Boyd Tinsley and Dave Matthews at the close of A Concert for Virginia Tech, September 6, 2007. Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta. Original Source: http://flickr.com/photos/spector1/1351352669/
Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard performing at A Concert for Virginia Tech, September 6, 2007. Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta. Original Source: http://flickr.com/photos/spector1/1339661489/
DJ Scratch performs with Nas at A Concert for Virginia Tech, September 6, 2007. Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta. Original Source: http://flickr.com/photos/spector1/1352288020/
Wide view of stage and stadium during John Mayer's performance at A Concert for Virginia Tech, September 6, 2007. Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta. Original Source: http://flickr.com/photos/spector1/1352241772/
Dave Matthews as master of ceremonies at A Concert for Virginia Tech, September 6, 2007. Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta. http://flickr.com/photos/spector1/1352263170/
Dave Matthews Band performing at A Concert for Virginia Tech, September 6, 2007. Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta. -- Original Source: http://flickr.com/photos/spector1/1351379023/
By CoachJason - Posted on September 24th, 2007 ~Comments on the shootings at Santana High School in Santee, CA and Columbine High School and a call for zero tolerance for Teasing, Taunting, Ridicule and Bullying (TTRB) and the teaching of self-esteem.~ I originally wrote this article, just after the Santana High School shooting in Santee, CA in March 2001. I thought then and still do that the press concentrating on "guns in schools" and "bullying" stories are talking about symptoms (guns) and only part of the problem (bullying). We are now at the eight year anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School and now there is yet another and far worse shooting spree at the Virginia Tech University. From the press reports and the statements of school officials and concerned citizens, it doesn't seem like much has changed to change the chances of future catastrophes. It is the same old speculative explanations and remedies that have not worked to date. Once again, I offer my suggestions that are based on a lifetime of successfully working with marginalized kids. Please take note. When 15-year-old Andy Williams opened fire on the students of Santana High School in Santee, CA, on Monday, March 6th, he fulfilled the hidden desires and became an instant hero to millions of school kids across the country, as did Eric and Dylan, the Columbine High shooters, before him. If this statement horrifies you, please read on. By all the newspaper and TV accounts, Andy was a marginal, ridiculed, picked on, quite passive, "disaffected and unhappy boy, frequently taunted by his peers." He was called "country boy" and the king of all taunts, "gay." His classmates described him as "a twerp, skinny, and very quiet." He laughed off verbal and even physical abuse and never fought back. He was beginning to drink and use drugs to fit in with the crowd. This is much the same profile as the other kids who shot up their schools. It is also the profile of millions of other school kids. Sure, most of them would never do what he did. Fear of the consequences and moral, religious and ethical convictions would have mitigated such a solution. They would just continue to suffer in silence. But to most of them, even to their own horror, the thought, accompanied by a slight smile, of "Pay-back Time!" might have crossed their minds. In the Columbine High shootings, the press reported at the time that student said the shooters, Eric and Dylan, were continually harassed because of the perception that they were gay. They were regularly called "faggots." I was able to confirm that they were, in fact, under continual pressure for being gay in a conversation with a gay youth in Denver who knew them. Today, as for the last 35+ years, I work with teens and young adults, many of whom fit this profile. Probably why I relate so well with them is that at their age I, too, fit that profile. I was a scrawny, twerp, teased about big ears, large feet and being too smart. I would have probably been labeled "gay" if the word had been in use then. I laughed off their taunts and never fought back, per my Mother's instructions. Fortunately, I found the protective shelter of the high school drama club and its caring teacher/advisor and by spending lots of time with adults. The part of my high school experience and how I coped with it, that is most germane to this discussion is that, on many a night, I can remember going to sleep while fantasizing the torture and destruction of my tormentors. Fortunate for me and them, the social controls on kid growing up in the late 1950's, the total lack of support and role models for such action, no guns in our household and my own lack of confidence to even pull off a decent suicide made turning that fantasy into a reality an impossibility. Today, though, kids with these feelings and fantasies have the means, the role models, the support from some of the darker parts of pop culture, and the either active or tacit support of their peers. This is why an immediate preventative action plan is needed. After these random school shootings, the question is always why did the shooters kill innocent bystanders, people that were not their tormentors? The reason is that after years of being the recipients of teasing, taunting, ridicule and bullying (TTRB) the "Johnny, Billy ....and Coach Williams won't ever leave me alone" turns into "They won't ever leave me alone!" At that point, everyone becomes the target of retribution. Addressing bullying is not enough. Bullying's three cousins in harassment; Teasing, Taunting, and Ridicule, are different enough and just as much of a problem to the victims to be worthy of addressing on their own right. Ridicule, incidentally, is what teachers do. When I was in high school, it was usually the gym teachers. When teachers ridicule students it presents a negative role model and gives tacit permission for students to engage in TTRB themselves. Since the shootings in Santee, the usual suggestions for preventing another such tragedy have been offered in the media. As usual, they miss the mark now as they have in the past. The Santee school system had in place all of the most up to date solutions, they had an anti-violence program, adult monitors, all sorts of contingency plans, the works. Obviously, it wasn't enough. So what will work? I have two suggestions based on over 35 years of working with teenagers. The first one is easy to implement. The second is a long-term solution that will not only deal with this issue but will most probably greatly reduce teen use of alcohol and drugs. Suggestion #1 is to institute in every school, starting with pre-school, a policy of zero tolerance for teasing, taunting, ridicule and bullying (TTRB). In the workplace, today, a slightly off-color or sexual remark can legally be the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit. However, on school campuses teasing is dealt with, if it is dealt with at all, by attempts at fortifying the coping skills of the victim. I have no quarrel with those efforts and my second suggestion is probably the most effective way to do that, but they are secondary to stopping the aggression, period! "Boys will be boys" will no longer do. Kids can get kicked out of school under the zero gun policy just for pointing their finger like it is a gun at another student. Schools need to be at least as strict in dealing with those who verbally assault their fellow students. Principals, school officials, teachers, other responsible adults and fellow students that tolerate any degree of teasing, taunting and harassment or who join in or initiate the ridicule of a student must be held accountable. Zero tolerance for teasing, ridicule, taunting and bullying AND the failure to report or stop such activities, must become the enforced norm in all schools. The Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Orange County, Calif. has become the first school system to modify its zero-tolerance policy to include, "any gestures, comments, threats or actions...which cause