Convocation Brief Sharon Pritz, CT Features Editor April 17, 2007 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 of Student Affairs, began the opening remarks by saying, "We will eventually recover, but we will never, ever forget." President Charles Steger followed Hikes, adding to her sentiment saying that no word can express the way we feel. Virginia governor Tim Kaine explained his 10-hour trip from Asia in order to support the Virginia Tech community. He advised that we do not let hold of our sense of community. President Bush's followed the governor and stressed that such a day will come when the community is normal again. To add the spirituality of the event, leaders of the Muslim, Buddhist, Lutheran and Jewish communities gave comforting words. Nikki Giovanni, famed poet and English professor, ended the ceremony with a dramatic speech saying that death comes to us all, we all feel tragedy. "We ARE Virginia tech!" Giovanni exclaimed. She ended by leading a round of "Let's Go Hokies!"
	< Return to News