Collegiate Times: News


	CT News Friday, April 27th 2007 FBI investigates Ambler Johnston Hall The first shootings last Monday occurred in West Ambler-Johnston Hall, and authorities have continued to investigate the incident in the residential area with hopes of acquiring more information. Montgomery County schools respond to violence Many of the Montgomery County schools that surround the Blacksburg area responded to last week's shooting with an outpouring of support. "Our third and fourth-grade students sent posters over to Virginia Tech last week," said Brian Kitts, the principal of Kipps Elementary School, "I know almost all of our students sent cards over to the university as well." Gardens with Tech color schemes to be planted in honor of victims On Saturday, April 28, community gardens of maroon, orange and white Hokie flowers will be planted throughout the region to memorialize the lives lost in the April 16 shootings. Hometown Industries, a service-learning program coordinated by Perry Martin, and Chi Delta Alpha service sorority are collaborating to develop the idea for the gardens. Columbine survivor shares experience Peter Henderson was a 16-year-old sophomore at Columbine High School when the world-famous shooting occurred. A week and two days after the shootings at Virginia Tech he spoke at The Bridge, Christiansburg's Foursquare Church. Thursday, April 26th 2007 College of Engineering remember their fallen A black silken table adorned a table with 14 white candles lit Cassell Coliseum last night were for remembrance of the 14 lost from the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. Several faculty and friends spoke about each of the 14 victims personally. Students respond to questions over gun control After last week's shootings, many people, both on and off the Virginia Tech campus started to question the current laws that apply to the buying and selling of guns in the United States. "What happened last week was a tragedy," said sophomore university studies major Joshua Westrom, "But people should have the right to defend themselves." Gruesome details emerge from press conference Seung-Hui Cho fired over 170 rounds in nine minutes at Norris Hall last Monday and shot himself in the head among his victims, authorities said in a press conference held yesterday afternoon. Wednesday, April 25th 2007 Religions reach out on campus Since last week's tragedy, the Virginia Tech community has come together through the thousands of signatures on the memorial tributes, the scene of countless faces lit only by moonlight from the myriad of candles at the vigil last Wednesday, and the single voice that rose from the crowd crying, "Let's go, Hokies!" However, since the tragedy that has pulled everyone together, various religious groups have stepped boldly onto campus to reach out. Tragedy affects prospective students Virginia Tech Ambassadors are responsible for hosting tours for prospective students on campus. President Adam Schmid, a senior civil engineering major and tour guide, said that tours resumed their normal schedules this past Monday. Those who were present on the tours were asked to hold all questions regarding April 16 until the end of the tour. Activities and events canceled to make room for crisis management Student Activities has changed their plans for the remainder of the semester, accommodating counseling and memorial services in light of recent events. Shannon Porter, associate director for Relay for Life at Virginia Tech, said that the executive committee wanted to plan a second "mini-relay" because their event was held last weekend, and most students could not participate because they went home. Tuesday, April 24th 2007 Students and faculty return to class Many students have returned to the Virginia Tech campus after last week's tragedy and participated in Monday morning's balloon memorial ceremony for those that were lost last Monday before returning to classes. Car crash kills Tech student Virginia Tech freshman, Jeff Nielsen Santo Domingo Soriano, died in a car crash Friday afternoon after returning home to Chesapeake, Virginia. Interview with a fellow classmate Alison Mitchell, a senior Environmental Policy and Planning student at Virginia Tech, was in Bob Hicok's Intro to Short Fiction class in the spring of 2006, which Seung-Hui Cho. BOV appoints student representative According to a press release, Board of Visitors appointed Brennan Shepard and Ryan C. Smith as their student representatives for the 2007-2008 school year. Shepard was appointed graduate student representative and Smith was appointed undergraduate student representative, each for a one-year term. Cho's stone goes missing A stone representing Cho Seung-Hui at the victims' memorial located on the Drillfield in front of Burruss Hall has gone missing. The stone, which was placed amongst the other 32 stones on Saturday night, attracted attention from mourners who placed flowers and letters on it. Friday, April 20th 2007 Information uncovered, questions remain The package of videos and photos gunman Cho Seung-Hui sent to NBC was reviewed by the police, but does not offer any new evidence or conclusions to the