or threaten to cause...bodily harm or personal degradation." Strict adoption of this kind of policy, nationwide, will go a long way to eliminating most campus violence including playground fistfights. Suggestion #2 is to teach self-esteem and self-love to all students starting in pre-school. My experience working with teenagers over the years has lead me to believe that lack of self-esteem and love is the root cause of most, if not all, of student problems including, under-achieving, substance abuse and addictions, acting out behaviors and especially campus violence. The bully, taunter and teaser does so in an effort to compensate for and to fix an emptiness inside by putting someone else down. People who love themselves have no need to oppress others. Kids, who do love themselves, have more resilience to the negativity of their peers. They also are less likely to get caught up in abusive relationships and will be more likely to seek out as partners, those who also have an excess of self-love to share. How to teach self-esteem and love is the subject of many books, including a future one from me. There is, though, a very effective, ultra-simple and best of all, no-cost solution for teaching self-esteem and self-love. Everyone that I have ever taught this to, from pre-schoolers to adults, has experienced huge improvements. This is one thing that assisted me the most build my self-esteem and love. Here is the description of how to teach it, followed by why I believe it is so effective: "From now on, every time you see your reflection in a mirror, you MUST smile AND say one nice thing about yourself. This nice thing is something you already know that is good about you. It can be a physical thing, but even better if it is an internal goodness, like being considerate or sharp witted. It is not an affirmation, which is something you would like to believe about yourself and say repetitiously until, hopefully, it sinks in. The other part of this exercise is that if you use the mirror to beat yourself up, you must say two nice things for every nasty one! This exercise works because it develops a new habit of saying nice things to oneself, which automatically leads of self-love. Most people with low self-love and esteem have a well-developed habit of beating themselves up verbally (and sometimes physically). Perfectionists are the masters of this, since they will always perform below their expectations. When this new habit of smiling and saying nice things to oneself replaces the old self-deprecating one, a new person emerges. A side benefit is that one can't smile and feel down at the same time, so these periodic, face-induced smiles can help break a downward emotional slide. An important side benefit of the zero tolerance policy for teasing, taunting, ridicule and bullying is a climate that is conducive for building self-esteem and self-love. This will be especially true if the policy includes the school staff. Public ridicule from teachers both sets a bad example and destroys self-esteem. Now is one of those windows of opportunities when school districts can really do something that will positively affect the quality of life on their school campuses. Immediately adopting my zero tolerance suggestion will so drastically change the campus atmosphere that the need for the picked-upons to engage in any form of retribution or "Pay-Back Time" will be virtually eliminated. Quick implementation of these suggestions will insure that no more lives are needlessly lost. About the Author: Jason Wittman, MPS is the Executive Director of Los Angeles Youth Supportive Services, Inc. ( http://www.la-youth.org ) and has a private practice as a Life Coach specializing in working with parents of teenagers and young adults ( http://TheParentsCoach.com ) He can be reached at jason@theparentscoach.com or 323-969-8726 -- Original Source: Progressive U http://www.progressiveu.org/023939-a-common-sense-proposal-for-preventing-revenge-pay-back-time-school-shootings This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License.
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Campus shootings trigger college emergency plans for students
contributed by Mike Overson, editor-in-chief In every dorm room, as well as around campus, colored pamphlets display emergency campus information. This pamphlet, originally created by the State of Utah Division of Facilities and Construction Management but modified by the Campus Emergency Task Force, includes pertinent phone numbers and offices illustrating what students, faculty and professors should do if various events ranging from; a biological hazard, hostage situation, suspicious package, fire, telephone threats, violent acts, earthquake and bomb threats take place. According to the pamphlet, if a biohazard is discovered, the police should be immediately notified so that someone who is trained can assist you. If a chemical is suspected of being released, then every attempt to stop or limit spread should be made. Isolating the container is key to stopping the spread of contaminates and limiting exposure to yourself and others. Make sure to warn others of danger; this will cut down the number of exposed people. In the event of a hostage situation, always remain calm and cooperate with emergency responders. Avoid conversation or eye contact with attackers unless force or threats of force are used. If you are on the outside of a hostage scenario, remain outside and do not enter a building until told that it is all clear and safe to go in, the pamphlet explains. Suspicious packages should be left alone until police arrive. Some clues as to which parcels of mail should be examined include: restrictive markings, foreign mail, air mail or special delivery, excessive weight, handwritten or poorly typed envelope, incorrect title or titles with no name, misspelled common verbs, oily stains or discolorations, rigid envelopes, lopsided or uneven envelopes, wires or foil protruding from package or envelope, excessive masking tape, string or other wrapping. If the package is inside, notify others on upper and lower floors. Fires present a challenge because of an unpredictable nature. It's important to know the layout of your building as well as location of exits, alarm boxes, stairwells and fire extinguishers. Knowledge of how to properly use an extinguisher is crucial in not wasting the limited chemical in each container. Everyone should have a planned meeting place so they can be accounted for. In case of fire, everyone must leave the building and elevators should be avoided. Fresh air is important and must be thought of in an escape. Try to think whether a staircase or window has the most available oxygen. If caught in smoke, take small breaths through your nose and either hunch down or crawl on your hands and knees to get away from flames. Remember as toxic fumes settle six inches off the floor. Feeling the bottoms of doors is a good indication of what the climate is on the opposite side of the door. Telephone threats are to be taken seriously, let the caller finish without interruption. Write down the message exactly how they deliver it. Listen for any background noise that can be used to identify the location of a call. Important information to write down include time of call, date, exact words, target of call and why they are being threatened. Is caller male, female, young or old? Describe the caller's voice, does it sound familiar? What noise did you hear in the background? Have previous calls been received? Lastly, what time did the call end? Violent acts should be taken seriously. Don't take remarks personally. Focus on the situation, be helpful and attentive, this will hopefully diffuse tension in the situation. Let the person vent feelings, listen actively and acknowledge what the person says. Maintaining eye contact is key, so is using the person's name. Be polite and professional, take notes and write down details so they will see you are interested. If you don't understand something, ask questions. Repeat details back to demonstrate understanding of important points. Apologize sincerely for the inconvenience and take responsibility to solve problem. If you don't know the answer, say you don't know, then tell them you will find out. Don't make a promise you can't keep. How to