at 5:30 pm we will gather in the grassy area behind the University Center where individuals can sit quietly or participate by sharing their thoughts....

I heard this morning he just had a crush on the girl and was jealous that she was seeing someone else.

The Smoking Gun has posted a short play he wrote for one of his classes...bit disturbing.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...071vtech1.html

The media and many are so quick to point the blame. Putting the blame on the administration, police, etc.

Virginia Tech is a large school and can not be contained as if a high school or elementary school. Based on the events the police thought that the first incident was an isolated event. They could not have predicted what would have happened.

I am proud of those students who have tried to defend their school and showed their pride for their school and community.

Virginia Tech is a great community with great leaders who care very much about their school.

Hindsight is 20/20..

There comes a point where the security measures have to be viewed in a cost-benefit sense. Now, I'm not saying that anything is worth the lives of these students, but realistically, there is likely only a relatively small chance that this could have been prevented. Thankfully, this is obviously a rare occurrence (to the degree that we've never seen anything like it, and hopefully won't again). The cost (and by cost I mean loss of purpose, not dollar amount) of "securing" these campuses would be extraordinary. If you don't believe that, go visit Pensacola Christian College and decide if thats a campus that fosters learning.

I like the fact that we've progressed so far as a society that we do have a "lets fix it" mentality. However, reality mandates that some things aren't fixable without frustrating their very purpose for existence. To really prevent auto accident deaths, we'd take much of the utility and convenience out of driving. To adequately reduce the risk of becoming victims of terrorism, we'd constantly be living in fear. I don't want it to sound like "these things are just gonna happen", but in some sense, they are. We can't contemplate every possible contingency that will take life, and if we tried, we'd be even more miserable. This isn't to say there aren't steps to be taken, but there are things we'll never understand, that we'll never be able to predict, and that we'll never be able to control. I realize that for many, such questioning is part of the grieving process. But for the rest of us, I think we just have to accept that a terrible person did an inexplicable thing and it shouldn't detrimentally impact how we live our lives.

University of Kansas

Candlelight vigil scheduled for tonight at campanile

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will hold a candlelight vigil at 7 tonight in honor of those affected by Monday morning’s shootings at Virginia Tech.

The ceremony will take place at the campanile. Jason Boots, student body president, will host the event. Speakers include Chancellor Robert Hemenway; Matt Drake, a KU graduate student who earned a degree from Virginia Tech in 2006; and Sean Heston, president of KU Religious Advisors.

Counseling services will be available for students at the vigil.

Student group creates banner, hands out ribbons to honor victims of shooting

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas students will join together in support of those affected by Monday’s shootings at Virginia Tech.

Representatives from KU’s Student Union Activities will be on Wescoe Beach from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today with a large banner that students can sign. The banner will be sent to Virginia Tech.

The group will also hand out ribbons in Virginia Tech colors for those would like to commemorate those who died.

I agree.

I don't go to VT obviously, but I could totally see on the news that when reporters were interviewing students, they were asking students questions as if they were trying to get them to place blame on the administration, which wasn't right. I'm sure the students don't blame VT at all for what happened.

It is very difficult to place a university on "lock down." There are no big doors that the administration can just SHUT to keep people from harm.

Some people are saying that classes should've been cancelled after the first incident. I personally don't think it would've made a difference. Let's say the university cancelled classes. The shooter was still on campus after the first incident. There still would've been people out who manybe didn't hear about cancellations. So there's no way to say that cancelling classes after the first shooting would've kept people from being shot.

Statement by UNCG Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan on the Shooting at Virginia Tech





A very heartfelt statement, and she called for students, faculty, and administrators to observe a moment of silence @ 2 pm today- the same time as VTech's convocation.

I had class at 2pm, and my professor held 3 minutes of silence.

I haven't seen any flags at half staff in Greensboro... but I haven't been into the heart of campus all day.

KSU will hold a memorial service on the 20th, as well as a banner signing. From my alma mater's website:
http://cms.kent.edu/TopStories/2007/MemorialService.cfm

From the KSU President:

On behalf of every member of our Kent State community, I extend our support and deepest sympathies to the Virginia Tech community. This tragedy shocks us and the nation. I am personally deeply saddened by this horrific news. At Kent State we are especially sensitive to such events and our thoughts and prayers are with our colleagues and friends at Virginia Tech. While Virginia Tech is hundreds of miles away, our concern and hurt is not limited by distance. We know well that no community can be completely shielded from tragedy. As we reflect on the events of this past week let us continue to endeavor to seek peace and understanding, social justice and good will, and let us pray for strength and insight as we move ahead in our daily tasks.

