Staff Editorial: In wake of Tech tragedy, time for solidarity
Yesterday’s tragic events at Virginia Tech produced one of the saddest and darkest days in recent American history. Our hearts and minds are with the students still in Blacksburg and elsewhere, the families and friends of those affected and also our own peers here at the College. Whatever new information and discoveries the coming days and weeks bring, we must lean on one another when necessary, provide support to any friends or relatives we have in the Blacksburg area or on the Tech campus and address the College’s ability to respond to such occurrences in order to increase our own sense of security and well-being.
p. It is difficult to find a student or a member of this community who has not been touched by this horrific tragedy. As a state institution, the College shares a common bond, mission and purpose with the Virginia Tech campus and community. Many of us have classmates, friends and other personal connections to Tech. Even those from out of state and around the nation have been affected by this deplorable event, as students of similar age and experiences, as Americans and as human beings. We have seen the members of our community with fewer personal ties to Tech lend helping hands to their friends, many of whom spent Monday frantically calling friends and relatives.
p. President Nichol’s offer to assist the campus, community and administration of Virginia Tech — whether through additional law enforcement or counseling contributions — is extremely admirable, and represents the spirit that is needed to heal these wounds, whether in Blacksburg, Virginia or nationwide.
p. Counselors have been made available on campus to respond to individual student concerns and work with those who have been affected by this catastrophic event. Last night’s well-attended vigil and other informal prayer assemblies and gatherings, quickly organized by concerned students and staff, serve as both a reminder and as validation that now, more than ever, our sense of community is of paramount importance.
p. We hope that through this tragedy, potential vulnerabilities and concerns on our own campus may be brought to light and addressed. After speaking with administrators, we have unwavering confidence in the College’s ability to respond to emergency situations, particularly as meetings addressing improvements to emergency communications systems have been taking place recently. We are proud to attend such a safe and caring institution, yet a tragedy that hits so close to home must remind us that improvement is always possible.
p. At the moment, however, our biggest concern must be to show solidarity and express our deepest condolences to Virginia Tech. This despicable act has left us all in a state of mourning, and we must be ready and willing to open our arms to any friends or peers who have concerns. As we move forward, we must not forget what has been lost.
Housing horror story
I’d like to preface with a disclaimer: the following was intended for publication last Tuesday, so pretend you’re reading my column this time last week.
p. There’s nothing worse than being stuck with an unwanted roommate or finding yourself living in an unpleasantly run-down dorm. You end up dreading your home, you lose a grip on reality and focus less on your studies as you become increasingly consumed with contempt and despair. Soon you lose all form of social manner, failing to execute the most basic of human tasks. Circadian cycles are disrupted and sleeplessness ensues.
p. This year, 326 students were bumped, 150 more than last year. The lottery fails to provide students with adequate housing. It isn’t enough for the College to find any old room for a student, or to randomly assign him a perfect stranger. Especially if you’re an out-of-state student, you pay damn good money to come here, and an agreeable living arrangement should be expected. Without good housing, you can’t enjoy your time at the College, as your falling grades, increasing agitation and general insomnia will reflect this.
p. If you or your roomie-to-be were bumped this year and are double- or triple-overcrowding, make sure the three or four (or, depending on potential girlfriends, the five or six or seven or eight) of you collectively get along. If your roommate has a girlfriend, have him move in with her, or send him abroad for a semester.
p. The worst thing you can do is stay in the lottery without a roommate. You’ll randomly be assigned a stranger, most likely in one of the Units resembling Dante’s depiction of Purgatory, arisen out of fraternal refuse, wall-urine and stale, spilt beer — not the place to be.
p. If you’ve been bumped, I feel your pain. I, too, am a product of the bump. Because I was bumped, my current roommate (who had a damn good number — I’m talking top 50 good) and I had to find a third party to live with us. We held out until we couldn’t hold out any longer. The day after our decision to double overcrowd I was reinstated — go figure.