investigation. Col. Steve Flaherty, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said that he knew the evidence would be vital, but that they had already secured most of this information during the investigation. Website designed to begin healing process Within a few hours of Monday's tragic events, Old Dominion University junior, Joey Berry, began working on a project that would consume most of the next three days for him. Berry is the developer of www.remembervt.com, a website commemorating the victims lost earlier this week on the Virginia Tech campus. Returning to class As students, faculty, staff and members of a community we have started the healing process with resolve. Hokies are spending time with family and friends, remembering the victims, and slowly but surely coming to terms with these events. National groups help with local support Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the Second Harvest Food Bank are just some of the organizations working around the clock to provide food, blood and counseling to the Virginia Tech community. As students mourn, Monday classes loom Students are the life of Virginia Tech. In light of the recent tragedy on campus, the university canceled this week of classes. However, next Monday students will start to pick up the pieces and return to class. With a vast number of students at home, those who are still here, like freshman English major Michael Williams, are hesitant to predict what the first day back will be like. Hokies United events For those who chose to stay on campus, the past couple of days have consisted of constant physical reminders of Monday's devastation. To offer students a temporary distraction from their thoughts, Hokies United, a student organized reaction to tragedies, has organized a night of activities for those on campus. Column: Orange and maroon nationwide Over 60,000 people can fit in to Lane Stadium, and when they all wear orange and maroon, it is an awe-inspiring sight. However, today, those 60,000 might look miniscule in comparison. Cho's roommate speaks out Karan Grewal, a senior accounting major at Virginia Tech, spent his senior year unaware of Cho Seung-Hui's plan to commit the deadliest shooting in the United States. Grewal lived in the room opposite Cho in their six-person suite in Harper Hall. Boortz's comments met with disdain When Richard Benson thinks about the response of students and faculty inside Norris Hall, he thinks only of courage. "There were people in the hallways who ran through the hallways as shots were being fired to tell people to take cover, lock their doors. I can't imagine how many lives got saved because of that. One of the dead professors walked down the stairs to investigate. That took courage. How many of us would walk toward the sound of gunfire? I think this is a heroic campus," Benson, dean of the college of engineering, said. Radford reacts to Tech's tragedy Located a mere 15 miles from the campus of Virginia Tech, the Radford University community has felt the shockwaves of the tragedy that occurred Monday. Thursday, April 19th 2007 Cho's background incidents A package containing videos and photos from gunman Cho Seung-Hui was mailed to NBC between the shootings at West Ambler-Johnston Hall and Norris Hall on Monday. NBC President Steve Capus said the package arrived to the studio in New York late on Tuesday and sent to headquarters at about 11 a.m... Parking Services affected by Monday's massacre The horrendous events of this past Monday, April 16th, have caused tremendous amounts of havoc around the campus of Virginia Tech. Many students have already left campus; however, a number of students and visitors are either still at Tech or making their ways to campus... Students have mixed responses to media interviews In the midst of all the grieving and sorrow, Virginia Tech students roamed campus today to find hundreds of visitors with cameras and recorders. Since 32 people were shot to death on Monday, media outlets all over the world parked their cars and vans and infiltrated campus, stopping students to get their reaction to events... Kaine appoints independent review committee Governor Kaine announced yesterday in an interview that he has appointed retired Superintendent of Virginia State Police Lt. Colonel Gerald Massengill to lead an independent committee review board on an investigation of Virginia Tech's handling of Monday's shootings. The idea of the committee review board came up in a conversation between Governor Kaine and Tech president Charles Steger... Cho Seung-Hui timeline January 18, 1984 Cho Seung-Hui is born in South Korea. 