For today, we are all Hokies.
I've been pretty somber all day today. I felt real sadness today, I'm not sure I ever really have before. I'm usually angry about things but today I'm just sad. More than a handful of my high school classmates attend Virginia Tech, and I'm pretty sure all of them are fine. All of the ones I'm facebook friends with are, anyway. 33 people were killed today and no one knows why. People are pointing fingers at administration for not notifying people earlier. Honestly, I think the administration did what they thought was right and no one can fault them for that. People panic- well known fact. At 7:15am there were gunshots and there was no indication that it was not an isolated domestic dispute. The administration was led to believe that the gunman had fled campus. Do you send out an e-mail and send people into a panic immediately? At 9:26 an e-mail was sent saying "A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating." The message warned students to be cautious and contact police about anything suspicious. There was no way to know that the gunman was going to attack again in a building half a mile away. The dorm where the first shooting occurred was shut down and the people in the dorm were warned.
Trey Perkins, who was sitting in a German class in Norris Hall, told The Washington Post that the gunman barged into the room at about 9:50 a.m. and opened fire for about a minute and a half, squeezing off about 30 shots. The gunman first shot the professor in the head and then fired on the students, Perkins said. The gunman was about 19 years old and had a "very serious but very calm look on his face," he said. (Yahoo! news)
Less than twenty minutes after the e-mail had been sent, the gunman was in Norris and had apparently chained the exit doors so no one could enter or exit except through windows. The gunman was clever enough to not be carrying identification and to shoot himself in the face to make himself virtually unidentifiable, even his fingerprints were clear on an initial check. The same questions that are being asked now were asked when 9/11 happened and when Katrina happened. When is the right time to notify people, how much information do people need, and how do you gauge what reaction is enough without overreacting? Do you assume worst case scenario all the time and have people upset that you panicked, or do you use the information you have and only the information you have to make a decision and have people angry that you did not have foresight? Does anyone ever do the right thing in these situations? Can anyone ever do the right thing in these situations? I don't know. Two people died in a dorm room at the hands of a gunman at 7:15am, do you cancel 8am classes all over campus when you think the gunman has fled campus? Something probably happened between 7:15 and 9:30 to give the administration reason to alert the student body, but not enough happened to send a message more strong than to be cautious.
My suspicion- Either a student, or a denied applicant. Leaning more toward denied applicant.
Now my question- why am I sad and not angry? Who would I be angry with? The gunman? God? Whatever drove this kid to kill 33 people at a time when no teenager should be awake? Also, I find it very interesting how all of a sudden people who are not religious are praying for everyone at Tech. I guess there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but I find it strange and honestly, I don't like it. I don't know exactly why, but I don't. I guess I'm sad because something terrible must have happened to this gunman to allow him to maybe not rationalize, but decide to do something this monstrous. I'm sad for whatever made him do this and I'm sad for the families and friends of those who are dead and I'm sad for those who have broken ankles, legs, and arms from jumping out of windows, I'm sad for Blacksburg and for Virginia, I'm sad for college students and colleges.
Another question on everyone's mind: Could this happen to me? The answer is a resounding yes. It can happen anywhere and to anyone and no one is ever prepared enough. Not literally and physically and not emotionally or psychologically. PCC doesn't even have a way to contact students if something were to happen. The issue of guns has also be a point of hot debate lately. Our security officers are actual police officers and cadets, but the current policy is that no one can have a gun on campus, including cadets and officers. We have a mini police station on campus, but none of them are permitted to carry guns, does this make the campus safer or more dangerous? Everyone has their own opinion.
Virginia is for Lovers.
Trey Perkins, who was sitting in a German class in Norris Hall, told The Washington Post that the gunman barged into the room at about 9:50 a.m. and opened fire for about a minute and a half, squeezing off about 30 shots. The gunman first shot the professor in the head and then fired on the students, Perkins said. The gunman was about 19 years old and had a "very serious but very calm look on his face," he said. (Yahoo! news)
Less than twenty minutes after the e-mail had been sent, the gunman was in Norris and had apparently chained the exit doors so no one could enter or exit except through windows. The gunman was clever enough to not be carrying identification and to shoot himself in the face to make himself virtually unidentifiable, even his fingerprints were clear on an initial check. The same questions that are being asked now were asked when 9/11 happened and when Katrina happened. When is the right time to notify people, how much information do people need, and how do you gauge what reaction is enough without overreacting? Do you assume worst case scenario all the time and have people upset that you panicked, or do you use the information you have and only the information you have to make a decision and have people angry that you did not have foresight? Does anyone ever do the right thing in these situations? Can anyone ever do the right thing in these situations? I don't know. Two people died in a dorm room at the hands of a gunman at 7:15am, do you cancel 8am classes all over campus when you think the gunman has fled campus? Something probably happened between 7:15 and 9:30 to give the administration reason to alert the student body, but not enough happened to send a message more strong than to be cautious.
My suspicion- Either a student, or a denied applicant. Leaning more toward denied applicant.
Now my question- why am I sad and not angry? Who would I be angry with? The gunman? God? Whatever drove this kid to kill 33 people at a time when no teenager should be awake? Also, I find it very interesting how all of a sudden people who are not religious are praying for everyone at Tech. I guess there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but I find it strange and honestly, I don't like it. I don't know exactly why, but I don't. I guess I'm sad because something terrible must have happened to this gunman to allow him to maybe not rationalize, but decide to do something this monstrous. I'm sad for whatever made him do this and I'm sad for the families and friends of those who are dead and I'm sad for those who have broken ankles, legs, and arms from jumping out of windows, I'm sad for Blacksburg and for Virginia, I'm sad for college students and colleges.
Another question on everyone's mind: Could this happen to me? The answer is a resounding yes. It can happen anywhere and to anyone and no one is ever prepared enough. Not literally and physically and not emotionally or psychologically. PCC doesn't even have a way to contact students if something were to happen. The issue of guns has also be a point of hot debate lately. Our security officers are actual police officers and cadets, but the current policy is that no one can have a gun on campus, including cadets and officers. We have a mini police station on campus, but none of them are permitted to carry guns, does this make the campus safer or more dangerous? Everyone has their own opinion.
Virginia is for Lovers.