p. My relationship with this third party soon disintegrated into false pretenses juxtaposed with blatant proclamations of distaste. He couldn’t stand my tendency to leave clothes and cereal scattered about the floor or my 11 o’clock curfews; I couldn’t get over his lack of personal hygiene or the eight-straight hours of video games. One day I snapped in a fit of snarling terror. Things were said. Oatmeal containers were thrown. Enough said.
p. According to Assistant Director of Residence Life Katrina Pawvluk, not many students are willing to voluntarily bump themselves. This makes sense, as the concept of overcrowding is absurd. I mean, who’s the genius that came up with the idea to take a group of kids and stick them in cramped quarters like a can of sardines? Living in such a way is unsanitary; rooms begin to smell. Disease spreads like wildfire, often the worst kinds too, such as Mono or Norovirus. Not to mention infestation.
p. If students need to remain on campus, Pawvluk said that she could find them a place to live, but they would have no say in where they would live or with whom. That’s embarrassing, and I’m embarrassed for all of us.
p. With an increased acceptance rate of 33 percent, I fear that the College is letting just about anyone in these days and should reject more applications to ensure adequate student housing. It’s a bit extreme I realize, but so are the living arrangements. I figure the people in charge of it all go for extreme ideas. Another solution would be to outsource our students. Pay students to commute from Hampton, Norfolk, Newport News and Richmond; send them to D.C. or abroad to Singapore.
p. Although off-campus housing in Williamsburg is heavily restricted in terms of space and occupancy (call your mayor), prices are comparable to on-campus dorms — you may even be able to save a couple hundred dollars. Plus, you’ll enjoy unconditional air-conditioning year-round, not this nonsense of shutting down early and reopening within the last weeks of classes.
p. __Sherif Abdelkarim, a sophomore at the College, is a staff columnist. His columns appear on Tuesdays.__
Linking activism and service
In becoming more involved with the progressive activist community at the College, I’ve had many conversations with friends and peers about the nature of our work. What are we bringing to campus with our activism? How are we benefiting our own organizations as well as the broader social justice and human rights movements to which we subscribe? How can we better serve our communities?
p. As a member and now president-elect of Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood, I feel the frustration of members who dedicate significant portions of their lives to the pro-choice movement but who oftentimes receive no recognition. Obviously, we are not activists for self-gratification (how nonsensical), but it can be very trying to fight a war on two fronts: serving your movement and defending your work to those who disagree with you. While I see my activism as a means of making the world a better place, that is not the common perception of activist work.
p. I have always been struck by the widespread notion of a dichotomy between activism and “community service.” I see Vox’s work as literally benefiting communities: providing education about sexual and reproductive health, helping women and men get access to family planning and health services and simply raising awareness about these issues in the campus community.
p. In very concrete ways, pro-choice activism serves communities, but it is still relegated to a solely “political” realm rather than seen as volunteerism or assistance to those in need. Maybe it is because issues of reproductive rights and sexual health are so contentious in our society that activists from all perspectives refuse to let the “other side” claim validity for their beliefs by defining that activism in terms of communal benefits.
p. Even more than as a member of the pro-choice movement, though, I see my feminism in terms of community service (a view that would likely be met with skepticism from most people). In my mind, feminist activism is inherently community service; the movement’s goals are to eradicate oppression and ensure equality among all groups of people, and many feminists dedicate their personal and political lives to these objectives. Even though this commitment to human rights may seem honorable on paper, I feel like very few people would consider feminist activism “community service.”
p. According to all-knowing Wikipedia, community service “refers to service that a person performs for the benefit of his or her local community.” So, clearly, projects such as the Bone Marrow Drive, the Rita Welsh Adult Literacy Program and Students Helping Honduras fall under this definition … but what about Vox’s emergency contraception drive or the work the Tidewater Labor Support Committee does for service employees at the College?
p. While this separation of activism and community service seems to be a prevalent ideology, the Student Environmental Action Coalition seems to be breaking down some of these boundaries. Just last week, SEAC won the Office of Student Volunteer Services’ award for “Service Organization of the Year” on campus. This win came as a wonderful surprise to some SEAC members, since their work is not always considered “service” or “volunteerism” by the general public.
