Virginia Tech

[Finding_Neverland]

Date: 4/18/2007 5:08:28 PM
Author: njc
Seems we may find out what Cho was doing between the shootings... NBC has apparently received a package containing various things from Cho.

Cho put together a multimedia manifesto of his deeds. Some was "taped" on a CD. Some pics of himself with guns. Writings that rambled on saying "You have forced me to do this".

He evidently left the dorm and went to the Blacksburg Post Office to mail the over night package to NBC. NBC would have gotten it Tuesday except for address errors. Cho wrote Rockefeller Ave or something like that, instead of Rockefeller Plaza. And he used the wrong Zip Code. The Postal service corrected the Zip Code 2-3 times to get the package delivered today.

Because the return address was from "Ishmael", the Postal worker hand delivered the envelope to the NBC news desk personally.

Meanwhile, the police were chasing down the first female victim''s ex Boy Friend. Witness testimony stated it was a domestic dispute and evidently their relationship had ended shortly before all this happened. The Police had the former boy friend pulled over on the highway questioning him when they got the call of shots being fired in the second location.

A former FBI profiler said this was Cho''s way to reach out from beyond the grave and victimize everyone yet one more time.

Definitely a sick and twisted individual.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/18/2007 10:43:57 AM
Author: TheDoctor
It is unfortunate that the killer''s right to bear arms was identical to everyone else''s.

The universality of this right didn''t save any lives in this case, and likely wouldn''t in any other school shooting. God-given?

Don''t invoke God in this one, its too ludicrous to fathom.


As for the business of arms and dealers, I pity the poor person who sold these particular guns. I pity those dealers who have sold the assault rifles and handguns that ended lives in other mass shootings. My pity, however, won''t end the shrugging of the firearms lobbyists. There are billions to be made in small-arms trade, and paranoia is the biggest sales tool implemented by the retailers of arms.


In Canada, we have had gun control for several decades, and our gun owners, including myself, aren''t packing anything besides lunch when we leave the house.


I pray for America.

Rockdoc, you took the words right out of my mouth (or keyboard, in this case) regarding "God-given." And I''m not an anti-gun activist, either-my father is a hunter and he owns literally hundreds of guns because my grandfather used to own a gun shop. I own a rifle myself that was a gift from my grandfather. However, it doesn''t make much sense to me to sell semi-automatic weapons to the general public.

Yes, personal protection is important, but let''s try to be reasonable. There is no reason 18-21 year old students should be bringing weapons to class. Plus, I''m almost positive you have to be 21 in the state of VA to get a concealed weapons permit, so most students wouldn''t even be old enough to carry concealed weapons.

From the way you talk, strmrdr, you''d like everyone to walk to class with handguns in holsters and rifles over their shoulders or sticking out of their backpacks. I''m sure you can see that this isn''t safe by any stretch of the imagination.

What happened was a terrible tragedy perpetrated by a sick individual. I think incidents like this could hopefully be avoided in the future with stricter guidelines regarding troubled students, mandatory counseling, etc., not looser policies encouraging students to carry guns.

 

[fire&ice]

In our society, the rights of the individual outweight the rights of the whole. It''s not a bad thought - just has spun so out of control. I truly can''t believe that some "pundint" said that he should have been expelled from school. Yeah, on EXACTLY what basis? Even the mental health facility that he was ordered to go to released him! What was actionable - nothing. I wish the University/school system had more authority to act w/o fear of being sued out the wazoo. The poetry teacher did NOT expell this student from her class. She arranged for a private workshop w/ the shooter to make her other students comfortable. The shooter had to agree to this. Again, his rights blah blah blah.

One thing - where was his parents in all this? Except that they owned a drycleaning bus. in Centerville & were upper middle class, what do we know about them. What did they know about their son?

Also, what is all this ramblings about rich kids. VT is a great academic school - but it is in the University system. Lots of prepaids out there. Certainly not a place where rich kids congregate. It''s a place for higher academia. Lots of research - at the Sci Fi level. Not poping out Wallstreet MBA''s.

None of this makes much sense. Maybe that is a good thing as I just can''t fathom it.

