by BOB RECOTTA Published: Monday, April 16, 2007 10:42 PM CDT rrecotta@the-leader.com BLACKSBURG, VA. | Sara Marchese was studying alone in her dorm room lounge when the quiet Monday morning was shattered by an announcement over the Virginia Tech public address system. "There was 10 minutes straight of sirens," said Marchese, who is in her freshman year at Virginia Tech after graduating from Corning East High School. "Everyone in the hall was on their cell phones. We got an e-mail about the shooting. That's when we flipped on the news." Shortly after the first alarm sounded, an emergency message came over the campus' PA system. "They said it was a state of emergency, with the message repeating," Marchese said. "They told us to stay inside and keep away from windows. It was the first time the PA system had ever been used." Peter Marchese, Sara' father, received the news about the campus shooting from a message his daughter left on his answering machine. "Even on the answering machine, you heard the loud speakers going off," Peter Marchese said. "Since then, she's been in communication every 15 to 20 minutes." Sara Marchese said the mood at the college changed as the body count rose. "I was locked in with me and two good friends," she said. "When the count went from one to 20, everyone's jaws dropped." Marchese said, during the lockdown, she and her friends kept a close watch on the television news. When the three-hour lockdown ended, the atmosphere around the campus had changed. "We just went down to lunch," Marchese said. "Everyone's really down. Everyone's in shock. It was weird going in dining halls and seeing heavily armed police officers. The news was playing in the dining hall. That's not going to put a good mood in anybody." Peter Marchese was surprised such violence could explode at someplace like Virginia Tech. "When we went down to visit, it was a nice, quiet, quaint town a lot like Corning," Peter Marchese said. "This could happen to anybody." Classes at Virginia Tech have been canceled today. Marchese said she might come home for a couple days, but the violent incident hasn't changed her view of the campus. "I feel so safe here walking around," Sara Marchese said. "The place I work is a half-mile away. When I get off work at 10 or 11 p.m., I feel safe walking at night. That's why this was really shocking. It was just a fluke." -- Original Source: Corning Leader Daily http://www.the-leader.com/articles/2007/04/17/news/local02.txt Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5.
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This is a picture of a car wash fundraiser for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. The tennis team from South High in Minneapolis, MN hosted the benefit. The team is coached by 1997 VT graduate, Jesse Morgan.
Sports world reaches out, helps Virginia Tech cope
"I belong." I still remember vividly that emotion as I stood outside Burress Hall overlooking the gorgeous, expansive view of the Virginia Tech campus on a cool, sunny morning back in the spring of 1990. It was college-tour season for graduating high-school seniors, and I had found my home for the next four years. The tragedy this past week has only deepened and strengthened my affection for the university. Once a Hokie, always a Hokie. A lot has been vocalized and written by alumni, students, friends, business leaders, politicians, athletes, the media -- really anyone with a shred of a tie to Blacksburg -- about how tranquil and safe and welcoming the campus and surrounding community has always been. And they are not exaggerating. Virginia Tech and the city of Blacksburg are synonymous. Graduates own local businesses. Former students now teach. Former athletes now coach. This part of the country used to be just Hokie Nation -- now it is Hokie Nationwide. The nationwide reaction to this senseless tragedy has also crystallized for me how in a time of grief -- even if just for a few, fragile hours -- sports provides an outlet and plays a role on the road to recovery. The outpouring of support has raised school spirits during this dark time. I applaud the Washington Nationals for donning Virginia Tech caps during their game Tuesday, caps that will now take a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame next to its 9/11 memorial. I applaud NASCAR for placing memorial, VT logo decals on the cars, especially given the deep roots many of the teams and drivers have with that region of the country. I applaud Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick -- arguably the most popular and well-known athlete ever to wear a Virginia Tech jersey -- for his generous donation to the university for the victims families. And I applaud coach Frank Beamer for his cancellation of the traditional Maroon and White Football game. He is a class act, emphasizing the need to heal before you hooray -- and I guarantee you this fall when the first few cords of Enter Sandman blare throughout Lane Stadium for the opening home game of the season, those tears you see will once again be for joy. But for now we work to dry the tears of sorrow, knowing that Virginia Tech and its local and extended community will never be the same. This could have happened to anyone, in any town, at any school, at any time -- but it happened at my school, where not so long ago I was the one walking across campus to Norris Hall for class. And while I did not personally know any of the victims, the entire Hokie Nation has been victimized. And now, as the entire world watches, the international community is realizing that Hokie resolve is as strong as the stone that bares its name -- stone that has been used for more than 130 years to build the campus and community. The memories and images of this tragic event will forever scar, and we will never forget, but my personal resolve to one day have my children stand on those same steps outside Burress Hall as I did has not wavered. We are Virginia Tech. Elliott Gordon graduated Virginia Tech in 1994. He was NASCAR.COM's Director of Programming from 2001-2006. -- As posted on NASCAR.COM on April 20th, 2007: http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/opinion/04/20/guest.column.virginia.tech/story_single.html
I was in his playwriting class last fall. I was always a quiet guy myself, not really making too many friends during my years at Virginia Tech. On a couple of occasions, we'd end up sitting close to each other. I had always thought that Cho was a little "off" but since I was strange in my own right, I didn't think too much of it. People like Cho and I never seem to make friends easily and the fact that we were both loners of sorts made me pay a little more attention to him that usual. Just before Christmas I passed by Seung Cho while he was walking around the Drill Field, a little more sad-looking than usual. I offered him a cigarette which he refused with a wave of his hand. I then tried to talk to him about one of the plays we had recently reviewed in class and he finally started talking a little. We talked about the plot and the characters when suddenly Cho asked me what others had thought about his "Richard McBeef" story. It was then that I told Seung Cho that some of the others in the class were a little concerned with his writing. Seung seemed to get a kick out of that because he suddenly had a smile where only a grin existed before. I told him that some people were talking about him before class, talking about he was a little strange acting and with this play of his, some other students joked about him being a charter member of the trenchcoat mafia. Cho wondered what that was, so I told him about the whole Littleton, Colorado school shooting. He seemed intrigued by my words. We talked a little more about "sticking it to the man" and how good it feels to break things sometimes. I used to steal cars and smash them into buildings, Seung mentioned he liked to hurt things. I didn't ask anymore questions. After that day I thought differently about Seung-Hui Cho. I thought I might read about him in the paper one day, and not for any good reason. And then it happened. All over the news. School shooting at Virginia Tech. My first thoughts when my mother called and asked me if I was okay was, " I wonder if it was Cho?!" After getting off the phone with my mom, I smiled a little knowing that Cho had gotten what he wanted. Revenge. Cho Seung-Hui has gone and done what many of us "loners" only wish we had the courage do to. I too have often thought of taking my anger out on innocents, but unlike Seung Cho, I just don't have the courage to pull the trigger. He did. I feel bad for the victims, but not too much. Perhaps people will start paying closer attention to us loners before we end up making ourselves popular, for all the wrong reasons! -- Original Source: http://thestoriesyoucannottell.blogspot.com/2007/04/seung-cho-and-what-i-know.html Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5.