p. I spoke with my good friend Liz Burroughs, a senior at the College, about SEAC’s work on campus (Liz is also a member of Vox), and she shared my concerns about the activism/service binary. She said that SEAC was the only “activist” organization considered for this award, and that she was glad that they were being recognized for all the hard work they’ve done over the course of this year. Among other smaller campaigns, SEAC is working to get the College “carbon neutral,” trying to get more organic and local food options in dining halls and starting a food co-op. They have already eliminated Styrofoam take-out containers, raised money for rainforest preservation and obtained seeds for the drainage ditches around campus. Liz spoke very highly of SEAC’s membership and students’ dedication to the cause of environmentalism. She went on to say that, “While I would never describe SEAC as a community service organization, if you take a closer look, the purpose of SEAC is to better our community.”
p. While, at first glance, SEAC may seem like “just” a political organization, Liz’s sentiment certainly rings true — the organization’s purpose is to literally serve the community through protecting the environment and specifically improving the College’s natural resources. I view Vox’s work in a similar light. While there are obviously many who disagree with Planned Parenthood’s stance on abortion, one of the main goals of our organization is to serve the community by providing reproductive and sexual health services to women, especially women who may not be able to obtain these resources for themselves.
In my mind, the difference between activism and community service is not one of motivations or intentions, but rather one of semantics.
p. __Devan Barber, a junior at the College, is a staff columnist. Her columns appear on Tuesdays.__
Lighting up for literature
Maybe it’s the nicotine talking, but I could really go for a cigarette. Scratch that — I need a cigarette. Smoking is a habit with few benefits and a whole slew of consequences. But there’s something about cancer sticks that I can’t get enough of: you look so cool when you’re smoking them.
p. I blame my fascination with smoking on the existence of modern literature. Everyone in any of the great novels smokes like a chimney. It’s as though smoking is just a natural human process, like eating or breathing.
p. In almost any scene in a work by Ernest Hemingway, there will be at least one strike of a match. Waiting for a train? Well, if you’re a character in one of Hemingway’s novels, you ought to occupy that time with a few puffs. Just finished having sex? Have a cigarette. Just washed the dishes? How about a cigarette? Just smoked a cigarette? That means it’s probably time for another cigarette.
p. I was talking to a friend about the coolness factor of smoking. He mentioned a picture he’d once seen of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In it, Fitzgerald stands amidst the chaos of some roaring party. He is cool and composed, the kind of person we all want to be. In his hand he’s holding — you guessed it — a cigarette.
p. What’s wrong with wanting to idolize someone like Fitzgerald? Sure, he, along with many modern writers, suffered from alcoholism and frequent bouts of depression. But have you ever read “The Great Gatsby”? The man was a genius.
p. So yes, I not-so-secretly want to be a writer. Not a great author, but I’d like to write a few good words. I should probably devote myself to honing my craft. But that seems like such a nuisance. Especially when I’ve got equally important endeavors to worry about, such as sleeping. While I might not be able to write like a great author, with a cigarette in my hand I am one step closer to looking like one.
p. People might have smoked profusely in the time of Fitzgerald, but the act has a negative connotation these days. It seems that most people have chosen to weigh smoking’s hipness factor against its death factor. As we all know, cigarettes are called “cancer sticks” for a reason.
p. As a result, smoking has become a habit relegated to porches and back alleys. The hassle of finding somewhere to smoke almost makes a person want to quit. Almost.
p. The other night I did something I’ve never done before. I bought a pack of cigarettes. Parliaments to be exact. Up until that point, I’d only bummed my smokes from other people. My friends Virginia and Joe were with me as I bought them at Wawa.
p. It was raining outside, but I desperately wanted a cigarette. I could have suppressed my urge. It would have been pretty easy to just wait until we got back to Virginia’s house, where I could smoke on the porch. But, really, what would Fitzgerald do?
