Collegiate Times

Gov. Tim Kaine met with families of April 16, 2007 shooting victims Saturday in Richmond, again refusing to reconvene the Virginia Tech Review Panel.

More than 60 family members signed a petition to reconvene the panel following the discovery of shooter Seung-Hui Cho's mental records in the home of former Cook Counseling Center Director Robert Miller.

Kaine again refused families' requests to reconvene the panel Saturday, but offered an update on the progress of the report's revision. Suzanne Grimes, whose son Kevin Sterne was injured in Norris Hall, said the two pending lawsuits against Tech and the state make it difficult for Kaine to offer too much information.

"I understand the governor is in a tough position," Grimes said. "He could produce a hundred copies of the report and I don't think it would satisfy everyone."

Grimes said she is more interested in why information was not available to the panel during the original 2007 investigation.

"Personally, I am concerned about the panel report, but why was it wrong to begin with?" Grimes said. "They weren't either given accurate information or weren't supplied the information."

She had hoped the report could serve as a preventative measure for the future.

"That's the real tragedy," Grimes said. "People have died, people have been permanently injured from April 16, but if other universities or corporations cannot learn from this tragedy then that is the real sad part. I said from day one I hope some good comes out of it, and unless the truth is fully disclosed, all the good is not going to come out of it."

TriData, an independent information systems company, is currently compiling corrections for the report. The revised copy is due Oct. 31.

Other concerns were also addressed. Grimes said she would appreciate more information from the university on local events remembering or commemorating April 16.

"Some families don't want anything to do with that kind of stuff, and then there are others that would like, if they are in the area, to go to it," Grimes said. "I think it's more about the ethical treatment of family members."

Grimes said Kaine shows a caring attitude toward the families.

"Gov. Kaine has always been receptive to anything family members have to say," Grimes said. "It's always a stressful time when you're in a gathering like that. He does seem empathetic in one ear, and he is the governor of Virginia."

The one future meeting with Kaine was also discussed. Some families lobbied for another formal gathering, while the governor proposed a meeting that would ease the transition for the families to Virginia's next governor.

"I believe he wants to have a gathering that is more social, and we would be able to meet the new governor," Grimes said.