 

[diamondfan]

Well, to me, in view of his clearly disturbed behavior, and the fact that people were upset by him, I AM wondering how he was just living at school as if nothing were amiss. Maybe he should not have been expelled, as if it were punishment, but he was obviously not functioning in the setting and needed more support. There was a report that when he went to for the evaluation in 2005 it was noted that he was a DANGER TO HIMSELF. This was noted in his file. He was clearly NOT normal, and I heard the parents never went to see him and he never went home on vacations, so there wa something up with the relationship. And I did hear Giovanni being interviewed by phone and she absolutely said that SHE asked that he be removed from the class. She did say that while she NEVER thought that he was capable of this type of violence, she certainly felt his writing was not normal.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 4/19/2007 12:57:57 AM
Author: thing2of2


Rockdoc, you took the words right out of my mouth (or keyboard, in this case) regarding 'God-given.' And I'm not an anti-gun activist, either-my father is a hunter and he owns literally hundreds of guns because my grandfather used to own a gun shop. I own a rifle myself that was a gift from my grandfather. However, it doesn't make much sense to me to sell semi-automatic weapons to the general public.

Yes, personal protection is important, but let's try to be reasonable. There is no reason 18-21 year old students should be bringing weapons to class. Plus, I'm almost positive you have to be 21 in the state of VA to get a concealed weapons permit, so most students wouldn't even be old enough to carry concealed weapons.

From the way you talk, strmrdr, you'd like everyone to walk to class with handguns in holsters and rifles over their shoulders or sticking out of their backpacks. I'm sure you can see that this isn't safe by any stretch of the imagination.

What happened was a terrible tragedy perpetrated by a sick individual. I think incidents like this could hopefully be avoided in the future with stricter guidelines regarding troubled students, mandatory counseling, etc., not looser policies encouraging students to carry guns.

Everyone armed? works for me crime will drop to 0.
semi-auto and full auto weapons are exactly the tools the 2nd was designed to protect.
Like kind and caliber that the military uses.
21 is bogus as well, old enough to vote, old enough to go too war then old enough to own guns.
There is no room for reasonable either its a right or it isn't and the founding fathers recognised it as a fundamental right and codified it.
The students and staffs fundamental right to the tools of self defence was denied them.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/19/2007 8:57:28 AM
Author: diamondfan
Well, to me, in view of his clearly disturbed behavior, and the fact that people were upset by him, I AM wondering how he was just living at school as if nothing were amiss. Maybe he should not have been expelled, as if it were punishment, but he was obviously not functioning in the setting and needed more support. There was a report that when he went to for the evaluation in 2005 it was noted that he was a DANGER TO HIMSELF. This was noted in his file. He was clearly NOT normal, and I heard the parents never went to see him and he never went home on vacations, so there wa something up with the relationship. And I did hear Giovanni being interviewed by phone and she absolutely said that SHE asked that he be removed from the class. She did say that while she NEVER thought that he was capable of this type of violence, she certainly felt his writing was not normal.

I agree, diamondfan. It was obvious to his professors he was very disturbed, yet they couldn''t force him to attend counseling. Why not? Universities have tons of rules and regulations, most of them much less useful than one that would force a disturbed student to attend counseling. I see nothing wrong with giving a disturbed student a choice: either attend counseling or leave the university until you do.

In the future, I really hope high schools and colleges across the country will adopt some sort of requirement about counseling for disturbed students.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 4/19/2007 8:57:28 AM
Author: diamondfan
Well, to me, in view of his clearly disturbed behavior, and the fact that people were upset by him, I AM wondering how he was just living at school as if nothing were amiss. Maybe he should not have been expelled, as if it were punishment, but he was obviously not functioning in the setting and needed more support. There was a report that when he went to for the evaluation in 2005 it was noted that he was a DANGER TO HIMSELF. This was noted in his file. He was clearly NOT normal, and I heard the parents never went to see him and he never went home on vacations, so there wa something up with the relationship. And I did hear Giovanni being interviewed by phone and she absolutely said that SHE asked that he be removed from the class. She did say that while she NEVER thought that he was capable of this type of violence, she certainly felt his writing was not normal.