p. If you were driving by Wawa at 4 a.m. Saturday, you might have seen me. I was the fellow hunched under an umbrella having a light. I was shivering uncontrollably and soaking wet. But judging by the cigarette in my hand, I must have looked like some real cool guy. A writer perhaps.
p. __James Damon, a sophomore at the College, is a staff columnist. His columns appear on Tuesdays.__
College responds with grief, shock
A strong and unseasonable chill surrounded the Wren courtyard last night as students and faculty gathered in remembrance of yesterday’s Virginia Tech shootings, which resulted in 33 deaths — the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
p. Student-lit candles — numbering in the hundreds — shed a somber light on the courtyard, and a steady wind was present throughout much of the ceremony. Many students found it difficult to keep their candles lit. Most used plastic cups to shield the flames.
p. The vigil was a solemn end to a day marked by confusion and panic in much of the commonwealth, particularly among its universities.
p. “It’s pretty powerful how quickly everyone in this community has just come out here to show their support for fellow students across the state,” Student Assembly President sophomore Zach Pilchen said at the beginning of the ceremony.
p. Pilchen introduced College President Gene Nichol, who spoke briefly on the day’s events and the College’s response.
p. “Truly it is in darkness that we’re inclined to light,” Nichol said in his speech to the gathering. “I am reluctant to add words — cheap words — to touch the unspeakable tragedy that struck our brothers and sisters in Blacksburg today. All other questions pale when compared to the killing of innocent women and men.”
p. Nichol compared the events in Blacksburg to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, saying that large-scale violence has become “expected” in contemporary America. He described the victims of the shootings as “children of God, who more than any other thing were loved and needed by others of God’s children.”
p. Nichol also read lines from Aeschylus’ “Agamemnon,” the same poem that Robert F. Kennedy read to a Memphis, Tenn. crowd the night of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
p. “Aeschylus wrote that ‘in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom from the awful grace of God,’” he said.
p. Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler also spoke at the vigil. He said that the cold was a proper and reflective setting for the day’s dark events.
p. “There is something metaphorical about this cold wind that is blowing through the Wren yard,” Sadler said. “Wind that has swept across our landscape today. There’s also something uplifting, and something very hopeful in the light of your candles.”
p. Sadler stressed the importance of solidarity between the College and Virginia Tech, noting students’ plan to send a banner to Blacksburg filled with student condolences. The idea for the banner came from sophomores Katie McCown and Christina Hoffman and senior Mike Morrissey. After the ceremony, students lined up at the Wren building’s door to sign the banner. It will be held in the University Center for the rest of the week for student signing.
p. At least 200 people attended a student-led prayer vigil last night at 11 p.m. in the Sunken Garden. Students read scripture and named friends and family directly affected by the killings.
p. The College reserved the Wren Chapel for student meditation today, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
p. The Wren courtyard vigil took place just two hours after the SA inauguration ceremonies, held at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall. Both outgoing and incoming SA members — and Sadler — played roles in the coordination of the vigil, according to junior Brad Potter, who also helped organize the event.
p. “[Sadler’s] suggestion, which also happened to be the one that Amanda [Norris], Ryan Scofield, Tom Moyer and I had come up with as well, was to have a candlelight vigil at the Wren,” Potter said. “A large number of the Student Assembly officers and staffers helped to distribute the candles at the vigil.”
p. Potter was pleased with the event.
p. “Tonight was a humbling experience for everyone as our campus community showed its strength and love for those at Virginia Tech,” he said. “That a tragedy of this magnitude could strike so close to home reminds all of us just how short and fragile life truly is, even for the young and innocent … the heart of the College goes out to Virginia Tech.”
