Letter: We all need time to heal
Letter to the editor
April 19, 2007
One of the worst parts about all this is the effect it will have on Virginia Tech's image. I can't really blame people who are applying for colleges if they take Tech off of their lists now, because I probably would have also. It's not because I am afraid of a gunman, I know fearing bizarre and uncommon episodes like this is illogical and won't solve anything; it's because I'm worried Tech will never be the same place again, won't offer the same level of education it used to.
If Virginia Tech becomes controlled by fear, like the rest of the nation and the world about all "terrorist" activities, then it will no longer be the great learning environment it once was. If this leads to heightened security and puts strict restrictions on the beautiful freedoms we now have, the educational value of Tech will be diminished. I'm not afraid of gunmen, but I am afraid that many of us might be, and might try to change the way Tech is run. If we do this, put up metal detectors at all building entrances, and have more police officers patrolling the grounds, then Tech will lose the strong character it has always had. If those of us who have survived this crime live in fear from this day forward, become scared and weak, then the gunman didn't just kill 32 of our friends and family, he has killed us as well, and the spirit of Virginia Tech.
We cannot let his actions cause more damage than they already have. Those who flew planes into the Twin Towers weren't interested in killing a couple thousand people; they were interested in transforming those who survive into frightened, pitiful creatures. We must not be shaken.
Time must be taken to heal the wounds caused by these events, but we must look ahead now and promise that once we have healed and we are back on our feet we will go on loving the education and environment at Virginia Tech just as we always did. We must always remember these events, and learn from them, but we cannot let them change us.
Alex Chapple
Sophomore, English