Now You Have Blood On Your Hands That Will Never Come Off
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English at Virginia Tech, has completed his transformation from Clark Kent to, well, Rambo. Having killed and maimed over thirty people, in a calculated and merciless way, he has shown another facet of evil and pain to the world. Alone, bitter, unhappy and insane, his sad story reverberates on several levels. Is it better to have stricter gun control, or have more guns in the hands of law abiding people to protect themselves? Have privacy laws and rights for the mentaly disabled gone too far, or should involuntary committment for treatment be easier to order? Has community and the support of family been destroyed by the cheapening of our culture, or has the stigma of needing help become so great that those most in need shun it? There were heros at Virgina Tech - Professor Lucinda Roy, who tried so hard to get Mr. Cho the help he so badly needed; another Professor, Liviu Librescu, a 76 year old Holocaust survivor who gave his life offering his body as a shield for his students; during the aftermath the poet, Nikki Giovanni, leading students in a cheer to affirm that they will survive and be stronger - 'We are HOKIES!'. But there is one party who will not be a hero during all this, and that is the National Broadcasting Company news organization. After Mr. Cho shot his first two victims in his dormitory, he made a rambling videotape with his jeremiad on debauched rich students and how they had driven him to this action, shortly before he entered a classroom, chained the doors shut and killed thirty more people. This insane person took the time to film and mail his video between murders, and NBC chose to make it public. Poor Dylan Klebold - he never thought of making videos before killing his classmates at Columbine High School. Now, Mr. Cho has created a new item in the iconography of mass murder, one that we will surely see again. We have come a long way from the days when shooting Ronald Reagan to impress Jodie Foster was a ticket to fifteen minutes of fame and becoming an answer on a Trivial Pursuit card. Now we present a news network with 27 videos, 43 photographs and an 1,800-word narration described as "multimedia manifesto" from a "uniquely sick mind." NBC was quick to turn the package over to the FBI, right after making copies for itself. Mr. Cho could be speaking to NBC when he observes, "You had 100 billion chances and ways to have avoided today, but you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now, you have blood on your hands that will never wash off." By choosing to give this presentation the validation of a platform, NBC has sent our nation and our heritage just one more step down a dank and violent road. Update: From 'Below the Beltway', an informative tribute by Doug Mataconis about Prof. Liviu Librescu posted by Peter Porcupine at 9:07 PM -- Original Source: http://capecodporcupine.blogspot.com/2007/04/now-you-have-blood-on-your-hands-that.html Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
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Monday, April 16, 2007 Thirty-one... now 32 killed at Virginia Tech. Initial "breaking news" headlines emailed and forwarded to my BlackBerry from the New York Times, then the Washington Post and finally the Sacramento Bee reported the number dead at 20 or 21. I received these reports while sitting in a classroom at Sacramento State University - peeking at the screen of my personal digital assistant, surreptitiously answering its silent vibrations. Now, more than two hours later, I finally have occasion to open my laptop to read the full story and it's worse than I imagined. It could have gone either way. Initial reports in instances such as this are often inaccurate. When news like this breaks, details are often sketchy; new and updated information is constantly becoming available. I was hoping that the initial reports were wrong - that the death count was too high. As we now know, it went the other way. There are many questions yet to be answered, but the resounding senselessness of it all couldn't possibly be more pronounced. Although I haven't yet reported on a tragedy of this magnitude, I have covered other breaking news and experienced the singleness of purpose that getting the information to print as quickly as possible represents. While in the midst of the event, whether it's a fire, an accident or a shooting, getting the information out is the reporter's only job. The gravity of the event, at least for me, doesn't come into play until after I've had a chance to decompress - after the deadlines have been met. While reporting, I simply don't have time to make any judgments about what it all means, only to report on what it is. In this instance, I am a news consumer like most everyone else hearing about this calamity today. I am shocked, disgusted, dismayed... and distracted. If I were assigned to this story, all of those emotions would have to be put on hold - it's all about getting the story out. Like nurses, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and many other professions where a level dispassionate decorum is essential, reporters must be able to disassociate themselves from their story or risk becoming part of it. There is no time to think. The irony of where I was when I received this terrible news is not lost on me. It could happen anywhere. It did happen anywhere - this time at Virginia Tech. No one is immune to this kind of idiotic violence and there is no defense. Sure the debate regarding gun control and a hundred other acts of second-guessing will shortly ensue, but at the end of the day, we can't shield ourselves from every nut-case in the great big world. Unfortunately, this sort of insanity will likely be repeated again somewhere, someday. And there will be reporters there to cover it. The moral? Perhaps there is none. Perhaps it's as simple as appreciating each day like it could be your last. For at least 31 at Virginia Tech, it was. Posted by Mr. Althouse at 1:04 PM -- Original Source: http://25yearplan.blogspot.com/2007/04/dispassionate-reporting.html Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5.
Thursday, April 19, 2007 Since releasing the excerpts from the package sent by Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui, NBC News has received more than just a little criticism. Indeed, this story is so big that every little nuance... anything remotely connected to the story is being put under a microscope and reported on ad nauseam. Ironically enough, the decision to air the material delivered to NBC News has become itself a news story. If not for the "gift" left by Cho, the media would be filling all of that airtime and every available inch with anything and everything it could discover about this "seriously disturbed individual." Cho saved the media a huge amount of legwork and opened insights about what drove him. Did he get what he wanted? Some are saying that by airing this "manifesto," Cho has ultimately won. But think about how ridiculous that sounds. Cho is dead - and he's not getting any better. Last I checked, to get any enjoyment or satisfaction from an act, one must be alive to experience it. Furthermore, even if Cho could somehow relish his media spotlight from the grave, he would soon realize that no one agrees that he was any kind of victim. He would be crestfallen in the discovery that he is being regarded - at best - as "a seriously disturbed young man." Mostly he's being viewed as some kind of homicidal whacko. For those with a religious leaning, I'm guessing that Cho's last act earned him a one-way ticket straight to Hell. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Yet he is somehow enjoying the last laugh? I don't think so. Does this coverage intensify the pain of the community, the survivors and the victims' families? Undoubtedly, but surely they would understand that news of this magnitude must be reported. Even without Cho's help, there would be extensive coverage of Cho - a disproportionate amount. But even without considering the civic responsibility of the news business, let us remember that it is a business. If no one tuned into this stuff, no one would report it. People want to know, despite how much they say they don't. The numbers don't lie. Did NBC and others overdo it? Was there more coverage of Cho's package than "necessary?" That's a matter of opinion and judgment. But to say that NBC had a responsibility to quash this information is nonsense. They have a responsibility to report it. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Posted by Mr. Althouse at 5:30 PM -- Original Source: http://25yearplan.blogspot.com/2007/04/news-worthiness.html Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5.