So, he clearly wasn''t normal to you and others - being odd/weird/not normal is not actionable. VT DID have him seek counseling. He was commited to a facility. NONE of the findings were released to the University except that he was to seek out patient counseling & was not viewed as a threat to others. This is adult. You can not force him to go. And, since Dec. of 2005 (1/1/2 YEARS ago) he had nothing in his file. Exactly what, under the law, do you propose should have been done with him? Exactly, how that action would be carried out under the current law?

I''m so done. Please continue your blame game. Clearly, your sympathies are not mine.

 

[diamondfan]

Thing, I think he was crying out for help, and it amazes me that ALL these signs and issues just kept being glossed over...he so clearly needed help, and it should not have been just voluntary, he was not in the position to decline it, he was unstable, and I am again just amazed that he was in the student population living as if he were okay. Scary to me. When I was in college I would not have liked to be rooming with someone who was clearly unbalanced. I wonder if his parents knew anything? I watched a show last night on spree killers, which is what this type of event was. There was a handful of guys they profiled, and the one difference I noted was that in the other cases, while clearly someone might have said the killer, prior to the killings, was quiet or unhappy, it seemed that there were not such clear signs as were evident with this man. Again, not trying to second guess, because if he were just intent on doing this, as he seemed to be, he would have managed, but still, I wonder if he could have been helped.

 

[diamondfan]

Fire, this had nothing to with YOU AND ME. I am mystified why you are taking this as a PERSONAL issue. I do not get that, I am only stating the obvious, what every mental health expert who has knowledge of this type of behavior would conclude. Gosh. Would you have wanted YOUR child rooming with him? What if your kid told you, Hey, my room mate is scaring me and stalks people and is very antisocial and writes about killing and molestation and hates wealthy people...would you tell your kid to suck it up and stay in the same apartment? I am not saying ARREST HIM for being mentally ill, but in our society, we have mores and social "rules' of behavior and NO, people do not have a right to be amongst others when they are a threat to themselves or others. I am sure people realize there is a difference between legal i.e. criminal issues and being mentally ill? ANd, no, the girls whom whe stalked declined to press charges, which might have at least put a flag on his background check, but still, he DID stalk them, and there are anti stalking laws on the books. Though they did not pursue legal action, he still DID the stalking, three different times, which would seem to indicate someone troubled. Again, the school could have done something, regardless of the girls pursuing it all the way, VT HAD records of this going on and could easily have sanctioned him for having done this to fellow students. I have a master's in psych. WHEN SOME IS DEEMED A THREAT AND HAS NOT BEEN TREATED SUFFICIENTLY, why would anyone assume that those mental health issues are suddenly not a factor? They have just cleared up, like a rash?! MAYBE he got wise and decided to hide it, to get the university off his back. Maybe he knew he had to act "fine" in order to go back and do what he wanted eventually. I do not know. But I do know, if even a bit of what they said is correct, he was a walking time bomb and he detonated in a horrific way, and maybe, just maybe, this could have been prevented.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I don''t have the solution, but mental issues really need to be addressed in this country. How are we able to tell who will snap and who won''t? I also wonder about this kid''s family. Was he in contact with them? Didn''t they see the warning signs? Couldn''t they tell that he was having mental problems? Why didn''t they intervene? Maybe they tried but he wouldn''t listen.

 

[TheDoctor]

People who exhibit "abnormal" behaviour can easily become socially ostracized, and their oddities can become manifest as they are methodically avoided, until they completely withdraw. It don''t take no friggin'' degree to understand this.
This monster was fed and watered.

This won''t be the last case of this. There is too much anger out there.
What so many people need is more love, respect, understanding, and when all else fails, intervention.
As has been said, he exhibited behaviour that made people shun him, not offer him what he really needed.
Perhaps friendship would have worked. Love conquers all.

 

[diamondfan]

Date: 4/19/2007 10:10:26 AM
Author: Madam Bijoux
I don't have the solution, but mental issues really need to be addressed in this country. How are we able to tell who will snap and who won't? I also wonder about this kid's family. Was he in contact with them? Didn't they see the warning signs? Couldn't they tell that he was having mental problems? Why didn't they intervene? Maybe they tried but he wouldn't listen.