respond, don't make any sudden movements. If possible, leave the area. If it is unsafe to do so, seek cover. If you are near the location, do not go towards the violence. Instead try and get help. To prepare for an earthquake be aware of potential hazards, practice primary and secondary evacuation routes. If possible arrange desks away from things that may fall while you are underneath it. Know that everything will move and you might get knocked off your feet. Count on aftershocks, which may occur anytime after the initial quake. Plan a family response to this as well as put together a 72-hour kit. If a quake occurs stay calm, your calm nature will help others control themselves. Protect yourself from falling debris by getting under a table or in a doorway. Stay away from anything that will move and could hurt you in the tumble. If outside stay away from tall objects and power lines as these might cause injury. Seriously-injured persons should be moved only if they are in immediate danger of further injury from falling debris or walls. Your safety is top priority. Do not use lighters or matches in building as gas lines may have ruptured. Use telephones to contact emergency personnel only, leave lines open for emergency use. After the quake evacuate carefully but quickly. Evacuation procedures can be found at http://firemarshal.ceu.edu In case of bomb threat, do not put the caller on hold. Be calm and courteous: do not attempt to transfer the call. As the caller talks, take down prudent information such as time of call, whether caller is male or female, where the bomb is located, what room, what does the bomb look like, what will make it explode. Be sure to tell the caller that a bomb will cause injury or death. Why is this building being bombed, what is caller's name, where is the call being placed? Voice characteristics are important, as well as speech patterns. Language use and accents are good things to make note of. Background sounds and mannerisms of caller are also important. In e-mail from Vice President for Institutional Adv/Student Services Brad King, he wrote, "Training for faculty and staff includes a session in our orientation week. Training of building marshals are employees that volunteered and, in some cases, asked to receive training regarding what to do in a specific building in an emergency has also just begun. Phyl Johnson, campus safety and homeland security director; Bob Potts, campus fire marshal; James Prettyman, head of campus police and Sheila Burghardt, facilities maintenance manager, conduct this training. There have been two training sessions thus far. "When these sessions have been completed, there will be specific training for employees in each building on evacuation routes, etc. The next step is to instruct employees with CERT (Campus Emergency Response Team) training. These people will be trained in responding to campus emergencies. A campus emergency fair is planned for the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center where further training will be done with students and employees. "This past summer, a campus safety task force met eight times to update the campus safety policy which was created in the late 1990s. The product of their work can be seen on the CEU web-site (www.ceu.edu) under faculty and staff, policies and procedures, pending approval. This policy is set to go to the college senate in October for review and approval. "We are working on a notification plan. DEl Beatty, the new dean of students is meeting on Sept. 27 with all of the deans of students to discuss the viable options as a state response to the Virginia Tech experience. Beatty has surveyed the ASCEU leadership and the students regarding text notification for emergency situations and has found strong support. The campus discussion revolved around rooftop emergency sirens, text or cell phone alerts, telephones in classrooms and wired or wireless intercom systems. "The campus safety committee, which meets monthly, will be reviewing the newly released final report from the investigation from the Virginia Tech tragedy. This report will be analyzed and the recommendations will be discussed and compared to our proposed policy. Any areas that have not been addressed will be when the policy goes to the senate for discussion and approval. The recent situation in Delaware will also be discussed at the safety committee meeting, but no report is available from that incident. "Guns on campus have been an area of recent debate and legal action in Utah. CEU follows state law regarding the possession and storage of firearms. Any person, student, employee or visitor in possession of a firearm on campus should be immediately reported to campus police. "Campus police have the responsibility to determine the legal status of the weapon carrier. All firearms are prohibited on the CEU campus with the exception of a person holding a valid concealed-weapons permit. All other persons are prohibited from possessing a firearm on campus. A weapon may be stored in a vehicle if it is deemed unloaded. Please refer to state statutes 76-10-502, 505 and 505.5 for any further questions with this subject. Concealed weapons permit holders can only posses a firearm in keeping with Utah State Code regarding concealed weapons. On a brighter note, there have been no gun threats at CEU's, Price campus at least in the past 27 years," King wrote. One item that the pamphlet fails to discuss is what to do if a student shows signs of deep depression and the possibility of acting out to gain attention. "If anyone suspects that a student may do harm to themselves or others, the situation should be reported to campus police, any faculty, staff or administrator as soon as possible. CEU is committed to providing assistance to any student with issues that may lead to acts of violence. The best way for students to help in the campus safety effort is to be aware of their surroundings," King stated. "All students should be actively involved in the campus activities and community. Pay attention to your roommates and others on campus. Be vigilant in reporting unusual or questionable activities and most of all; be outgoing and involved in the lives of your classmates. This is the most effective way to keep CEU the safest possible environment," King finished. Send Mike Overson a comment at m.overson@eagle.ceu.edu Or add your public comment. -- Original Source: The Eagle Online http://theeagleonline.homedns.org/php-pages/article.php?article_id=1131 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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April 17, 2007 By IDA JAMSHIDI Reporter Government officials are calling it the deadliest rampage in the history of the United States. Virginia Tech University was the site of a mass shooting Monday, leaving at least 33 people dead, including an unidentified gunman, whom police believed took his own life. Dozens were injured. Baylor Police Chief Jim Doak said it is nearly impossible to predict an incident like the Virginia Tech shooting. But he said Baylor police regularly participate in structured drills so that officers are prepared for this type of event. "We want to act swiftly. We want to be decisive with an active goal of neutralizing or killing the shooter," Doak said. If a person is caught in the midst of a shooting, Doak said the best thing to do is look for a way out. "Preferably, you're looking for an opening," he said. "If you have no way out, your best offense is to play dead. Drop to the floor and lay there motionless." Doak said Baylor students should be aware of their surroundings and not hesitate to report suspicions. "Awareness is the greatest ally of any student," he said. "Students don't normally think in terms of what's around the next corner." The Baylor Police Department receives around 400 "suspicious person" calls every year, said Doak, while 20 years ago, they received only about 25 calls reporting suspicious behavior. Dr. Susan Matlock-Hetzel, a psychologist at the Baylor Counseling Center, said that when people are caught in a dangerous situation, such as a shooting, they might do things they would not normally do. "If people are placed in that kind of emotional, shocking event, our natural tendency is to go into that fight or flight response," she