Saturday, April 21, 2007 "this is a lesson for all o. i think those American parents should learn a lesson or 2 from this. with the way their kids tease other people of different nationalities. i went to school abroad as well, and i can tell you that most people, even the adult students have no regard for others. if you aint speaking the language like them, or don't look like them, its hard to mix. i'm not generalizing, but its a pattern ive noticed. hence it leaves people feeling isolated from others. i think people should be taught these subtle signs and not to ignore others. no be by force, but at least make an effort to make other people feel welcome. this matter was a big issue in the school i went to. if you aint white, forget it. no-one wants to have anything to do with you, no matter how extroverted or social you are." - Soulpatrol (Nairaland) Being a foreigner myself set me thingking... what could have made a man shoot 31 innocent people before taking his own life? It's easy to plant flowers at memorials, write words we don't mean on tombstones and whiteboards, talk about how good people were on facebook. . . if only we did this when we each could appreciate each other perhaps such episodes could be a thiing of the past. How could a fellow not have any friends for 4 years?? Everyone is talking about him being the weird kid who never talked, some are busy posting his plays on the internet, professors are describing a disturbed kid they think they did a huge favour by sending to see a psychiatrist. Where was everyone when a simple "how did your day go" would have averted this problem? How many times was Cho abandoned in the back of the class with everyone sniggering at that "weird asian kid who never talked"? I find it so difficult to imagine me sharing a room with another individual and him having issues that warranted psychiatric evaluation and police questioning and yet doing absolutely nothing! Only to appear on CNN after the shootings to hug the limelights as the room mates of a weirdo!!! His family never visited and no one cared to ask why. He never went on holidays and no one bothered to invite him home even when they lived just a stone's throw from the school. He wrote scary plays and his classmates prefered to turn them into discussion points rather than reach out to someone who was clearly troubled. How many times do we push people away because they don't look like us, talk like us or think like us? How many times have we been so ignorant and selfish forgetting to help those around us who need just one person to make them feel loved and accepted? It is easy to talk about healing, fly flags at halfmast, cancel school, while pretending to honor the memories of those that died when we are merely reaping the fruits of our selfishness, rejection of others and inability to stretch a hand of fellowship. Of course this in no way attempts to justify Cho's act but it is a reminder to us that there are thousands of other Cho's around us. They may never pick up a gun and shoot their classmates but deep inside are living a life that is empty. Luxury can never take the place of love and acceptance, if one person cared for his neighbour perhaps much more than stricter gun laws, we may be able to save someone else from going the lonely road to perdition. I wonder what would have happened to Cho had he not carried out his act. Many of us leave college with healthy memories that would linger forever. What would Cho have left with? posted by david at 11:29 PM -- Original Source: http://davidylan.blogspot.com/2007/04/in-chos-defence.html Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5.
Virginia Tech Tragedy: A Revealing Sociological Tome
about 1 month ago by Nate Brugnone The recent shootings at Virginia Tech are not only a tragedy at face-value, they are also a revealing tragedy on many social levels. As this story broke almost every headline across the US, and no doubt throughout much of the world, it's become apparent to me how much journalism today resembles a botch theatrical moral auction. It's a "who can draw the most hits using the most visceral, emotive attractor" competition. First come the alligators of the shallow, murky riverbanks. These are the fat lizard spawn of necessary 24-hour news corporations -- the ones with catlike reflexes and the largest paychecks. They're bug-eyes keep a most sentinel vigil over "normalcy" amongst the crowd. Even the slightest ripple caused by a ubiquitous herbivore hoof could spell a ratings spike and a big payoff. And I'm not just going to roll over here and give them the credit of, "[in a whiny, airy Bob Saget voice] well, they just want to get us the news we need to know about. They're looking out for us." If that's the case, then I'm severely deluded as to the nature of mass media in the US and Rupert Murdock (or whomever) has a proportional messiah-complex. We know, at least considering the second statement, that this is untrue. Covering the rest of Noah's Ark here, we come to the wolves in peacocks' feathers -- the journalists who find it necessary to employ visual aids, as if the headline, "33 College Students Slaughtered in Largest Killing Spree in US History," doesn't tweak tightly enough the heart muscles and gray matter of the soon-to-be-touched-upon emotional-parasites. "Here's a picture a bloodied boy barely clinging to life as he is carried out by fellow scholars." Blah blah blah... on & on. Then in come the dumpster-diving raccoon collage artists, riding the coattails of those before, pasting, quoting other papers, quoting bloggers (dah!), in hopes of making a few more bucks. These things smell and are super lazy. Just look at the abundance of this type of roadkill for one week. Its prominence it staggering. And the saddest of all, just our collective attention is turned furthest from the topic, we have monkeys parachuting into football stadiums with a sanctified howl of political co-opting. It used to annoy me to no end when someone called George Bush a monkey and blamed him for something he probably had no direct hand in, but after this ringmaster bit at VT I can say the man has no moral fiber of his own and is nothing more than the flaccid remnants of a fraternity kegger ... thus making him a monkey... er, something to that extent. Now it feels like I'm done here with this topic, but I can feel something; some animal has been overlooked. Ah, yes. The very foundation on which all the rest of these rely: Heliactin bilopha, the Horned Sungem. No bird flaps its wings faster and therefore no bird is more fickle. There are over 6 billion inhabiting the globe. Each determines which flowers shall bloom next year and the year after and so on. No single bird sees itself as the essential part of this zoo as it can freely and discriminately drink nectar from wherever it may choose... I find it odd and also telling that year after year the same flowers come into bloom. We're interesting creatures... -- Original Source: http://dormitem.com/blog/95 Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States.
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Artist's Comments To all of the fallen at Virginia Tech, rest in peace. Taken at Michigan State University's candlelight vigil for the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre last week. -- Photo taken Wednesday, April 18. Provided courtesy of Anne Johanna Strasko. Original Source: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53942334/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5.