I heard he had no contact with them to speak of. And maybe he was able to hide it, look like he was adapting and coping and focused on his studies. And maybe he did not want to listen, but one can clearly see someone is in no shape to refuse treatment and get them help. It is sort of a chicken and egg argument to me. I know someone who has a son with mental illness, he was fine until tenth grade and had a psychotic break, and she had to commit him. He is now 18, but realizes he needs help, and she was able to get him before he was 18 and get him the help, and thankfully now he is well enough to see he is need and will likely be all of his life.

Thedoctor, I am not sure of the implications of your post. I think anyone would conclude if someone is hateful and hostile and scares people with their comments, they will not be sought out, which reinforces the view that they are outcasts. And in some people, that continual withdrawal from what is considered "acceptable" can lead to worse, yes. But no one would willingly hang out with someone who frightens them, just because nothing worse has occured yet, or offer out friendship to someone who time after time did not even answer back. Most people would conclude he wants to be left alone and oblige him. Hopefully, we are mostly able to chose who we spend time with. There are consequences to behavior and I think this kid felt isolated and odd man out long before this and while he created a self fulfilling prophecy it did not have to be so. I am not saying that most eccentric or quirky people are filled with rage and plan to kill. That takes a very certain mindset that thankfully most people do not possess. But signs were there, and not just one person or entity let him spiral into a black place from which there was no getting out.

 

[belle]

Date: 4/19/2007 9:56:23 AM
Author: diamondfan
Fire, this had nothing to with YOU AND ME. I am mystified why you are taking this as a PERSONAL issue. I do not get that, I am only stating the obvious, what every mental health expert who has knowledge of this type of behavior would conclude. Gosh. Would you have wanted YOUR child rooming with him? What if your kid told you, Hey, my room mate is scaring me and stalks people and is very antisocial and writes about killing and molestation and hates wealthy people...would you tell your kid to suck it up and stay in the same apartment? I am not saying ARREST HIM for being mentally ill, but in our society, we have mores and social ''rules'' of behavior and NO, people do not have a right to be amongst others when they are a threat to themselves or others. I am sure people realize there is a difference between legal i.e. criminal issues and being mentally ill? ANd, no, the girls whom whe stalked declined to press charges, which might have at least put a flag on his background check, but still, he DID stalk them, and there are anti stalking laws on the books. Though they did not pursue legal action, he still DID the stalking, three different times, which would seem to indicate someone troubled. Again, the school could have done something, regardless of the girls pursuing it all the way, VT HAD records of this going on and could easily have sanctioned him for having done this to fellow students. I have a master''s in psych. WHEN SOME IS DEEMED A THREAT AND HAS NOT BEEN TREATED SUFFICIENTLY, why would anyone assume that those mental health issues are suddenly not a factor? They have just cleared up, like a rash?! MAYBE he got wise and decided to hide it, to get the university off his back. Maybe he knew he had to act ''fine'' in order to go back and do what he wanted eventually. I do not know. But I do know, if even a bit of what they said is correct, he was a walking time bomb and he detonated in a horrific way, and maybe, just maybe, this could have been prevented.

none of your scenarios are plausible df, for one reason....
HIPPA

but don''t think that for one minute that there aren''t a million people with the same, and even worse ''symptoms'' walking around in society today. should they all be considered a threat at this level? this was the WORST shooting incident in HISTORY.... never happened before. you can''t account for that. there is no diagnosis, there is no treatment. do you really think that some treatment plan or a ''flag'' in his record could have stopped something like this? is our health and justice system so efficient that they have managed all these years to keep such would be mass murderers from going on such a killing spree and this was the first person in history to fall through the cracks? i don''t think so. a couple of stalking incidents and some ''twisted'' writings do not amount to the cold blooded killing of 32 innocent people.
i agree though, that he was a walking time bomb (obviously) but i really don''t think something like this can always be prevented. i know we want things to all work out and get fixed and have a happy ending but the fact is, it is impossible. especially in this liberal day and age.

