CT Opinions
Wednesday, April 18th 2007Column: Moving forward from devastating tragedy
Columbine, Nickel Mines and Bailey are all famous for conjuring up images of school violence. Now our own Blacksburg joins that list as the greatest of them all with 33 of our fellow colleagues dead, including the gunman. We were all present that fateful day and there is no question the memory will stay with us for the rest of our lives. As witnesses to the greatest mass murder in American history, we were all humbled by what happened on the morning of April 16, 2007...
Column: Students struggle for understanding and meaning
As roughly 32 of my peers lay deceased in Norris and West Ambler-Johnston Halls, I struggle for the words to describe how I feel. As eager, ambitious students, we all want to make history and leave our mark on the world, none of us wanted to be a part of the history that unfolded on campus Monday morning. We now share the burden of having been unwilling participants in one of our nation's worst tragedies...
Editorial: Convocation brings hope to students
The day after the deadliest shooting spree in United States history, Virginia Tech students, Blacksburg residents, and supporters from far and wide came out to pay tribute to the thirty-one fallen victims. At the core of the media spectacle, taking place in the humble town of Blacksburg, is a complete tragedy, affecting each and every one of us in our own ways. After the events of Monday, so many of us were left with feelings of helplessness, despair, unsure of who to turn to or how to grieve...
Letter: Sorrow pervades entire VT community
This note is addressed to the students of Virginia Tech. Never in one day have I been so stricken with grief and sorrow for my fellow Hokies, while at the same time been so proud to be part of the Virginia Tech community. As an alumnus and a very proud Hokie, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the students and student body of Virginia Tech during this time of crisis and subsequent mourning. I do not need to belabor the point of what each and every one of you, your parents and loved ones have had to endure in the past hours. But the manner with which each of you individually and as a collective whole have carried yourselves through this tragedy has struck me...
Letter: Media unfairly exploits VT tragedy
I am a student here at Virginia Tech, and like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened by Monday's events. I am also angered at the national media's coverage of our tragedy. The constant assumption of the incompetence of our school officials is unfair and uncalled for. We at Virginia Tech know that our school cares deeply for our safety and would never knowingly put our lives in danger...
Letter: Blacksburg tragedy has far-reaching effects
I am a Virginia Tech alumna and a former copy editor for the Collegiate Times. I just want to express my condolences to the entire campus, the CT staff, President Steger and the Blacksburg Police Department. It's hard for those of us who are no longer in Blacksburg to sit here and do nothing as the news stations run their little tickers counting names and numbers, but it must be even harder for those still on campus who are sitting there feeling just as helpless, right in the thick of the disaster...
Tuesday, April 17th 2007
Column: The culture of violence
First, I would like to offer my deepest sympathies to those affected by yesterday's tragedy. No words can describe it. I never thought I would be attending a school with the record for deadliest school shooting in history.
The only personal account of the tragedy that I have is the following: Upon returning from working at my job in the morning I checked my e-mail. The only message sent out at that time was the news of the first shooting at the dorm. I didn't think much of it, so I got ready to attend my first class at 10:10. When I was walking across the Drillfield, I noticed something was wrong...
Column: Focus on the victims, not the recriminations
Yesterday's events are still difficult to sort out and the exact scenario that unfolded yesterday morning is still murky amid the chaos, sensational and contradictory news reports, and second and third hand accounts. The situation is so horrible it's difficult to even admit it has occurred, much less comprehend the magnitude of events; at least 30 people are dead, their lives taken without any reason, or any remorse in what appears to be the single most outrageous indiscriminant act of violence in the nation's history. Others are wounded, and we cannot begin to imagine or even speculate about the horrors they experienced...
Column: What I want Virginia Tech to be remembered for
Last Monday was a very sad day. That preceding sentence was an understatement, yesterday was far worse. Waking up to the sounds of police sirens and ambulances was an alarm with no snooze button. There was only so much we could learn from sitting in front of a television screen, trying to find the most up to date news. It would take a couple hours for the magnitude of the event to finally sink in.
When I came to Virginia Tech as a freshman, life wasn't anywhere near as crazy. It was a college town, just like any other, except we had better football and a quality academic reputation with which other schools could not compare...
Editorial: A tragic day undeserved
Yesterday's events escalated far beyond what any of us ever imagined when the campus community received e-mail at 9:26 a.m. indicating that there had been a shooting in West Ambler-Johnston Hall. That in and of itself was a tragedy. What transcended after that was an inconceivable disaster. With 31 deaths in Norris Hall, and two more in the dormitory, the pain and heartache blanketing the entire campus community is very much alive. All 33 deaths that occurred on campus yesterday were senseless...