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Why I Participated in the One Day Blog Silence
I chose to participate in the One Day Blog Silence. There are much worse, but less publicized violence and prejudice daily, so I have spent the one day blog silence in honor of all victims of injustice around the world. The silence day was started to honor those who died at the Virginia Tech Massacre. Sadly, it has been the most controversial issue I have seen within the blogosphere. Why do we argue whether or not to participate? First of all, we all intend to honor those who were killed. Is it not possible to do so in our own ways, without having to argue what the best way is? I don't care in what way you do it, as long as you stand against injustice, I definitely agree with you. Further, some say that silence isn't the best way to honor the dead. First of all, what do you do at funerals? Your mourn, then you move on. Moreover, what action do you plan on taking? We can speak out; I've already posted about abolishing animosity. But further than that, we have little power to change much of the law, let alone drastically change other countries. So if you think of an alternative, that isn't too idealistic, I wish to take part. For the meantime do what you gotta do. In my case, I chose to share my thoughts and spend a day in silence. Man’s inability to live God’s words makes the Avatar’s teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged wars in his name. Instead of living the humility, purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed, and violence. Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form, I observe silence. - Silence Day Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence? - Day of Silence Of course this is a hypocritical post. I am arguing that using Silence is not futile. But I am mainly doing this to defend why I personally chose to participate, and to explain why I don't think it is foolish. A secondary reason against the One Day Blog Silence is a claim that it is a scam. People do everything for money, much like what's happening to Relgion. However I don't think anyone would step that low to use the deaths of 30 students for personal gain. If there was someone, then there's really nothing we can do now. If this does turn out to be a scam, and that the website is redirected in the future, then whoever did this was incredibly stupid. People will know exactly where the links redirect to, and will most likely speak against that website. Just my thoughts. I don't want you to say that spending a day in silence was right. I would just like you to acknowledge that it wasn't wrong either. Do what you gotta do. I don't care in what way you do it, as long as you stand against injustice, I definitely agree with you. Posted by 2Perfect on 5/01/2007 12:10:00 AM -- Original Source: http://two-perfect.blogspot.com/2007/04/why-i-participated-in-one-day-blog.html Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada.
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Virginia Tech - Personal Update for Ryan and his family
Apr 16th, 2007 by Ryan Lanham For those who know I am at Virginia Tech, both my family and myself are accounted for and uninvolved in any way in the shooting. Local sources (channel 7) report 22 dead. (see update below...now at least 31...) I was in Burruss Hall and heard gunshots at approximately 10AM. I spoke with one associate who reported having to evacuate Norris by stepping past or over a fatality. I have no other first-hand information other than to report that both my family and myself are safe. Update: The worst shooting incident in American history apparently occurred within earshot of my office. When we had huddled in my boss Minnis Ridenour's office, we heard gun shots around 10AM. The tragedy is obviously considerable. People I know well are reporting on national and international news. My neighbors and friends who are EMTs treated the wounded both from the 7:15AM dorm shooting and from Norris. For local friends, Sue O. was at the Burger King doing triage. The schools locked down early and people on campus acted admirably. We are, here in Blacksburg, VA, some 40 miles from the nearest small commercial airport at Roanoke, VA. To have something occur like this in a place of rural beauty at a campus that is quite closely knit and exceedingly friendly seems truly random in the most shocking sort of way. My thoughts are with the families of those injured and dead. -- Original Source: http://ryanlanham.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/virginia-tech-personal-update/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.
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Broken heart's here at Virginia Tech
Apr 18th, 2007 by Ryan Lanham This day, two days after the shootings at Virginia Tech, is a day of broken hearts. The eyes of those who love the place realize it is now defined...like Kent State, like Columbine, as a tragic event, particularly for most people outside the immediate community. That set of moments will always be...a where were you when...time. It is now the historical event of tours and commentators fifty years hence. The shooter has ensured his fame as a parting shot of narcissism. My boss and mentor has given over 30 years to the campus from a time when it was a sleepy state school that charged $18 a credit hour, or something like that, to helping it grow into a research institution of international note. It breaks my heart to see the heartbreak in his eyes. His love of the place helps me help him in his work; his disappointment and sadness magnify my own. In some ways to see his disappointment is almost the worst of it for me. I was in his office, locked in behind two doors but near enough to open windows to hear gun shots, as the whole crisis unfolded. He was, as usual, fatherly and wise. I could not help but wonder if his leadership at the moment of crisis might have made a difference. But so far as I can tell there are no lessons in any of this. The whole thing appears startlingly random. Gun ownership is falling rather rapidly in the United States and it would be utterly impossible to achieve any legislative gain on the issue in the face of those who are its advocates and protectors. The student was a loner who had troubling fantasies, but that would only put him amongst maybe 15% of his peers (at least). I heard today at a press conference that 7-30% of the student body is seen for counselling in the course of a year. Mental health is a real issue, and this fellow wasn't even really in the system like 10s of thousands of other college students. The university probably didn't act perfectly, but who would have? And second guessing such a singular event seems work I am uninterested in...it was a windy, colder Monday morning at this huge institution with thousands of drivers and issues in play. Mishandled? Well, in such an environment everything is probably mishandled in one way or another. I can't see great error from what I have heard. The flow of better information seems to be the best and consistent lesson learned from most crises I have been involved with (including this one). Could there have been some sort of electronic locking system or metal doors on each classroom? Should we have had a texting system? Who can say? The press has been omnipresent but mostly respectful, I'd judge. Only some of them seem to be the ghoulish dirty laundry sorts. Still, mourning is difficult in their presence. Consequently, the environment is more surreal than mournful so far. The husk of the Norris building sits nearby to where I write this. Police come and go wiping the sweat from their heads. They too seem distressed at the magnitude of the crime scene. The one Virginia Tech police officer I spoke briefly to...in order to thank him...had a sort of look as if he were ashamed not more could be done. I don't think I was misreading him...something combining shame and fatigue ran over his face. To my mind there is no need for shame...far from it. I know of no one who expected more from these folks. They did not resolve the crisis, but they acted and responded doing their best. That alone took great courage especially after two security/police deaths in this small town within the year. The young son of the Blacksburg Rescue Squad chief came briefly to my house to play with my children yesterday. The woman watching him said his parents "needed a break." I know the father fairly well and went camping with him once. He's a tough and internalized guy. I have thought about his cleaning up those bodies several times. How do you absorb that? I find my mind drifting to questions of who will have to clean up the floors and the walls. Will janitors face that? How long will blood drops be found here or there...under a desk. It seems to me you have to sort of start afresh with it. Empty it. Maybe even close the building. Why do I think about those things? I also cannot help but think of other disaster sites. There was a movie on HBO not long ago on the Tsunami in Thailand that touched on these unspeakable topics. It was engaging because those human issues...not the usual press garbage, was addressed. Many families are about on campus. I'm not sure how people are staying here. The hotels must be packed. There must be tens of thousands of people who aren't from here milling around. The camera crews and reporters alone must be into the thousands. Less than $1,000 worth of guns and bullets. A few chains and locks. And maybe 3 hours of insanity. Not only many lives changed or destroyed, but a place defined and branded. The only sense is one of heartbreak. -- Original Source: http://ryanlanham.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/broken-heart/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.
