It is a daunting task to write about an on-campus murder -- especially when the entry will be posted in the Virginia Tech campus newspaper. Still, there are things to point out that still keep me quite unsettled about last week's tragedy.
I have the greatest job on campus: I flip burgers at The Fighting Gobbler in West End Market with the best coworkers imaginable. And I was working Wednesday night.
The management at West End has implemented numerous policies to facilitate optimal performance from its employees. These policies range from maintaining a tucked-in shirt to refraining from snacking at work to keeping cell phones on silent.
These rules keep employees focused on their work and guests satisfied with one of the nation's top dining facilities.
Aside from the obvious, classrooms and dining halls have one subtle, yet enormous, difference: There are no warning message boxes in the dining halls.
Let's paint the picture now: I am standing at the grill, preparing 16 Old Hickory burgers, completely oblivious to the world. Per usual, Gobbler's large screens are showing the Hokies beat down Wake Forest in true upset fashion, and the last couple orders for Monterrey burgers are rolling in.
It's 8 p.m., and we're closed. It generally takes about an hour for the grill to get cleaned thoroughly, and by 9:30 p.m. I'm back at my car.
"Fifteen texts? Whoa," I say in confusion. Usually I come out of work with three or four texts -- two of them from my girlfriend who texts me out of boredom, and one from either my brother or my roommate.
The breakdown is as follows -- nine from VT Alerts, one from a friend who recently graduated, one from my roommate, one from my sister, one from my brother, and the obligatory two from my girlfriend.
I am in a hurry to get out of town for a court appearance in Louisa County, but I decide to check my e-mail while the shower warms up. Two e-mails from VT Alerts. Even Google Alerts got in on the action, as I received an e-mail from them about the stabbing death also.
To be honest with you, I had learned about the incident around 8:15 p.m., when a coworker checked his phone and informed the rest of us.
I phoned my family to let them know about what happened and that I was safe, and they weren't aware that there was a stabbing death on campus. My mother thanked me for informing her and told me she was glad to know I was safe.
I showered and left for my girlfriend's home, which put me much closer to the Louisa County courthouse than my apartment on Roanoke Street in Blacksburg.
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Well, we've also learned that there is just nothing anyone can do to stop all attacks from happening. Peace and violence prevention have been researched for years, yet violence continues just as steadily. The only thing you can do is prepare yourself for the worst. Not that the alert systems are worthless, but they are only a reactionary measure - and a very, very slow one at that.
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I am a little surprised you're so grateful for the VT Alerts, it seems you're doing their publicity an honor. The truth is these alerts only function reliably and properly as a counter measure, sent at least 20 minutes to sometimes 30 minutes depending which batch of sent alerts your cell phone falls into. Also their intent to provide clear instructions on proper behavior is diminished when one text reads "Stay where you are" and the proceeding is "Resume normal activities". Of course as long as you are not near GLC. The texts are useful, but only when implemented in a timely and articulate fashion. Proximity is also a personal issue, besides informing you of the incident, your location at West End was in no clear danger. Had you been in the GLC, those texts would have been a bit too late.
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