"I think it's great that there's going to be so much to do," said Sia Mallios, a junior finance major. "But I just don't want to battle the crowds and the media. The last thing I want to do is be questioned more."
Mallios said she remembers being pestered by news media last year, which tried to get her to answer questions at a time she wanted to least. She said she's not sure what she'll do tomorrow, but that she knows she won't come to campus until the candlelight vigil planned for 8:15 p.m. on the Drillfield.
"It was sad enough that day," Mallios said. "I don't want to relive that."
Sophomore biology major Jiun Yang Yen agrees.
"I'll go to the vigil, but probably nothing else," Yen said. "Doing all these events in memory of people who died is definitely a good thing, but sometimes I think the only thing that makes these things easier is time."
Although many school-organized events, such as an open microphone at Deet's Place and free BreakZone activities in Squires Student Center have been advertised, many students have been making plans of their own.
Sophomore engineering major Tory Smith got an idea from one of his professors to organize an "April 16 Lunch on the Drillfield," open to anyone interested in attending. On April 10 he created a Facebook event to get the word out, and over 800 people have already RSVP-ed.
"It's meant to be really informal and relaxing," Smith said. "Come if you want, with whoever you want. And stay as long as you want. It's just a chance to get together."
On the other hand, some students plan on using the day as a chance to escape. Some said they will stay in their apartments around town. Others plan on going home to be with their families. Whatever their plans, many of them involve leaving Blacksburg altogether.
Freshman engineering major Christian Probst said he and his friends plan on going hiking in the Cascades in Pulaski County for the day.
"We're going to try and take our minds off everything," Probst said. "We don't want to take anything away from what happened, but we also don't want to dwell on it too much."
Probst said it's also difficult for freshmen to know what to do because they weren't on campus last year when the shooting occurred.
"I'll never fully understand what it was like to be here," Probst said. "So I'm not sure what's appropriate to do. But at the same time there are certain things I think everyone should participate in out of respect, like the candlelight vigil."
Kim Jungmeen, an assistant professor of psychology at Tech, said not wanting to be on campus is a normal reaction for people dealing with such a tragic event, especially since it was only a year ago and is fresh in everyone's mind.
"I think individuals have different styles of coping," Jungmeen said. "And wanting to leave campus is one of those responses. Maybe they want to leave to reflect on the event, or maybe they want to just go see something different to avoid thinking about it. Each person is different." Jungmeen said it's not surprising that many students want to spend the day with their friends on a more personal level, and not with big events.
"For some people, the day will be more about comforting and supporting their friends than anything," Jungmeen said. "For some people, it's just too early to think about and not feel pain."
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