Wednesday, April 18. 2007 The blog has not been on my mind these past few days. My son is a senior at Virginia Tech. He's OK. We have spent most of the past two days staying in touch with him and answering phone calls and emails from friends and family. I watched the coverage knowing he was safe, and saw his freshman dormitory as the site of the first shooting, and his main classroom building as the site of the others. I've walked that campus, gone to football games, chanted Hokie chants, been in those buildings, and still I can't grasp what it must be to be that community. He called his mom as soon as he knew about the first shootings. He had a class in Norris Hall at 10:30 and planned to be there at 9:30 to work on his senior project. Professor Kevin Granata was their project adviser in the Engineering Science and Mechanics department. Their research is in muscle and reflex response and robotics. Dr. Granata is one of the top biomechanics researchers in the country and is known for his work on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy. If he had gone in as planned, he would have been exactly at the wrong place at the wrong time. Dr. Granata was one of the thirty in Norris Hall that was killed. I've been on the Tech campus a number of times, gone to a Hokie football game and have a sense of this spirit you hear students and staff talk about on the news. But I don't think we can understand it in the way that they do. The students and staff I saw on the news all served Tech well. The professors who were killed all died trying to protect their students in some way. They serve our profession well. I listened to poet Nikki Giovanni at the Convocation read "We Are Virginia Tech" and thought that some listeners must have thought it odd for a poet to talk about "We are Hokies." I would have thought the same before my son started Tech. I associated Hokies with sports, especially football, and the overwhelming volume of fans at the stadium. But it is more than that. When the students chanted "Let's Go Hokies" or just the word Hokie, that too must have seemed odd, perhaps irreverent, to some given the circumstances. It absolutely was not that. I work on a college campus and know that it could happen at any school. I have no wise healing words, no poem of my own, no pointing finger of blame or visionary hindsight. "We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech." Posted by Ken Ronkowitz in About Us at 07:38 -- Original Source: http://devel2.njit.edu/serendipity/index.php?/archives/303-Today-We-Are-All-Hokies.html Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 1.0.
Artist's Comments Image made for the newspaper I work at (Nyhedsavisen). Asking questions like "was the evil or just haunted? Was it something in his head or the society around him?" Kinda funny... A few months ago this was a guy I'd never ever have a chance to even know. And now I'm actually drawing him. Amazing what killing some people will get you. The media said he had no feelings, but I think he had too many of them. -- Provided courtesy of Riana Møller, http://www.fealasy.com/ Original Source: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/55107879/
Profesorul erou din America, plecat din Focsani
De, Silvia Vrinceanu Nichita | 18.04.2007 Profesorul Liviu Librescu, impuscat mortal intr-un amfiteatru al Universitatii Virginia Tech din SUA, este originar din Focsani, unde a trait pina la 14 ani. De asemenea, sotia regretatului profesor este fiica unui stomatolog evreu din Focsani. Ambii au supravietuit Holocaustului si au emigrat cu greu in Israel in timpul regimului comunist. In masacrul de luni, de la universitatea americana, au fost omorite 32 de persoane si alte 29 au fost ranite. Ziarul de Vrancea se afla in corespondenta cu renumitul profesor in vederea publicarii unui articol despre opresiunile antisemite din perioada copilariei sale. Putini stiu ca masacrul care a ingrozit planeta in cursul zilei de ieri are legatura cu Focsaniul si cu prigoana evreilor care s-a produs in aceasta zona a tarii in timpul Holocaustului. Liviu Librescu, în virsta de 76 de ani, profesor de aeronautica la Universitatea Virginia Tech din Statele Unite ale Americii, care a fost ucis in atacul de luni, alaturi de 31 studenti, a copilarit mai multi ani la Focsani, unde tatal sau, un avocat evreu repudiat, a avut domiciliul fortat, in timpul prigoanei antiseminte. La Focsani, unde a urmat cursurile Colegiului Unirea, profesorul Liviu Librescu a cunoscut-o si pe cea care i-a fost alaturi toata viata, sotia sa Marilena. Ambii au fost supravietuitori ai Holocaustului din Romania. Chiar in aceste zile, cind comunitatea evreiasca din toata lumea se pregateste sa comemoreze revolta evreilor din ghetoul de la Varsovia, unul dintre simbolurile de rezistenta si eroism in timpul Holocaustului, reporterii nostri se aflau in corespondenta cu apreciatul profesor univesitar pe tema ororilor din timpul celui de-al doilea razboi mondial. Potrivit studentilor sai, citati de presa internationala, profesorul Liviu Librescu a cazut la datorie, împuscat de un bursier sud- coreean, în momentul în care se pregatea sa înceapa cursul în amfiteatrul universitatii. Stirea despre carnagiu a facut inconjurul planetei si a facut sa curga lacrimi in America, unde profesorul preda si locuia cu sotia, in Israel, unde are doi fii si multi prieteni, dar si in Romania. Despre profesorul Liviu Librescu s-a spus ca a fost un adevarat erou. Profesor de aeronautica la Universitatea Tehnica din statul american Virginia, dascalul a murit dupa ce l-a infruntat pe atacatorul care a produs cel mai mare masacru din istoria scolilor americane. Chiar daca regimul Antonescu i-a trimis tatal in lagarul de exterminare din Transnistria, profesorul Liviu Librescu iubea Romania si vorbea cu placere despre Focsani, orasul in care a trait mai multi ani si unde venea adesea inainte de razboi pentru a-si vizita bunicii din partea mamei. "Imi face placere intotdeauna sa primesc stiri care imi amintesc de orasul in care am petrecut multi ani, desi au fost ani de suferinta, cind tatii nostri, al meu si al sotiei mele, au avut domiciliul fortat in Focsani. Au fost vremuri foartegrele pentru noi! Tatal meu a fost deportat de aici in Transnistria dupa ce a lucrat o vreme la Soveja, intr-un batalion de munca", ne-a povestit profesorul Liviu Librescu cu putin