33 dead in Tech massacre
__Dorm and classroom shooting at VT becomes the deadliest shooting in U.S. history__
__Gunman commits suicide after killing 32 victims__
p. A dorm and classroom shooting at Virginia Tech yesterday left at least 33 dead, some of them students, the Associated Press reported. The suspected gunman is among the fatalities according to police. It is the worst shooting incident in U.S. history.
p. “Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions,” Charles Steger, president of Virginia Tech, said. “The university is shocked and indeed horrified.”
p. Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine has declared the city of Blacksburg in a state of emergency.
p. Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum told CNN that there were two fatalities and others wounded at multiple locations inside the West Ambler Johnston Hall at about 7:15 a.m.
p. According to CNN sources, several residents of Ambler Johnston Hall reported that the incident began in a single room in the residence hall and then spread about two hours later to Norris Hall across the campus where there were multiple fatalities.
p. Erin Sheehan, a freshman at the university, was one of only four survivors from her 9:05 a.m. German class in Norris Hall.
p. In an interview with the Collegiate Times, the student newspaper at Virginia Tech, Sheehan described the gunman.
p. “He was just a normal looking kid, Asian, but he had on a Boy Scout type outfit,” she said. “He wore a tan button-up vest, and this black vest, maybe it was for ammo or something.”
p. Sheehan said that the shooter was methodical.
p. “It seemed so strange, because he peeked in twice earlier in the lesson, like he was looking for someone, somebody, before he started shooting,” she said. “But then we all heard something like drilling in the walls, and someone thought they sounded like bullets. That’s when we blockaded the door to stop anyone from coming in.”
p. Sheehan survived by pretending to be dead after the gunman’s first attack, but witnessed her classmates’ suffering.
p. “People in the class were passed out, I don’t know maybe from shock from the pain. But I was one of only four that made it out of that classroom. The rest were dead or injured. My professor, Herr Bishop, I’m not sure if he’s alive.”
p. Chase Damiano, a freshman at the university, was in his French class in Holden Hall, which is connected to Norris Hall, as the scene unfolded.
p. “While I was in class I heard sirens, but with the bomb threats made recently, the sirens didn’t cause that much of a concern,” he said. “[T]wo women came into our classroom and said that a shooter was in Norris Hall. When we looked out the window we could see students running with their hands up, and we definitely could hear gunshots.”
p. Jamal Albarghouti, a graduate student at the university, recorded a graphic video on his cell phone while standing outside of Norris Hall. The video vividly captured at least 27 gunshots.
p. In an interview with CNN, Virginia Tech sophomore Matt Waldron said that he did not hear the gunshots, but did hear sirens and saw police officers with guns drawn shielding themselves behind trees.
p. When asked to describe the scene, Waldron’s account was understated, but also reflected the chaos and fear that enveloped the campus.
p. “It was kind of scary,” he said. “These two kids I guess had panicked and jumped out of the top-story window and the one kid broke his ankle and the other girl was not in good shape, just lying on the ground. It was just mayhem.”
p. NBC News reported that the gunman did not appear to be shooting at random, according to federal law enforcement officials. Instead, he seemed to have targeted both Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall.
p. The gunman carried two weapons, a 9-mm pistol and a 22-caliber handgun, according to a law enforcement source that spoke with CNN.
p. According to the Collegiate Times, Flinchum said that police have made a preliminary identification of the shooter, but were not prepared to release that information. Flinchum confirmed that the gunman did take his own life while in Norris Hall, and that he had chained several doors of the building so that no one could enter or exit.
p. The police have not yet confirmed that the shooter was a student, nor have they ruled out the possibility that the shootings at Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall may not be related.
p. Students on the Blacksburg campus have reacted with grief, disbelief and anger.
p. “This shit is insane,” Tech freshman Brendan Porter said. “It’s such a big number. We’re already saying this is just like a college Columbine. It’s just so sad.”
p. Yesterday’s incident came after another unrelated shooting near the Virginia Tech campus on the first day of classes last August.