1992 Emigrates with his family to Centreville. He would eventually enroll and graduate from Westfield High School. According to NBC News, Cho's parents owned a dry cleaning business. His sister graduated from Princeton with an economics degree in 2004... Remembering Austin Cloyd Austin Cloyd was always smiling. Her friends saw her as a happy, go-lucky girl. Monday's shootings left Cloyd dead, one of the victims shot by Cho Seung Hui in the French class held in Norris Hall... Colorado State experiences crisis The Colorado State Rams have been mourning with the Virginia Tech Hokies, but last night at around 4 a.m., got a scary taste of the hectic response to an emergency concerning a man running rampant on a dorm. Charles Holland, who has a warrant for arrest in several states, was found on top of Edwards Hall, a resident dorm mainly for freshman on the main campus in Fort Collins, Colorado. Students in the dorm were quickly evacuated into the basement in the dorm in order to allow police on the scene to safely negotiate with the known criminal... Wednesday, April 18th 2007 Tech community begins healing process The crisp night air on the Virginia Tech Drillfield was punctuated with vivacious chants of "Let's Go...Hokies" and luminated with thousands of candles, as the Tech community rallied around the memory of the 32 victims of the deadliest shooting spree in United States history, while simultaneously making strides in the recovery process... Press conference held, chilling details revealed In a press conference held yesterday at approximately 9:23 a.m., Virginia Tech Police identified the gunman as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a South Korean native and resident alien who was an undergraduate senior English major at Tech... Holocaust survivor slain Professor Liviu Librescu was slight of build and long of tooth, Stephen Schuler said. The sophomore engineering major (who had skipped Librescu's class Monday morning) was shocked when he first heard that his professor had thrown himself at the door of his Norris classroom, instructing his students to flee out the windows while he held off Cho Seung Hui, the 23-year old shooter who police say terrorized the Virginia Tech campus Monday... Students leave campus for home With Virginia Tech President Charles Steger cancelling classes until Monday, April 23, many of the approximately 9,000 on-campus residents in Blacksburg are heading home... Column: Convocation ceremony This doesn't happen to us. It just plain doesn't happen to us. It's one of those things you see on the TV and think "My God!" For a while, you're glued to the TV, in shock and horror. But then you move on, because it wasn't us. So it wasn't real... The life of Christopher James Bishop Christopher James Bishop, known as Jamie in his five years at UNC, was killed Monday in the tragedy that left 33 dead on the campus of Virginia Tech. He was 35... Column: Kaine gets the job done Tim Kaine's last two day's are like nothing he's ever experienced. The governor arrived in Tokyo, Japan at 6 p.m. Monday, Tokyo time. Jetlagged, he went straight to bed. Less than six hours later, around midnight, he received a call from his office, informing him about the shootings in Blacksburg... Community reaches out helping hand On all the downtown Blacksburg streetlights, fluttering yellow ribbons with the words "In Loving Memory" commemorate those lost in the tragedy at Virginia Tech on Monday morning... Tuesday, April 17th 2007 Convocation Brief At 12:40 p.m., Cassell Coliseum had only one-fifth of its seating left. Students, state troopers and Secret Service poured into the coliseum awaiting the 2 p.m. convocation. As 2 p.m. drew nearer, tensions grew throughout the room. Families were ushered in, faculty filled the nine chairs on stage, and President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush entered Cassell at 2:15. Zenobia Hikes, Vice President... Horrific details surrounding massacre trickle out In a series of press conferences held last night at The Inn at Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger, Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum and University Spokesperson Larry Hincker confirmed a preliminary number of 15 injured along with the 32 fatalities by a gunman on campus in addition to his suicide... Church offers comfort to mourning Tech community Last night at 7:30 p.m. Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Blacksburg held Mass to allow those touched by yesterday's events to reflect and pray. Father Rob Cole was the celebrant and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He began his homily by saying that he did not have answers to "why," but said that those answers will come days, weeks or months later. He was here to give a sense of "hope."... 10,000 strong for 32 I can vividly remember a night nearly three months ago when ice and snow covered Virginia Tech's campus. Tech's athletic department had opened the men's basketball game against Maryland to all students because older fans outside of Blacksburg couldn't get to Cassell Coliseum safely... Photographer mistaken for shooter Shaozhuo Cui has done a lot in his two years as a Collegiate Times photographer. But nothing will trump yesterday, when the senior computer science major and CT photo editor found himself staring down the barrels of two heavily armed police officers because he "fit the profile."... Seeking light in the darkness A strong and unseasonable chill surrounded the Wren courtyard last night as students and faculty gathered in remembrance of yesterday's Virginia Tech shootings, resulting in 33 deaths - the deadliest shooting in U.S. history...

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