inainte de tragedia in care avea sa sfirseasca. La Focsani, Liviu Librescu si-a cunoscut si sotia, pe Marilena Semian, fiica unui stomatolog cunoscut in orasul acelor vremi, cu care s-a casatorit in anul 1968. Sotia sa, medic de profesie, a urmat liceul de fete din Focsani, dupa care a absolvit facultatea de medicina. Ulterior si-a urmat sotul in Israel si mai apoi in Blackburg - SUA, unde a primit o bursa. Cei doi au avut impreuna doi fii, Arie si Iosef, de profesie ingineri, care traiesc in Israel. "Munca obligatorie la Focsani" "In anii copilariei, scrie profesorul Liviu Librescu intr-unul din e- mailurile sale, inaintea inceperii razboiului, Focsaniul a constituit pentru mine orasul in care veneam cu parintii sa-mi vizitez bunica, Paulina Finkelstein, mama mamei mele, si de asemeni, familiilesurorilor mamei mele, Ianconescu si Filderman. Impreuna cu parintii mei, Izidor si Mina Librescu, locuiam atunci la Ploiesti. Tatal meu era avocat, dar din motive rasiale, in tot timpul razboiului, a fost radiat din baroul de avocati. Tatal meu a fost dus la lagarul de la Teis. Dupa desfiintarea lagarului, a fost trimis cu domiciliul fortat la Focsani. In 1942, ne-am mutat la Focsani pentru a ne reuni cu tata, dar vremurile potrivnice au facut ca el sa fie trimis la munca obligatorie la Focsani, apoi la Soveja. Dupa Soveja, a fost deportat in Transnistria. Dupa razboi s-a intors cu sanatatea mult subrezita si cu moralul foarte scazut. Tata a reintrat in barou, dar in anul 1948, cind regimul comunist s-a instaurat la putere, a fost din nou radiat pentru motivul ca s-a opus "democratizarii baroului". Au fost ani foarte grei pentru noi", scria profesorul Liviu Librescu. Fortat de comunisti sa demisioneze In ciuda nenumaratelor probleme pe care le-a intimpinat in copilarie, profesorul Liviu Librescu a urmat politehnica la Bucuresti, sectia de aviatie, pe care, dupa cum ne-a spus, a absovit-o in anul 1953. Dupa o cariera prodigioasa, a ajuns un nume in domeniul sau, obtinind zeci de premii si titluri onorifice internationale. Pentru a ajunge in Israel, pe vremea comunismului, a trebuit sa renunte la tot in Romania. "Pentru a putea depune actele de emigrare in Israel a trebuit in anul 1975 sa-mi dau demisia si am fost fortat sa stau trei ani fara lucru", a tinut sa mai spuna profesorul. "In Israel am fost atestat profesor la Tel-Aviv University. In anul 1985 am plecat in «sabatical», la Virginia Polytechnic Institute in U.S.A. De atunci, lucrez aici ca profesor la Engineering Sciens and Mecanics Department. Am desfasurat activitate stiintifica materializata prin trei carti si peste 300 articole aparute in reviste internationale de specialitate", a continuat cel care avea sa fie ucis in timp ce incerca sa tina piept atacatorului care a omorit 32 de persoane si a ranit alte 29 in campusul universitar. Aproape deloc cunoscut in Focsani, profesorulLibrescu este recunoscut in SUA ca fondatorul teoriei si aplicatiilor in domeniul structurilor de tip sandwich. Munca sa de cercetare, dupa cum se arata si in impresionantul sau CV, publicat pe site-ul universitatii, a inclus domeniul aerospatial cu aplicatii NASA. Facea parte din consiliile editoriale ale mai multor publicatii de specialitate si a prezidat numeroase congrese internationale in inginerie mecanica. Invitat la Focsani luna viitoare Apreciatul profesor a fost coleg de scoala la Focsani cu alti evrei cunoscuti, printre care si cu Zvi Ben Dov, fost director al aeroportului din Tel Aviv, actualmente director general al organizatiei A.M.I.R., care are ca scop infiintarea unui muzeu al evreimii romane. Fosti colegi la Colegiul Unirea, cei doi tineau in ultimul timp legatura prin Internet, dat fiind ca Zvi Ben Dov a scris in Israel, in limba ebraica, doua carti despre comunitatea in care s-a nascut si i-a reunit aici pe toti focsanenii israelieni. Liviu Librescu ne-a spus ca de oameni ca Zvi Ben Dov sau Matei Grisaru il leaga amintiri de neuitat din anii de scoala primara. Pentru ca a reintrat in legatura cu prietenii din copilarie, astazi cetateni ai statului Israel, profesorul Liviu Librescu a fost invitat in luna mai sa viziteze Focsaniul, alaturi de cei dornici sa revada locurile copilariei. "Inainte de Paste i-am trimis lui Liviu felicitari si mi-a rapuns cu multa amabilitate. I-am scis ca plecam la Focsani sa ne vizitam orasul copilariei noastre si l-am invitat sa vina cu noi, intr-o excursie de suflet. Liviu mi-a raspuns ca din pacate nu poate sa fie cu noi, pentru ca era implicat in unele proiecte la universitate, desi i-ar fi placut sa revada locurile copilariei. Am vorbit cu prietenii nostri si saptamina viitoare o sa fie adus aici, in Israel, unde va fi inmormintat. Eu am sa fiu acolo", ne-a spus Zvi Ben Dov, "motorul" comunitatii de vrinceni din Israel si cel mai focsanean dintre israelieni, cum a fost numit de cei peste 300 de membri ai comunitatii evreilor plecati din orasul de pe Milcov. Ura violenta, ucis de violenta Profesorul Liviu Librescu ura violenta si dorea sa arate tuturor ororile Holocaustului, in special cele din Romania, unde au fost exterminati peste 500.000 de evrei. Ca o ironie a sortii a cazut prada furiei violentei chiar in timp ce dorea sa ne faca tututor cunoscuta tragedia care a cuprins si meleagurile noastre acum 60 de ani. Fara indoiala, acest carnagiu ne arata ca intelegerea Holocaustului este mai necesara ca oricind, pentru ca astfel de evenimente sa nu se mai repete. In acest context, trebuie spus ca profesorul Liviu Librescu se numara printre cei care au cerut insistent Institutului Yad Vashem din Israel, memorialul dedicat celor sase milioane de evrei omoriti in timpul Holocaustului, decorarea reginei mama Elena cu titlul de "Dreapta intre popoare". Titlul se acorda de catre statul Israel celor care si-au riscat viata pentru salvarea de vieti evreiesti in perioada Holocaustului. Iata ca dupa mai mult de 60 de ani, profesorul Liviu Librescu avea sa-si sacrifice propria viata pentru a-i salva pe studentii sai de la Universitatea Tehnica din Virginia. -- Sursa Originala: http://www.ziaruldevrancea.ro/index.php?articol=11768
Silvia Vranceanu (silvia@ziaruldevrancea.ro)
Artist's Comments Dedicated to those who lost their lives in the massacre at Virginia Tech... -- Original Source: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53603449/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5.
