Monday, April 16th 2007 5:38M Students respond to shootings Alexandra Hemenway, CT News Reporter After the multiple shootings that took place this morning on Campus, many Virginia Tech students have been left feeling shocked and saddened. "I was in my dorm room this morning when I found out what was going on," said junior Sam Leake, who lives in West Amber Johnston, "This is just a really horrific incident, I always thought Virginia Tech was a safe school." Most students, including those that live in West Ambler Johnston, were unaware that anything had happened until much later in the morning. In fact, many students that woke up around 9 a.m. got ready to go to their 10:10 a.m. classes as usual. Right before most students went to leave they were told that West Ambler Johnston was locked down for the second time that morning. "I left to go to my 10:10 class," said freshman Ashley Loessberg who lives in West Amber Jonston, "It wasn't until I went into the hall that my RA told me that we were in a lockdown situation again." Many students expressed frustration that classes were not cancelled until about two hours after the first shooting took place. "I really thought they should have cancelled classes sooner," Leake said. "If they had, maybe some of these deaths could have been prevented." "I received and read an e-mail about the situation that happened at West A.J. this morning but it didn't say anything about not going to class," said freshman Cheryl Cordingley. " That makes me feel really uncomfortable." After such a horrific incident many Virginia Tech students are expressing their absolute shock and disbelief in regards to this situation. "I just can't believe this happened," Loessberg said, "I mean a lot of people have been calling and e-mailing, but I think it will take time to sink in." Chase Damiano, a freshman student at Virginia Tech, went to his French class in Holden Hall, which is connected to Norris hall, and thought the day was going to proceed as usual. "I woke up and went to my French class in Holden Hall like a normal day," Damiano said. "While I was in class I heard sirens, but with the bomb threats made recently, the sirens didn't cause that much of a concern." However, after a short time Damiano learned that something serious was happening on campus. "More and more police officers started showing up and then two women came to our classroom and said that a shooter was in Norris Hall. We barricaded ourselves in the classroom and watched the news. We just sat there and watched the casualty numbers rise from two to seven to 22, " Damiano said. "When we looked out the window we could see students running with their hands up, and we definitely could hear gunshots." Cordingley watched the events that took place at Norris Hall from her seventh floor window in Slusher Tower. "After I heard what had happened I decided to stay in my room," Cordingley said. "Some of my friends and I went out the stairwell window and we could see what was going on at Norris. There were police and ambulances everywhere over there." Despite the feelings of shock and frustration that many Virginia Tech students have expressed, students are also expressing feelings that the Virginia Tech community will come together and find strength within one another. "I think this definitely has the potential to bring the community together," Cordingley said. "I intend to go to Cassel tomorrow to show my support for all of those people that have been impacted by this shooting."