said. "Our mental capacities would go to surviving." Matlock-Hetzel said that the trauma of the shooting will affect each student differently, and the university will have to decide what is best for the majority of the students. "That community will be having multiple phases of responding to this event," Matlock-Hetzel said. "You have your crisis mode and then you have your more long-lasting clean-up." Justin Brown, an Alexandria, Va., junior, has several friends who attend Virginia Tech. He said many of them have posted messages on Facebook and AOL Instant Messenger, writing, "I'm OK," or "I'm alive." Brown said he still hasn't heard from all of his friends, but he is attempting to reach them. "When something's going on around them, you want to make sure they're okay," Brown said. In an e-mail sent out to Baylor faculty and staff from President John Lilley on Monday afternoon, he expressed his remorse for survivors and for the Virginia Tech campus. "While preventing such an attack with 100 percent certainty is impossible, I want to reassure you that we do have systems in place to respond to emergencies, and to minimize harm to our students, staff and faculty," Lilley wrote. He went on to describe that the Baylor campus has 24 fully trained police officers, an emergency public address system in all resident halls and some academic buildings, and a recently installed dual e-mail/voice mail system. -- Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=45273
April 24, 2007 By KATY MATLOCK Contributor Before April 16, the topic of stress at Baylor University could have provoked yawns in its predictability. With final exams, social pressures and looming career goals as the ingredients, stress was an inevitable dish served up to college students across the nation. Occasionally, some deaths that are stress-related suggested a deeper problem stalking the shoulders of students. But in general, the consensus seemed to be that stress is a fact of life on college campuses. On April 16, Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English major at Virginia Tech University, killed himself and 32 of his fellow "Hokie Birds." The university shooting shocked the nation and threw a new stressor onto students' plates. Over the next few weeks, students on the Baylor campus at the least will be coping with passing final exams, starting summer jobs and accepting a tragedy that shattered a fellow university's campus bubble. In addition, students may be facing difficult situations at home, financial struggles or post-graduation uncertainty. As trite as it may seem, there are some helpful ways that students can persevere and even embrace life during the stress of the next few weeks. Rachel Farris, a graduate student from St. Louis, includes a section on stress management in her Health and Human Behavior classes. She encourages students to include short, fun activities in their schedules. "Some of my students schedule times in their day to have a stress break where they might color, listen to music, work on art, read or write," Farris said. Farris also applies these practices in her own life. "I try to take regular breaks in my schedule to do things that I enjoy," she said. In these breaks, she said, she may read, write, exercise or listen to music. She limits her breaks to less than an hour so that the break itself relieves rather than compounds her stress, she said. Corpus Christi sophomore Patrick Roberts allows himself a break one day a week. "If I don't get that one day off a week, my study time isn't as efficient," he said. Roberts said he feels for the families affected by the Virginia Tech shootings. "It was a horrible thing that happened," he said. However, he said, he isn't personally stressed about it. "I feel pretty safe on Baylor's campus as far as things like that go," he said. Some stress can be a healthy motivator for students. "The problem occurs when we have too much stress, or we do not handle our stress well," Farris said. Kerry Mauger also teaches sections of Health and Human Behavior. "Sometimes students spend more time stressing over what they have to do instead of focusing on doing it, which increases the feeling," said Mauger, a graduate student from Angora Hills, Calif. She said that students also sometimes use alcohol and drugs to cope with stress. Exercise, sleep and healthy eating habits consistently prove to be significant factors in combating stress. These tend to be the behaviors that students neglect during stressful times, said Carmen Boulton, a Santa Barbara, Calif., graduate student. Boulton teaches Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Relaxation and Fitness. "Not taking care of your body is common," Boulton said. "Trying to function on very little sleep, caffeine and no or poor quality food definitely affect performance in a negative way. "I think one of the most common ways that we deal with stress is avoidance, which in the long run just makes any situation worse when we get up to the last minute and have not prepared enough," Boulton said. Dallas junior Katie Richardson said going to the lake by her house to sit and meditate helps her when she's feeling stressed. "Don't stress about things you can't do anything about," she said. The most common source of stress in her life is finances, Richardson said, and her most common means of handling stress is prayer. "You've just got to put it in God's hands," Richardson said. "But when you do, you have to really let it go and leave it in his hands." Against the backdrop of Baylor's Christian heritage, many students on campus rely on their faith during stressful circumstances. "I believe that faith has a strong place within stress management," Farris said. "Faith can give an individual guidance on how to prioritize the things in life. Keeping a good perspective on what is important can help minimize stress by allowing that individual to accept when they have committed all that they can afford to commit to an aspect of their life." Boulton said it is reassuring to know that God is in control during stressful situations. "Planning specific time to give to God can help keep school in perspective and remind us that there is a lot more going on and we are part of a much bigger plan," she said. Kyle Dunn, college pastor at Highland Baptist Church, said the college ministry encourages students to turn to prayer and to their Christian friendships amid stress. Dunn, a Baylor alumnus, has worked predominantly with college students in Waco for seven and a half years. In light of the Virginia Tech shooting, it is particularly important for students not to go through this stressful season alone, he said. Students can find companionship in the church, Dunn said. During the upcoming study days, the department will set up a place for students to study in the Highland church building. On Sunday the college department presented a message titled, "Tragedy and Hope." "We're really trying to encourage the students," Dunn said. Dunn said Factors outside of academic life, such as interpersonal relationships with the opposite sex and circumstances at home, can contribute to students' stress. The Baylor counseling center has included a link to several Web sites to help students cope with traumatic stress after the Virginia Tech shootings. Students who would like to speak with a counselor can call the Baylor counseling center at 254-710-2467. -- Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=45462