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Va. Tech Shooting: Privacy Laws Are Inhibiting Gun Control Legislation
Ann Clemmons May 03, 2007 Cho Seung-Hui a tormented young man, already exhibiting crazed behavior, ignored the advice of a teacher, slipped through a mental health care facility, conned campus police, and bought two firearms. Teachers, students, and law enforcement personnel were not able to prevent this tragic event. It seems many people, agencies, and family members were aware of the fact that Cho Seung was "troubled" however, due to the so-called protection of privacy laws; they were unable to help him. Privacy laws are inhibiting gun control legislation. There is now a bill before congress promoting states to report mental health records to the national database used to conduct background checks on people buying guns. Already federal law prohibits anyone involuntarily admitted as a "mental defective" from purchasing a firearm. However, only twenty-two states provide mental health records to the National Criminal Background Check System. At present, the National Criminal Background Check System, screens people before they can purchase a firearm. However, if states are not required to push mental health care facilities to provide mental health records, for all persons including voluntary commitments, what good is the law doing anyone? This problem has been going on for years, and gun control advocates, special interest groups, and law enforcement officials have been trying to shed light on the this unpredictable reporting. However, the biggest obstacle has been the privacy law in relation to mental health care records. Evidently, if you are voluntarily committed to a mental health care facility, privacy laws prohibit the facility from reporting your time there. If Virginia, had required mental health care facilities, to report voluntary records to the National Criminal Background Check, the people who died that day at Va. Tech., would still be alive. Cho Seung-Hui would not have been able to purchase the two firearms that killed thirty-three people, including him. Meaning, Virginia only reported involuntary commitments. Moreover, we do not know for sure when someone approaches the counter in a store, to purchase a firearm, if they have or have not threatened to harm themselves or others. We are in the dark as to whether they have or have not spent time in a mental institution. In the case of Cho Seung-Hui he had voluntarily gone to St Alban's, after his involvement in two prior incidents with the police involving two female students. However, since Virginia did not require mental health care facilities too report voluntary commitments, Cho Seung-Hui was able to purchase two firearms. Therefore, someone who rattled off incoherent babble on a video tape, and then sent it to NBC was able to buy not one, but two guns! In fact, after the shootings police investigators were unable to get information about his mental health status, all due to the privacy act. It is no wonder that Cho Seung Hui shared the same characteristics as other school shooters. Privacy laws prevented these characteristics from becoming available to the proper authorities before the shootings took place. What senseless acts, especially at a time of war, when we are already losing scores of human lives. After Cho Seung gunned down two people, crossed the street into a classroom, bolted the door to keep help out, and fired two firearms into his fellow students, reaction around the world was that of sadness and outrage. Thirty-three students died that day, including Cho Seung Hui. When are we going to wake up? There are American kids across the world battling terrorism, and more are killed right here in our back yard, due to the American people's debate over gun control. Since the first report of this shooting, we have heard urging from other nations on the need for reforming Americas gun control laws, and self -defensive attitude. By not implementing some changes in American policy and culture, we will earn more than the right to bear arms. We will also earn the right to bear unspeakable pain and sorrow, consequences that follow the lack of proper procedures in place to protect our citizens from the improper use of firearms. -- Original Source: Ground Report http://www.groundreport.com/articles.php?id=2833707 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
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Could the Virginia Tech shooting been avoided?
Nafeesah Abdullah May 06, 2007 In light of recent events this just gets added to the list of school shootings that have taken place over the last 5+ years and what seems to be motive is identical the perpetrators are young white males under the age of 21 with a history of disturbing behavior either expressed through writing or other means like music, video games, and artwork. This situation took a small turn since the perpetrator was a 23 year old Asian (Korean) male. The loner mentality wasn't anything new because the two guys at Columbine also were loners too and the other perpetrators of past school shootings were also loners too with family issues. As a former college RA I have experienced students who are not as social as others, but I made it my responsibility to check in with my residents just to let them know I am there for them if they needed anything even someone to talk to. You got some RA's who are in the job just for the perks, but are not true to the job of being a student leader and someone who is held to standards to uphold and adhere to the job and what it entails. RA's need to be retrained to understand that they are in a position to serve students and to exercise their skills as a student leader, and having a more personal approach to how they interact with students. Most students who tend to be loners don't have a lot of friends and usually are the butt of people's jokes for being strange or weird and just plain dysfunctional. The RA who was among the victims of this horrific crime didn't deserve what he got, but this should be a wake up call to RA's who treat students like they don't matter. This should be a wake up call to students and teachers period that if you recognize someone who tends to be a loner to speak up because this can stop the violence in schools and it's not just college, but in grade and high schools everywhere. Students don't want to feel that they're ratting someone out, but would they rather tell on someone who's like this than to be the target of their anger and aggression when it builds up to the point that it hits the breaking point? This is where we have to take action, and not wait until something happens for us to do something about the problem. Columbine should have not happened, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold's parents should have taken note of what their sons' teachers and counselors said about the disturbing behavior and maybe then something could have been done and the shootings would have not happened. It took a sad tragedy like what happened at Virginia Tech for people to recognize that the mentality of those who tend to spend time alone can be dangerous. For some of us who are attending college as undergrads and graduate students we should be able to feel safe on the campuses that we are attending classes at, and we shouldn't have to worry about some student who's disturbed who's got issues taking their anger out on innocent people.Innocent lives were senselessly lost due to a student's silent anger, and when it was made public by his English professor that his writing assignments were of pedophilia and murder should have tipped off the university that this student has issues and should have been treated as such. Are school administrations planning to take teachers and counselors seriously when they bring to their attention reports of a student(s) erratic and disturbing behavior where it involves some kind of harm to people or things or even committing acts of violence against a certain group of people or gender? There's got to be some accountability on a school's part to address these matters whether it's a student in grade/high school or even college. Students should be inspired to take even more action since peers are key to recognizing things among their own peers. If this was a team effort between fellow students and teachers this can lessen future incidents from happening.This is where schools need to up the ante and make people aware that those who are mentally ill are unpredictable. This runs along the line of Laurie Dann who was a mentally ill woman then 32 years old who went on a shooting spree and shot up 15 students and two teachers at Hubbard Woods elementary school in Glencoe, Illinois. The media frenzy was so bad that Laurie's parents had immediately sold their home and relocated to Florida to escape the press who would surround their house to get a response from them. They were at a loss for words because they didn't think their daughter was capable of doing such a thing until the media revealed that she was a paranoid schizophrenic and a manic depressant. The Columbine incident should have never happened either and this was due in part that Eric Harris was noted to taking the anti-psychotic medication Luvox as part of his anger management therapy which may have contributed to his psychotic rage most likely a side effect of taking the drug and also after the Marine Corps had rejected him when he applied shortly after his 18th birthday. What makes no real sense is that teachers and counselors at Columbine had been telling the Harris' and the Klebolds for quite some time that their sons were displaying disturbing behavior in their work in school especially their writings and even artwork that was confiscated from them. Then what boils down to it is how you do you go about ignoring what teachers are saying about your child ? How did the parents of these two guys not know they were building bombs in their house something should have tipped off the parents. What some reports were said is that Dylan and Eric's parents should have been held fully responsible for seeking appropriate help for their child to address issues that were brought up out of concern by school officials. These parents had to have some idea that