Lester Lefton
President
Kent State University

nobody seemed to be aware of the moment of silence this afternoon on my campus but the email only went out shortly before and given the icky weather nobody was really outside. but there's going to be a candlelight vigil organized by students in solidarity with the vtech students. i'm heartened by the response on campuses.

i still can't believe this is all real.

haven't read the plays but CNN linked to them as well as a blog by a former classmate who describes how they all wondered whether he could ever be a school shooter because he seemed the type.

ETA: http://newsbloggers.aol.com/2007/04/...ng-huis-plays/

This has to be one of the saddest times in our History of Colleges.

But, while there is a lof of fingure pointing at the Campus Police, they were not aware of what they were dealing with.

With a Campus that size and the number of Students and workers, it is tough!:(

The person who was involved was handled as best that could be done at the moment!

Remember for those of you on campus, there is not an absolute protection.

Oh, be very careful out there!!!

God I feel so much for the friends and family over this stupid act!:(

Caitlin Hammaren is in our thoughts and prayers. We are praying for her chapter as well.
FSU is holding a candlelight vigil tomorrow night, I'll be there, wearing my badge.

"on the heart of each sister, lies one key that binds us"

What Bush said today in Blacksburg was probably the first thing I have heard that I agree with him on. It was heartfelt and real and it made me cry.

Bush is very good at extending compassion in situations like this.

Here's what UCF is doing:

Quote:

You are all aware by now of the recent events and tragedy that has taken place on the Virginia Tech campus on Monday. University of Central Florida students have organized a canlelight vigil tonight to show their support for these fallen brothers and sisters of the academic family. There will be a Candlelight Vigil tonight at the UCF Reflection Pond in front of Millican Hall from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. This event will be an opportunity for students to show strength and solidarity within the collegiate community, and to show our strength of support in numbers. The public is welcome to attend. Bring your candles and your thoughts and prayers, this is just a time for everyone to come together and mourn this horrible event. "Forget any and all college affiliations today. For today, we are all Hokies."

There is also a statement on the website here.

I agree completely. This morning Jeanine Pirro was on the Today Show and her "performance" was absolutely disgusting - she tore into Virginia Tech like a pit bull, before all the facts are even known.

The only term that came to mind was "wicked". No idea why she'd want to portray herself like that at such a time. I would not vote for her for any office imaginable.

from NC State:

We would like to show our support to the Virginia Tech community by
holding a candle light vigil Tuesday, April 17 at 8:00 PM on Harris
Field. Please feel free to let any friends, relatives or community
members know about this event we are hosting and that our prayers are
with VA Tech.

The fact that I go to school in Virginia, MANY kids have either transferred here from Tech or transferred to Tech, and its almost as common to see a Hokie hat as a Mason one...I can't believe that this is all Mason sent out:

=================
By now you are undoubtedly aware of the terrible shooting incident on
Virginia Tech's campus. We realize there are those on campus who may be
upset by this terrible event, especially those who have friends or
family at Virginia Tech. Our Counseling Center is available twenty-four
hours a day to assist, so please feel free to contact the office at
703.993.2380.

The administration is keenly aware of the need to provide security on
campus and is actively reviewing policies and procedures.
=================

Wow, not even a condolence to our friends at Tech. And my class last night is a Psych class, "Death, Dying and Grieving" - you'd think of all classes, we'd talk about it there. Especially since my professor got his Masters at Tech. Not. A. Word. :confused:

Just links to the last news stories and updates:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266310,00.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vte...ing/index.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18134671/
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNe...6?feedType=RSS
http://www.slate.com/id/2164357/fr/nl/ This covers the major news papers.

And this is from the Op-Ed Cartoonist; some very touching, some will make you think and some are rather political.
http://cagle.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/main.asp

And I checked my schools web site and while I found information about emergency procedures, I found nothing about this event. I guess being 2500 miles away may have something to do with it....