Aug. 28, 2007 The article "Students fight for guns on campus" by Claire St. Amant was amazing. I feel she showed the views of both sides without offending either. With that said, I noticed the editorial "Gun groups gone wrong." This editorial has obviously come from a person who has not adequately researched into concealed handguns and the lawful use of them. Each year over 170,000 crimes are deterred by law abiding, licensed people who use their weapons without firing a single shot. Sometimes it's the mere thought of a weapon being present that can deter the crime. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is not saying that those with concealed handgun licenses should be vigilantes. During our courses, we are taught how to respond not only if we are forced as a last resort to pull the trigger, but also how to react with police officers under any under circumstances. I don't want to give the wrong impression when I say this, but even if Baylor police could afford to employ more officers, they can't always protect us. There was an instance within a year prior of Virginia Tech at Appalachian Law School. A shooter entered into the school and began shooting. Two students who were following the state laws of "no guns on campus" ran to their vehicles and broke the law to save the lives of their fellow students. They apprehended the shooter and waited for police to arrive to arrest the shooter. There was a similar situation in Pennsylvania where a vice principal of a junior high saved his students' lives. A madman entered the school with a shotgun and began shooting; the vice principal ran to his truck to retrieve his pistol. He returned to stop the shooter from injuring any more of his students. Yes, our current system can be improved. In the instance of the Virginia Tech shooter, he was let through a loophole that Virginia had set up. I agree that certain people should not be allowed to own or even touch a firearm. Texas has laws in place that make it a felony. SCCC bases its views off of statistics and reports that we have collected worldwide. Our information proves that allowing law-abiding citizens to carry weapons into areas significantly reduces crime. In the U.S. it deters approximately 15 percent of all crimes and 30 percent of violent crimes. We are asking that our respective states allow the most law-abiding citizens, with a crime rate of less than 0.001 percent, to be allowed to continue defending ourselves. SCCC understands two things among many: one is that "gun -free zones" in America are false comforts that have given us some of our nation's worst tragedies and two, that allowing law abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons reduces crimes and equals the playing field. We are not countering against or trying to be a replacement for law enforcement. Those with concealed handgun licenses are a crime deterrent, practicing one of their rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Andrew Sugg Aviation Sciences, 2008 -- Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=46485
Aug. 20, 2007 By Claire St. Amant City editor In Texas, it isn't surprising to see cowboy hats, belt buckles and boots glistening under the sun. But there's one piece missing from the cowboy ensemble when Texans mosey on over to school campuses: a gun. According to state law, guns are banned in several places, including schools, places of worship, correction facilities, bars, sporting events and other locations. Currently, individuals with concealed handgun licenses must check their weapon at the door, but maybe not for long. In late April, Gov. Rick Perry called for "gun freedom" across Texas and said students should be allowed to protect themselves on campus. Arlington senior Andrew Sugg couldn't agree more. Sugg is the leader of the Baylor chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national group in favor of gun freedom in schools. "I believe anyone with a CHL should be able to carry a gun everywhere," he said. "Most people don't even have to fire, just showing it is usually good enough (to control a situation)." Sugg, who has been a licensed gun carrier for almost two years, recalls a time near campus in 2005 when the mere presence of his weapon distilled a potentially dangerous individual. While Sugg was having a cup of coffee at Common Grounds, a homeless man started "aggressively" asking for money, he said. Feeling threatened, Sugg called the police, but before an officer made it to the scene, the man pulled a knife on another customer. "I drew my weapon, the guy saw me, dropped the knife and ran," Sugg said. "I just put it back in my holster and went back to my coffee." While this situation ended positively, Fair Oaks Ranch senior Alexandra Neville, president of Baylor Democrats, said she thinks gun control on and off campus are entirely different issues. "What you do with your gun on your own time and for your own protection is up to you, but college campuses have their own protective measures and having students carry guns isn't one of them," she said. Neville said students shouldn't have to worry about carrying their own gun to protect themselves because that responsibility falls more on the school and law enforcement. "It's my belief that if you're trying to solve the problem of violence on campus, the last you would want to do is allow more people to carry weapons," she said. Instead, Neville believes the problem could be combated with increased school counseling and preventive programs at an earlier age. Sugg doesn't see it that way, and said he hopes people will move past the idea that "guns are bad" and recognize how they can be good, too. "Most people who fear guns don't understand them at all," he said. "They have a Hollywood image of the gun being for the bad guy." Josh Felker, U.S. Army veteran and owner of LoneStar Handgun in Killeen, agrees with Sugg. "It's very important to expose people to guns and educate them about gun safety," he said. "Once people learn to use them, they usually aren't afraid (of guns) anymore." In response to the shooting at Virginia Tech, Felker offered a free handgun-licensing course for teachers and students from May to July. Felker said around 40 people took advantage of the promotion, and while one student traveled from Oklahoma, most participants were local. "There were quite a few Baylor students and a couple professors as well," he said. Although guns are currently banned inside school facilities, Felker said, he hopes that will change. "Law-abiding, licensed individuals should be able to carry a firearm because thugs and criminals will do it no matter what," he said. Houston senior Theresa Doll disagrees. "As an institute of higher learning, it's just not necessary to have students carrying guns," she said. "That's what law enforcement is for." Doll, a member of the Baylor Democrats, said the right to bear arms is often overstated. "Yes, we have a constitutional right to own and carry a gun," she said.""But that doesn't mean they have a place on college campuses." Doll said she worries about students carrying guns and making irrational choices. "It wouldn't make me feel safer for my roommate to have a gun," she said. "Especially not during finals when she's all stressed out." While Doll believes shooting tragedies like Virginia Tech and Columbine need to be addressed, she said the problem is with adequate police units, not armed citizens. "Supporting concealed weaponry is not the answer to the school shooting crisis," she said. -- Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=46392
April 26, 2007 By CLAIRE ST. AMANT Staff writer Even in the Garden of Eden, questions of evil abounded. Thousands of years later, we are still wrestling with the issue of depravity and the nature of evil. The tragedy at Virginia Tech University is the latest reminder of the human capacity to act in ways that harm others. Two psychiatrists, Dr. Michael Stone of Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist at New York School of Medicine, are developing systems to rank evil deeds according to degrees of heinousness. Both scales have implications for the legal system. Welner hopes his scale on depravity will be used as a guideline in criminal sentencing, and Stone's 22-level hierarchy of evil is based on biographies of violent offenders. Dr. Daryl Koehn, author of The Nature of Evil and chairwoman of business ethics at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, said she believes it's dangerous to rank evil behavior. "It seems to me that the ranking system would say that the people themselves are more evil and not the acts they are committing," Koehn said. "I think it will make us see some people as monsters and completely unlike us." "I don't believe Cho (Seung-Hui) was a monster," she said. "I think it's a mistake to see him as motivated by malice." Koehn said we're all "caught up in the same dynamics" of good and evil and are guilty of "identifying with a false self and trying to transfer our pain to others." When we suffer in some way -- physically, emotionally or otherwise -- we become frustrated and react in different ways, she