CNN also cited reports that said the shootings followed two bomb threats last week.
p. According to WDBJ in Roanoke, a bomb threat three days ago led to the cancellation of classes in three of the university’s academic buildings.
p. The Roanoke Times reported that a written bomb threat April 2 forced the evacuation of Torgersen Hall.
p. College President Gene Nichol sent a message of condolence to President Steger and offered any assistance the College could provide, including the assistance of Campus Police and the College’s Counseling Center.
p. In an e-mail to students, Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler encouraged members of the College community to reach out to those affected by the day’s events, both in Williamsburg and at Virginia Tech.
p. “We can reach out to those whom we know at Tech so that they are aware of our concern and our care for them,” Sadler said. “On our campus, we can reach out to each other to provide solace and a listening ear.”
p. Sadler also said that counselors at the Counseling Center have started clearing their calendars in order to accommodate students affected by the tragedy.
p. All classes and events at Virginia Tech were canceled yesterday and today.
Review board orders revote for 2 SA positions
p. The Review Board scrapped the results of two of the Student Assembly elections, ordering a revote for both the Class of 2008 treasurer and vice president for advocacy.
p. Matt Brown had been declared the vice president for advocacy by one vote — the closest election in SA history — but the decision was challenged by challenger Shariff Tanious on the grounds that a student who is not taking classes this semester should have been allowed to cast a vote through e-mail and that votes could have been cast for him during certain periods when the polls were not open but should have been.
p. Laura Rogers, who had been declared treasurer, will also face a revote. Her election was previously decided by paper ballot because she ran as a write-in candidate but did not declare in time to get on the official ballot. Nobody ran officially at that position.
p. A ten-day appeals period began Sunday.
Baseball: Tribe puts out Flames a 2nd time
__Sexton sets school hits record with RBI single as team knocks off Liberty in second meeting in a week__
Following three tough losses against conference opponent Georgia State University over the weekend, the College rebounded against Liberty University at Plumeri Park Tuesday night, dominating the Flames 11-1. Senior third baseman Greg Sexton became the College’s all-time hits leader with an RBI single in the first inning.
“We played good baseball all around tonight in a game that was huge after coming off this past weekend’s losses,” freshman starting pitcher Cody Winslow said.
p. In only his second collegiate appearance, Winslow earned his first career win at the College as he pitched five solid innings, striking out four and allowing only six hits and one run. Freshman Tyler Truxell, junior Mike LaFleur, senior Warrik Staines and junior Sean Grieve all took the mound in relief to shut down the Flames for the remainder of the game.
p. “I think the key to our success tonight came from a very strong performance by our pitching staff,” junior center fielder Paul Juliano said. “We played one of our best games of the year tonight because of that effort. We’ve been hitting and putting up runs all year, and we’ve been playing some pretty good defense too. So, when our pitching staff is able to slow the opposition’s offense, we become one of the toughest teams around.”
p. Offensively, the Tribe aided Winslow’s impressive outing with 14 hits. Senior second baseman Brent McWhorter went 3-for-3 with three doubles and two RBIs, while junior designated hitter Tim Park went 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Sexton, who entered the game tied with Michael Brown, ’03, atop the career hit list with 278, followed his record-breaking single with two more hits, finishing the day 3-for-5.
p. “All year he has been our vocal leader who not only excels by example on the field, but makes his presence felt in the locker room,” sophomore first baseman Mike Sheridan said.
p. The Tribe established dominance early as McWhorter led off the bottom of the first with a double to left field. After Park singled and Sheridan drew a walk, McWhorter scored on Sexton’s single. Junior left fielder Greg Maliniak scored Park on a fielder’s choice grounder to third. In the second, McWhorter shot another double to left, advancing sophomore shortstop Lanny Stanfield to third. A two-run double from Park scored Stanfield and McWhorter, and a groundout from Sheridan plated Park.
p. “Our offense pounded the ball and forced Liberty to make plays and go to their bullpen early,” Winslow said.
p. The College maintained offensive strength throughout the contest, as Juliano, McWhorter and Park scored in the sixth, and freshman catcher Chris Jensen and Juliano scored on a McWhorter double in the seventh.
p. The Tribe returns to action this weekend at Hofstra University.
p. “The win gives us some strong momentum into the conference weekend against Hofstra. If we can stop the opposition’s offense like this consistently, we will be a force to be reckoned with,” Juliano said.