Shooting rampage at Va Tech..

[BeachSiO2]

If that is the case, I guess you could make the same case for one or two students being killed who lived in a house near campus. There is really no difference, is there? The first shooting just happened to be in a dorm on campus instead of an apartment, adjacent to campus.

First, I think it does make a difference that it is a University-owned facility on campus, not nearby campus. But that wasn't the question at hand for the administrators this morning, their's was much more specific. There were a student or students murdered on school property this morning in one of their dorms where kids are sent by their parents with the knowledge that the University is watching their kids. Just with the first shooting numerous people are impacted- everyone in the dorm, everyone that knew the people shot, everyone that has a friend in the dorm. It's like a big spider web.

Second, I don't see the importance of one day of classes in this instance. What would have been the downside if the president of the university would have said a student (or students) have been murdered in one of our dorms and out of respect for that person (or persons) and their families we are going to stop classes for the day and allow our university to work through the issues related to why and how this happened. P.S. We still don't have the shooter. I just think it's the right thing to do.

 

[JB]

Oh, I understand about a lockdown. I went to a 20k+ person school that would have been impossible to shut down. I was just thinking that from the standpoint that there was a person with a gun shooting people in a school dorm that was unaccounted for.

It's just weird to me that it is okay to make students go to class if there is a "domestic incident (with gunfire)" in a dorm. After Columbine I thought there might be a little more sensitivity to the fact that the people might be crazy enough to go somewhere else and start shooting others. I guess I am just saying that cancelling classes for one day would be a reasonable precaution to take. Now, if there is a college football game scheduled, it's a different story as those should never be cancelled..

Like you, I don't buy the "well, we thought the shooter had left campus." How in the hell could they possibly know that?

In hindsight, I'm sure they would have closed the university. None of us really understand their line of thinking, but it's real easy to analize the situation after the fact.

Hopefully, there will be lessons learned from this.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Si02,
I disagree. First, if a student is murdered in an apartment complex, adjacent to campus, and rented by only students, you have the same scenerio. I must also disagree that parents send there kids to school for protection by the college. If you are relying upon campus police for protection, good luck. Say your prayers.

My point was that I think there is a point where it does perhaps make a difference. Lets say that people in more than one dorm room were killed, I could see shutting down classes until further investigation. We haven't been told of the facts of this case. Still don't know how many were killed in the dorm. I am simply saying that we quickly jump to conclusions witout having complete knowledge of the situation. I don't think that one murder is cause to shut down a college. Maybe the cops have information from witnesses that the killer in the dorm was killing his girlfriend or boyfriend for cheating on him. The point is, we don't know.

 

[TNJed]

If that is the case, I guess you could make the same case for one or two students being killed who lived in a house near campus. There is really no difference, is there? The first shooting just happened to be in a dorm on campus instead of an apartment, adjacent to campus.

If I were in charge of a university and the welfare of all those under my watch and there were a shooting in or around campus, then yes, classes would be canceled.

This is the same university where an escaped convict was running loose on campus in August of last year after killing 2 and escaping from a hospital 2 miles off campus. They locked the campus down then. I don't see how this incident could have been handled any other way, but it was.

 

[Smiling JOe]

How do you lock down a campus which is open?

Also, this is the same school that had bomb threats last week. Why isn't anyone crying about the school still having classes so suddenly after an unresolved bomb threat?

 

[Hop]

Like you, I don't buy the "well, we thought the shooter had left campus." How in the hell could they possibly know that?

In hindsight, I'm sure they would have closed the university. None of us really understand their line of thinking, but it's real easy to analize the situation after the fact.

Hopefully, there will be lessons learned from this.

i'm with you jb. i always think it's interesting how people come out of the woodwork with...."well, I woulda..." or "they shoulda..." We've become such a blame blame blame...point the finger...gotta have somebody to blame society.... hindsight is 20 20. the whole situation is very sad.

 

[TNJed]

How do you lock down a campus which is open?

Semantics. I would think one could assume it means classes are canceled, emergency vehicles block all roads entering or leaving, and everyone is to stay put, but I don't really see how questioning that term is pertinent. It's a term used by officials not a literal situation.

Point being, that's the quoted term which was used by law enforcement last August, not something I just threw out there.

 

[BeachSiO2]

Si02,
I disagree. First, if a student is murdered in an apartment complex, adjacent to campus, and rented by only students, you have the same scenerio. I must also disagree that parents send there kids to school for protection by the college. If you are relying upon campus police for protection, good luck. Say your prayers.

My point was that I think there is a point where it does perhaps make a difference. Lets say that people in more than one dorm room were killed, I could see shutting down classes until further investigation. We haven't been told of the facts of this case. Still don't know how many were killed in the dorm. I am simply saying that we quickly jump to conclusions witout having complete knowledge of the situation. I don't think that one murder is cause to shut down a college. Maybe the cops have information from witnesses that the killer in the dorm was killing his girlfriend or boyfriend for cheating on him. The point is, we don't know.

That wasn't my point. My point was that dorms are considered to be more protective and restrictive by nature then an apartment near campus, and parents typically know that and choose dorms often for that reason. For example at least two large universities in the SEC that I know of requires everyone to sign in and be monitored when they enter a dorm, especially the female dorm (or was that just for me). Does that mean that a person could not have been shot after checking in- definitely not. Is there an implied level of security (not neccesarily safety) in this scenario, I would say yes. I agree that you can't count on anyone for your children's SAFETY but there is a perception of security.

As for the number of people that have to be murdered in a university dorm before ONE day of classes is cancelled with no suspect in custody, I think one would be enough.

By the way, there were two people killed in one dorm room.

 

[Beach Runner]

Just got an email that the son of one of the faculty members where I teach was one of the victims. My colleague and his wife had heard that their son was involved, got in the car to drive to Blacksburg, and received a phone call on the way up informing them that their son is dead. We're having a prayer vigil tomorrow evening.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Just got an email that the son of one of the faculty members where I teach was one of the victims. My colleague and his wife had heard that their son was involved, got in the car to drive to Blacksburg, and received a phone call on the way up informing them that their son is dead. We're having a prayer vigil tomorrow evening.

:shock: That is just terrible BR.