Miss any of the top Collegiate Times headlines last school year? Here’s a recap of the 2009-10 school year’s notable stories.
AUGUST
More information became available about the mental health of Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people before turning the gun on himself on April 16, 2007. In August, Cho’s mental health records were discovered in the home of former Cook Counseling Center Robert Miller.
The released records, a combination of records held at Cook Counseling Center Center and at Miller’s home, offered a grim description of the student who would perpetrate the worst school shootings in U.S. history. Cho described having a “depressed mood” along with panic episodes “when having to talk to people.” Cho also declined to talk about relationship problems saying he “does not have any relationships.
”Miller, a defendant in a lawsuit filed by families of victims Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde, was sent a legal directive by the lawyer representing the Peterson and Pryde families, seeking more information about the records.
Tech students saw more repercussions from the April 16, 2007 shootings, as the desktop alert component of the VT Alerts system was introduced in August. Designed to function even when thousands of users needed to be alerted at once, the desktop alerts is a downloadable widget that takes over a user’s computer and announces the VT alert aloud.
On August 28, students David Metzler and Heidi Childs were found dead in the Caldwell Fields area of northern Montgomery County. The two were declared victims of a double homicide. There are still no leads in the case.
SEPTEMBER
The Board of Visitors approved three new campus buildings: a human and agricultural bioscience building to be built in the parking lot currently known as “the Cage,” a signature engineering building to be built in the northeast corner of the commuter parking lot between Prices Fork Road and Stander Street, and a new dining facility to be located between ICTAS and Randolph Hall. Construction will begin on those buildings this summer.
Subway replaced Burger King inside the Johnston Student Center, giving students a healthier alternative. A Seattle’s Best Coffee kiosk was also installed in student center.
AT&T added 3G service to Blacksburg, to the pleasure of many iPhone users. 3G, a third-generation mobile broadband network, optimizes service for smartphones such as the iPhone and BlackBerry.
The foundations were laid for the new Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, which will open in Roanoke this fall. The VTC will be based on basic and clinical science, inter-professionalism, and research.
Though hopes were high, the Tech football team lost its first game against Alabama in Atlanta, 34-24. The game was the first performance made by redshirt freshman Ryan Williams, who rushed for 71 yards on 13 carries, caught two passes for 42 yards, and scored two touchdowns in the game. Williams would continue to be a key player for the rest of the season.
In mid-September, the race for Virginia’s governor’s mansion picked up the pace. The College Republicans and the Young Democrats would both be active until election day, supporting Republican candidate
Bob McDonnell and Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds.
The race for the Blacksburg Town Council also intensified in mid September, as multiple candidates vied for spots, holding public forums and meetings with constituents.
Associate Provost Norrine Bailey Spencer, who served Tech from 1983 until 2008, died of cancer in late September.
Planning began for the new $26 million parking garage in the Prices Fork commuter lot. The garage is projected to make an additional 1,400 spots available in fall 2010. However, the construction blocked about 400 parking spots in the commuter parking lot.
Then-Gov. Tim Kaine met with families of April 16, 2007 shooting victims in late September, again refusing to reconvene the Virginia Tech Review Panel. He did offer the families an update on the progress of the report’s revisions. The same week, initial hearing dates were set for December in the Peterson and Pryde families’ lawsuits against Tech, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the estate of shooter Seung-Hui Cho.
Construction began on the library cafe, which, though now completed, is still not yet operational.
OCTOBER
Tech declined to sign a coalition among universities to reduce its environmental impact, instead choosing to create its own sustainability plan. The American College and University President’s Climate Commitment was signed by 653 college presidents.
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