said. Koehn offered the example of road rage as one modern expression of frustration. "The false self tells us we are a nobody," she said. "In some ways we are all trying to transfer that pain." Becky Robertson, a George W. Truett Theological Seminary student from the Ivory Coast, said the universal guilt of humankind manifests itself in different ways. "We have a natural tendency to say, 'I told a white lie. I didn't kill anybody,'" she said. "We always want to justify our actions, but in the end we are all sinners." Even though Robertson said distinctions for criminal actions are necessary, she believes the Christian outlook needs a component of grace. "If we were really caught doing every evil thing we did, what would our consequences be?" she said. Koehn identified another trouble spot with a ranking system. "Intent can be a hard thing to establish and rank," she said. "We have to be extremely careful telling people what their intentions are." Koehn said she believes the current system works well at separating legal levels of offenses, such as distinctions between murder and assault, and doesn't need remodeling. "I believe it's better to keep focus on the acts themselves rather than the evilness of the individual," she said. Dr. Dennis Tucker, associate professor of Christian Scriptures at Truett, said while Christianity has not historically had a hierarchy of evil, the issue can be explored outside of a theological context. "Creating a new way to distinguish levels of crime is entirely different than ranking sins," Tucker said. "It's not an issue of making one sin worse when it's serving the judicial system." Both Tucker and Kohen highlighted the difference in the understanding of evil in the Old Testament and current culture. "Today, we talk about someone doing something evil, but in the Old Testament the lines are a little more blurred," Tucker said. The word evil in Hebrew has a wide range of meanings, he said. In addition to what we commonly understand evil to be, it can also mean "disaster" or "destruction." "Older ideas of evil in the Hebrew and Greek traditions didn't identify evil with malicious intent, but with suffering," Koehn said. She said the question as to why God allows evil to exist is becoming of less interest as people begin to question the nature of evil itself. Tucker echoed Koehn's thoughts, and added that our contemporary culture could learn from the perception of evil in the Old Testament. "In the Old Testament the idea is that humans create or make evil," he said. Tucker said he believes the Old Testament wasn't as preoccupied with "the riddle of evil" as Christianity is today. "In the Old Testament, they understood that evil things happen, and God is still God of the universe," he said. "We have to learn to live with that tension." -- Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=45532
In light of any tragedy, the best we can do is learn
April 25, 2007 By BRIAN BATEMAN Until last Monday, the only things I knew about Virginia Tech University were that it was located in Virginia and the school colors -- orange and maroon -- were ugly. Maybe that's because they are the colors of Baylor's two biggest conference rivals. Or maybe they just don't go together. But the tragedy on April 16 interrupted my ignorance. As I watched the fallout from the shootings, I found myself removed from violence. I even found myself forgetting that a distant cousin is studying engineering there. When I turned off the television, however, questions began to race through my mind. They weren't the usual "why did he do it?" questions. "What's a hokie?" "Where's Blacksburg?" "Did anyone famous go there?" and, once again, "Who thought of putting orange and maroon together?" Well, for those who are as inquisitive as I am, here are the answers. According to the school's Web site, "hokie" refers to a modified version of the first school spirit yell and Blacksburg is roughly 200 miles west of Richmond. Famous alumni include Johnny Oates, who managed the Texas Rangers from 1995 to 2001, Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick and the creator of the gold safe at Fort Knox. And as for the colors, a committee changed the colors from black and gray -- which the school Web site listed as "resembling prison uniforms" -- to burnt orange and Chicago maroon in 1896. Well, at least it's a step in the right direction. After I found the answers to these questions, I thought I would be satisfied. But my curiosity returned a few minutes later. Maybe it's because I'm a trivia nerd. Or maybe I'm just human. There's something compelling about disorder -- it's the reason we tap our brakes and strain our necks, peeking over the concrete barrier between our vehicle and the mangled car wreck on the other side of the road. It's also the reason the instant our friend says, "This water fountain is nasty!" we rush to taste the water, only to find our friend's opinion is the same as ours. We could have spared our taste buds the pain if we had just listened. It may be a morbid fascination, but we learn from it anyway. Life's trials all have lessons, and it's up to each person to retain the concept we have to learn. And if you're lucky enough, you can watch it on CNN instead of outside your classroom window. The point is, each of us is incredibly lucky to have the ability to learn from other people's troubling situations, and it's up to us to discover what that is. It could be as simple as taking a second glance behind you before you walk into your dorm room, or learning where Blacksburg, Va., is. Brian Bateman is a senior history and journalism major from Garland. Opinions expressed in the Lariat are not necessarily those of the Baylor administration, the Baylor Board of Regents or the Student Publications Board. Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=45480
April 24, 2007 By CLAIRE ST. AMANT Staff writer In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, questions of "why" are rivaled only by those of "what if." What if counseling centers where Cho Seung-Hui was referred could've done more? What if complaints filed by students had been taken more seriously? What if, what if, what if? Dr. Jim Marsh, director of counseling services, said the situation in Virginia reflects a very small percentage of mental health concerns at the college level. "Dealing with something like that is not the norm," he said. "These situations are extremely rare and impossible to predict." Marsh said it's important not to "lump everything together" because most of the students who receive counseling are not threats to the safety of themselves or others. "What we want to avoid is suddenly tabbing people for being dangerous when they aren't," he said. "If people are worried about being labeled in that way, we could have a backlash where people who need these services wouldn't want to come to counseling." Students can receive up to 12 counseling sessions a year, with the initial assessment and subsequent six sessions free of charge. Sessions seven through 12 are $10 each. Marsh said even though students are offered 12 sessions, most attend only five or six. "Our capacity is to provide short-term counseling," he said. "If the student requires more specialized or long-term care, we will refer the student to a center in the community." Marsh added that when a "worst-case scenario" occurs and a student is in "serious danger of hurting themselves or others," the staff psychologist is only allowed to alert law enforcement and medical personnel, according to Texas state law. "I can't tell the administration, the student's parents or professors what a patient has told me," he said. The policy on threats or harm to self or others in the student handbook states that students who "demonstrate an intent or desire" to inflict harm to oneself or others will be removed from university residential facilities and academic programs. Bethany McCraw, associate dean for judicial and legal student services, said the student is then evaluated by a mental health professional and must be cleared by McCraw before being allowed to return to campus housing and academics. "Depending on the situation, the mental health professional would determine whether or not the student might need to be hospitalized," she said in an e-mail to