something wasnt sitting right when they're not looking in on them just to check up on them and even prohibiting them from having a computer in their room so they can monitor their activity online since they had created a webpage called Trenchcoat Mafia. This is why parents don't need to allow their kids to have computers in their rooms and need to keep it in a family room so that children can be monitored at all times. How could they not know that these two were stockpiling weapons and ammunition? That's just plain ignorance most parents would be searching rooms like a corrections officer doing a random cell search in a prison. This is what is not clear with parents when they ignore the warning signs of a potential problem when teachers and counselors bring to their attention issues of disturbing behavior. Dylan and Eric were both time bombs ready to go off if this was due in part to the so called teasing, but maybe they may have done something to provoke the things that happened to them? People feel sorry for loners, but do they really get to the bottom of the truth behind their strange behavior. be surprised that the Harris' and the Klebolds haven't relocated out of Colorado to an undisclosed location to escape the media frenzy. What would it take to stop future incidents like this from happening? What can colleges and universities do to train their residential education staff to address issues of dorm residents acting bizzare like the guy at Virginia Tech. Resident Advisors need to be trained to spot potentially dangerous behavior in their residents and report this to the school. It shouldn't get to the point where incidents like this happen for something to be done about it. You have to nip that mess in the bud before it happens so that it not only saves the lives of innocent people who become the target of someone's anger out of control, but it will also bring increased awareness and security to campuses to protect enrollment status for the colleges and universities. As a former Resident Advisor I will say to the future RA's that you need to make it your mission and job to show compassion and caring for your residents because you are in charge of making sure they feel safe and comfortable during their stay on campus. You are also a student leader and a confidant when students come to you with problems whether it's personal or not. I always told my residents I have an open door policy if they need anything please call or stop by my room. Some RA's are just in the job because of the perks they get which is free room and board and a stipend that's paid out through the year. Some RA's aren't true to their jobs or to who they serve and that's what gives the good RA's who do their job a bad name and essentially just looking for an opportunity to make their resumes look good. There are times when you need an RA one isnt even around to help you and that's what frustrates a lot of students especially at big colleges and universities. I had some of the best residents around because some of them were students I had classes with and I talked to them outside of class if something's up, checked in with them just to let them know someone cares and if they have a problem we sought out the appropriate kind of help and utilized the school counselors if a problem was requiring the professional advice of a social worker or psychologist. Most of these loners are crying for help if their behavior is turning violent and disturbing. If there's the fact that the guy behind the Virginia Tech shootings had been making references to Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris as martyrs for what they did during Columbine he's just a copy cat except he didn't attempt to hijack a plane to crash it into some major city. This explains that laws surrounding the rights of the mentally ill needs to be changed because some people have more than one type of mental illness which can in fact make them very dangerous. This in turn should make this kind of information readily available to residential education and the counseling department so they can know what students to watch for and if peers around this person begin to talk about changes in behavior or normal routines to take it as something is going on and be on high alert. This is a hot topic across the board how many more incidents like this do we need to say something has to be done to stop this kind of violence on college and university campuses across the country. What can counselors do when confronting a parent(s) about their child having issues that needs to be addressed. Could the Harris' and Klebolds avoided the mayhem their sons caused had they listened to the people who were trying to tell them their children had some serious issues. This is going to be a hot topic for a while after the Virginia incident because for someone who clearly had mental illness this needs to be addressed and I am sure the parents of the young man who was involved in this are going to be living with the pain of what happened. I hope the Klebold and Harris families reach out to them to let them know they are not alone and to try and make sense of what drove their sons to do what they did. This is also a pattern too since you see mostly young white males from middle class backgrounds doing this, but this time it changes ethnic background to Asian. We as a society are ones to just sweep things under the rug and when something happens we're on our soapboxes trying to make sense of the situation. -- Original Source: http://www.groundreport.com/articles.php?id=2833730 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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Some thoughts on the Cho identity and mass murder
April 18th, 2007 by Ryan Lanham I know very little about profoundly deviant behavior of this sort. It has never much interested me. I tend to turn off the channels where it is dealt with. I have extended familial ties to some protracted and difficult cases but rarely anything profoundly deviant like this. I have also had many friends and acquaintances who cope with various forms of mental illness in their relationships both near and extended. But this seems to be of a different sort...I think. I so far believe it isn't a "9" on a scale where many folks are showing up at the mental health center with a level 4 or 5 problem. But on that I may be sadly wrong. Things erode rapidly sometimes. Tear out hope from people and prospects go decay in a hurry. But people are usually self-destructive first...not outwardly destructive. Something is different when people need to spread a blight. It seems to me that the Virginia Tech murderer reached several cross-over points. For example, he constructed an identity of persecution. I am sure he had opportunities to back out of this, but he chose not to. He wanted to be persecuted. I notice this desire in many larger groups...sometimes whole nations. It is a need to be selected as a target of unfairness. At some level we all feel it. It is very hard to look for a job, for example, in academia without some sense of constant rejection. Maybe it is luck to get help or a positive turn, and some folks just aren't lucky. Maybe Cho never got cut a break. But it seems like he did get at least a few breaks to hear it from his roommates. He CHOSE to not find happiness. Perhaps that paranoia is an element of a broader delusional identity, but all that sounds annoyingly redundant. I must say that the psychological descriptions of these things feel inadequate. It is as if there are things unsaid or said as categorizations that seem deficient to offer any insight beyond a label. There is a Peanuts cartoon with Lucy psychoanalyzing Charlie Brown's fears. She says that if we can find out what he is afraid of..."we" can label it. It ends there to some ironic comic effect. The label is all Charlie Brown is going to get. DSM IV is my sister-in-law's bible on these things. I have seen her read it at length. But from what I have seen of it, it is often very uncertain and highly generalized in its descriptions. Can anyone be paranoid on a given day? I often wonder whether people who are less than nice all the time carry the burden of common labels. Identity is profound in all these cases. Universities clearly gather many people who are loners, focused, obsessive, and often politically extreme. But violence is not the usual outlet, so far as I can tell. I think I have read that suicides are typically higher amongst graduate students than the norm, but that might be also readily expected from the stress. One sees faculty and students alike who demonstrate all sorts of unsual forms of expression or self-awareness. Sometimes it comes as a rarified sense of aesthetic or insight. Other forms come as a need to be "in" or considered "bright." Some thrive on power or influence over others as a teacher or mentor or special peer. Still other forms come as a need to be considered of a particular ethical purity. Usually it is exacting in my experience. There is a need for precision far beyond what could be taken as usual or appropriate. This sort of intensity is a form of boundary spanning that can be innovative if benign. Or it can be destructive, and often minimally policed. Given the general collapse of collective standards in the academy, I think these sorts of explosions are my likely than we'd like to think. I also think they are playing out in mini versions all too often. But people find means of coping and controlling themselves. Here that control was not present. An artist or innovator must also loosen the bounds of control, but there is a commitment to not hurt. It is almost like the difference between the responsible community business person and the naked aggression of a self-serving capitalist. There is a different...ethic. But is there a different psychology? And what would that mean? The identity is formed as it encounters situations. Context is everything...but also not everything. We must know actors, actor prior states, and contexts. But perhaps we must also know context prior states. It is difficult to say the least. Original source: http://ryanlanham.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/some-thoughts-on-the-cho-identity-and-mass-murder/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0