Yesterday's events are a painful reality that we are all being forced to deal with.

Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and family and friends of all students affected by the shootings at NIU. Their pain is all too familiar to us.

As students on the Virginia Tech campus, we obviously feel a connection to the tragedy in Illinois.

Not only is it important that we reach out to those at NIU, but we must also reach out to one another.

In the coming days, feelings of pain, grief and anger will likely surface.

It is important for us to take care of each other and be understanding of each other's reactions.

Even the most seemingly insignificant events can trigger memories in each of us of that fateful day.

Another school shooting, granted hundreds of miles away, brings back these memories more than ever.

Students experiencing grief should go to the Cook Counseling Center and receive the help they need in dealing with emotions.

We need to look out for one another, especially, when it comes to drinking.

This weekend, watch your alcohol intake and watch how much your friends consume. Incidents that bring back these feelings can act as a trigger.

As we sit and watch our television screens in horror, we can't help but remember what our campus was like less than a year ago. It's hard to really even talk about, or put it into words.

More so than anything else, we ask students to take care of themselves and take advantage of all the available resources on our campus to grieve properly.

Hopefully NIU students will find the strength to come together in the face of tragedy, as we did on April 16 and like we continue to do as we go on with our lives day to day.

The editorial board is composed of Amie Steele, Joe Kendall, Saira Haider, Laurel Colella and Sara Mitchell.