the Lariat. In addition to questions surrounding the quality of mental health services offered on campuses nationwide, some are pointing to the effects of Cho's childhood and family structure as the cause of his mental health problems. The Barna Group, a Christian research organization, released a statement calling what happened in Blacksburg, Va., "a wake-up call to parents." George Barna used his previous research on parenting and child development to offer insights related to the Virginia Tech situation in a report released Monday. Barna pointed to a heightened exposure to violence through the media as factors that "diminish the dignity and value of human life." Barna said much of the responsibility for "raising healthy and confident children" falls on parents. Dr. Joyce Nuner, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences, agreed with Barna. "Parents are very much responsible for guiding a child's behavior, especially in the younger years," Nuner said. While Nuner said every year is important for development, recent attention has been given to years 0 through 3. "That's when a lot of learning and brain development occurs," she said. Another key time period, Nuner said, takes place in years 0 through 8, when a child learns basic skills such as sharing, getting along with friends and general socialization. According to the Associated Press, Cho's family immigrated to northern Virginia from South Korea when he was 8 years old. "Up to age 8 is a very important time to learn how to function in a group setting," Nuner said. "Positive interaction between adults and children is an important aspect of that development." Nuner stressed that the "window is never closed" for an individual to learn social skills, but it does get more difficult in the later years. Young children can also be affected negatively during the developmental years by "too much structured time" and "too much exposure to television," she said. "That's not to say increased media is to blame for everything that's wrong with children," she said. "It's just one of the factors." Nuner added that trying to shield children from every adverse form of media is "impossible," and instead suggested parents focus on trying to "teach children how to filter things out." "Children are exposed to so much at a young age and that makes parenting very difficult," she said. "There are a lot of outside influences on children because of the accessibility of technology and media." Barna found the "issue of media management" as crucial to successful parenting. His studies showed parents who "limited, monitored and mediated the media content to which their children were exposed" also had discussions with their children about the content of media they consumed. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recommend any television for children age 2 and younger, and suggests only limited exposure for ages 3 to 5. However, Nuner said parents cannot always foresee how a child will mature and develop. "Sometimes you can do all the right things and they still don't turn out the way you want them to," she said. -- Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=45463
Aug. 20, 2007 Anytime a tragedy occurs we ask ourselves how it could have happened and how it can be prevented from ever happening again. So in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre, gun rights advocates began calling for the repealing of bans on carrying concealed weapons on school campuses. The national organization of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is one such group. There are eight chapters of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus in Texas, the most of any state. Current Texas law forbids the carrying of concealed weapons in places like school campuses, places of worship and government property -- even if a person is licensed to carry. Arlington senior Andrew Sugg, head of Baylor's SCCC chapter, seeks to make it possible for students to arm themselves at Baylor. Groups like these have to use circular logic to reach their conclusions. Because a deranged individual brought guns onto campus, Sugg and others believe they should be allowed to bring theirs in order to protect themselves. What the gun lobby conveniently forgets is that the mental history of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho should have prevented him from ever obtaining a gun in the first place. Cho's mental history was recognized by a Virginia court in 2005, and due to inconsistencies between federal and state law, he was not entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The problem is not with the laws, but with the ability of the system to work properly. If it did, Cho would not have been able to purchase a gun and the conversation may not have gone in this direction. While it is clear that the response time of Virginia Tech's campus police was inadequate, this does not mean we should allow anyone who has gone through a criminal history check and a safety course to be a substitute for law enforcement. This vigilante attitude of circumventing the responsibility of law enforcement could potentially create many serious problems. The majority of people who receive licenses to carry concealed weapons are responsible individuals, but they do not receive nearly the same level of training to handle situations that police do. Although they do not receive the same amount of press coverage as a school shooting, accidents involving guns are far more common. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 776 accidental deaths and 75,685 injuries from firearms in 2001. It would be naïve to say that if bans on guns at these locations are repealed, there would be no accidents as a result. The purpose of banning concealed weapons in certain places is because the state has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its citizens in those locations. How wise would it be to allow someone to carry a concealed weapon to a stadium? A church? Better yet, how about an airport? Baylor police chief Jim Doak was quoted in Baylor Line magazine saying it would be "unwise" to lift campus bans. We couldn't agree more. Baylor SCCC has good intentions at heart -- making campus safer. But before we arm ourselves, there are other steps we can take that are both easier to implement and less double-edged. One step is to have better emergency planning. School lockdowns for threats are commonplace at our nation's high schools -- the capacity for emergency response should be no different in colleges. Another step is to better enforce the laws and have tighter background checks. Too many loopholes in state and federal laws are allowing people who shouldn't be able to, to get guns. Even if state laws are changed, Baylor as a private institution has the right to ban concealed weapons on its own. We hope it continues to keep its rules in place, even if state schools allow concealed carry on their campuses. -- Original Source: Baylor University http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=46387
By Kim Tong-hyung Staff Reporter The senseless tragedy that took the lives of 33 people at Virginia Tech University has some Korean students reconsidering their plans to study at U.S. schools. After the gunman of the worst massacre in U.S. modern history was identified as 23-year-old Korean-born student Cho Seung-hui, who took his own life during the rampage, there has been an apparent fear among Korean students that the anger toward the killer might bend toward those who share the same ethnic background as him. Most U.S. media outlets seem to be downplaying the issue of race in their coverage of the incident, focusing more on the issue of gun control. However, there have been sporadic reports of verbal abuse and threats against Korean and other Asian Americans, according to Korean communities in Virginia and other parts of the U.S. Cheon Do-sang, a 30-year-old office worker in Seoul, has been studying between working hours in the hope of taking a master of business administration (MBA) course at an American university. Now, he is having second thoughts. ``I am thinking about choosing a school in London instead, where I might have an easier time finding a shorter course with cheaper tuition fees,'' said Cheon, who worries that enmity toward Korean students might develop in U.S. schools. ``I have already applied for a number of schools now, including a U.S. school which had originally been at the top of my list. However, should I be accepted to attend that school in September, it will still be a tough decision for me,'' he said, adding that he might look for other options next year. Justified or not, Cheon's concerns seem to be shared by a lot of Koreans preparing to study overseas. An official at a consulting agency in Taechi-dong, southern Seoul, which specializes on helping Korean students find foreign schools, said he has been getting numerous calls from students and parents over the safety of studying in the U.S. The company had recruited 28 middle school students who applied for an exchange student program at a U.S. school, which was to start in July. After the Virginia Tech shootings, however, four students called off their plans to participate, despite already paying 2 million won each as deposit money. ``The problem is bigger for older students or university graduates, who have spent a longer time preparing to study abroad but are now swept by a sense of uncertainty,'' said the company official. Korean students are hardly the only ones fearing a backlash. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said it pulled its ``Sparkling Korea'' television advertisements on CNN after the shootings. ``It would be inappropriate to air the 30-second ads featuring images of Korea's culture and natural beauty between the news reports of a gun shooting rampage by a Korean-born student,'' said Park Young-kyu, an official at the KTO's branch in New York. In a more bizarre case, the Kangwon Ilbo, a vernacular daily based in Kangwon Province, printed a series of interviews with government officials to soothe local worries that the Virginia Tech shootings might have a negative effect on local efforts to host the 2014 Winter Olympics at the region's ski resort in PyeongChang. Critics wonder whether the government is actually worsening the situation through its series of statements and diplomatic gestures after the tragedy, thus making it harder for Korean Americans by drumming up the ethnic issue. Lee Tae-shik, the Korean ambassador to the U.S., in particular has been under fire from the Korean media after suggesting Korean American Christians fast for 32-days to mourn the 32 people killed in Cho's shooting spree while speaking at a Washington church. ``Why does a Korean diplomat bring up the issue of race in a tragic incident that left more than 30 people killed? That is a totally new level of stupidity,'' said Lee Dong-hun, a 30-year-old Korean law student in Boston. ``The Korean government should pay its condolences to the victims at Virginia Tech as other countries did, not an apology. People like Ambassador Lee might give a very wrong idea to Americans that Koreans only care about protecting their own ethnic group and less about the senseless crime that left so many young lives dead, which is so far from the truth,'' he said. thkim@koreatimes.co.kr -- Original Source: Korea Times http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/nation_view.asp?newsIdx=1317&categoryCode=117
By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter Washington has dismissed Seoul's worries about a possible racial backlash in the United States and a crack in their alliance following Monday's shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University, diplomatic sources said yesterday. Senior U.S. government officials held the South Korean government from sending a condolence delegation to the U.S., stressing the incident would not be an issue of racial prejudice, they said. In a meeting with South Korean correspondents in Washington, D.C., a U.S. State Department official reiterated the shooting case was made by a U.S. immigrant from South Korea, not South Korea itself, according to reports. The official said the U.S. government regards any immigrants to the U.S. as its nationals regardless of their ethnics, referring his country as a ``melting pot'' of different peoples, the reports said. William Stanton, deputy chief of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, told Korean lawmakers on Wednesday that the incident would not affect the two nation's long-standing relations, their aides said. The gunman in the shooting rampage, the worst in U.S. history, was identified as Cho Seung-hui, 23, a South Korean studying at the university. Cho was a permanent resident in the U.S. While many South Koreans have been feared of a racial backlash, U.S. public sentiment was focused on gun control laws, reports said. Put on high alert, the South Korean government has been making efforts to ensure the shooting rampage would not lead to any ethnic confrontation in the United States. About 100,000 South Koreans are residing in the United States for study, making them the largest foreign student group in the U.S. President Roh Moo-hyun expressed deep sorrow three times over the deaths of 32 people in the shooting rampage. ``I and my fellow citizens can only feel shock and a wrenching of our hearts,'' Roh told a news conference after a summit with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on Wednesday. He expressed his condolences to the victims and their families. gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr -- Original Source: Korea Times http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/nation_view.asp?newsIdx=1324&categoryCode=113
By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter Virginia Tech (VT) students didn't want to think about the massacre incident any more during the press conference with Korean media. Eighteen students and two professors of the school visited Konkuk University on Tuesday where they will attend summer school programs for a month. When it came to the shooting rampage by a South Korean immigrant student, they were firm in not talking about the past, saying none of them personally knew the killer or were at the scene of the crime. ``We do not judge Korea on the actions of one. We really ask that the media respect our grieving process,'' said Adnan Barqawi, 19, who is studying accounting and information system at VT. ``I personally lost two friends during the incident, I think that being on my own and being with my friends is what is going to help me.'' ``Coming to Korea happened because this is a part of my education. We have an increasing participation of the people of this world. My intention is not to stop my education because of adversity. I am here to learn and pursue my education,'' Adnan added. All students were wearing maroon and orange ribbons on their shirts. Asked the meaning of the ribbons, Cheryl Tait, 22, said that they represent the support of VT from all the universities in the United States. ``The ribbons symbolize our hope and all the support for one another,'' she said. Instead, VT members were excited about their new experience in Korea and wanted to talk about the programs they are scheduled to take part in here. ``This study abroad program was planned before the shooting. The students signed up and although they could have cancelled their decision to come, none of them did,'' VT professor Devi Gnyawali said. ``The study abroad program is a joint one with Japan and Korea. To learn about the culture and to tour various Korean companies for example Samsung and Hyundai, we came here.'' Lastly, they confirmed that the brutal incident will not affect Korean people at all. ``Generalizing a group of people because of the action of one person, in my opinion, would be wrong because Cho was sick, he had mental illness which could effect everyone and so I think to associate Koreans with ill will is wrong,'' said Daniel Lesneski, 20, who is studying finance. ``I agree with Daniel, I am a Korean American and I know from personal experience there was no hostility toward us _ we are a big community and no one was singled out,'' said Elizabeth Chin, 20, who is majoring in accounting. kswho@koreatimes.co.kr Jung Joo-yang, Joan Kim, Korea Times interns, contributed to this article. -- Original Source: Korea Times http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/nation_view.asp?newsIdx=3760&categoryCode=117
Shot from the South Stands during the Dave Matthews Set