 

[njc]

OH MY GOD I WANT TO SCREAM!!!!!!!! I just don’t understand how some of you can say what you are saying!? I have written a long response, but have decided not to post it. I am done. This is not helping me heal, nor anyone else. I am sorry you are unable to support the grieving Hokie family and continue to point fingers.

My mother brought up an interesting story that hits close to our family and relates to this. We are friends with a family whose son is mentally unhealthy. His parents are wonderful… the all-American family. He had the same life growing up as any of us in our hometown. He is in his 30s and has been in and out of mental treatment… on and off meds… hired and fired for jobs… lived on the streets. He has gotten violent with his parents and they have feared for their lives. As friends we have feared for them as well, but now we fear for ourselves after this. He always goes willingly to seek treatment, starts back on his meds, feels he is okay and leaves to start the cycle over again. I have said it before and will say it again, YOU CANNOT HELP THOSE THAT ARE UNWILLING TO BE HELPED. This relates to anything in life… the drug addict, the mentally unstable, an elderly family member clinging to their last bit of self-support. How do you know your co-working sitting next to you is not a time bomb waiting to go off?

F&I – I agree the majority of kids were not rich, but there were plenty and they did have some of the finer things in life… shiny new BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus… girls with Daddy’s credit cards to go out and buy whatever they wanted and to binge drink with at the bars… some sororities/fraternities had reputations… etc. At the same time you had the “agriculture kids” in big pick up trucks, tight jeans and cowboy boots and what I call the “normal kids” those that fall in the middle. I mean, this is anywhere really, but I did notice a slightly more “snobby” crowd coming in my senior year. I am done as well. Thank you for all your support and understanding. I hope you and your husband continue to heal and support the community around you.

Belle - Thank you too.

 

[Finding_Neverland]

I saw an interview with one of his roommates yesterday. Cho was in a dorm for upper classmen.

It was a 6 person suite. 3 bedrooms, 2 per bedroom. They shared a common room and a bathroom. The guy said some people requested to be together, others were assigned on a random basis. Cho was assigned.

The guy said they all tried making friends with Cho at the beginning of the school year. He wouldn''t even answer and say "Hi". The guys thought he was a science major and maybe didn''t speak English very well. They tried to bring him into the group socially the first month or so of school. They also thought he was just shy and didn''t want to be bothered. That he probably had his own set of friends he was hanging out with. They pretty much left him alone after that.

As the school year progressed, he''d see Cho typing on his computer in his room or watching TV in the commons of the Dorm. Cho never spoke a word to any of the suite mates. They were all shocked by this. The University did not disclose Cho''s prior problems to his suite mates and they never saw any hint of aggression from Cho.

 

[diamondfan]

Belle, I agree, if we could pinpout this with any accuracy it would be wonderful, but we cannot, we can only go on the info we have. I also do not know all the ins and out of Hippa, but know in therapy if someone is considered a danger to themselves and others things do blur slightly.

I am offended to think ANYONE here would think that I am not empathetic or feeling a terrible loss. Nor am I am blaming for blaming''s sake, but come on, this guy was clearly a disaster in the making and there are numerous factors that contributed to that AND that converged for this to happen. And people''s privacy and rights are important, but we are seeing more and more shootings in our lives, workplace and schools and random places, and I think something, what I do not know right now, needs to be addressed on a variety of levels. I am not getting personal with ANYONE here. I am heartsick for all the families who lost children or loved ones, and anyone who lost a friend. We lost someone in 9-11 so I do not need a lecture. The issues here are crucial and impactful and need to be addressed, so not only can healing begin but we can learn from this in some small way. There is a quote, something to the effect that if you do not learn from history you are doomed to repeat it. Maybe this extreme and terrible act will cause a national reevaluation of some of the loopholes and details in some of these laws so this ends here as much as it is possible.

 

[belle]

njc, our city held a candlelight vigil last night and everyone that was there got together and formed the va tech logo. an arial photographer took the picture and will be sending it to the school along with the messages that were written for the students.

it is going to be a long hard road but i know that the hokies will prevail and will be stronger for it.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 4/19/2007 10:50:13 AM
Author: njc

OH MY GOD I WANT TO SCREAM!!!!!!!! I just don’t understand how some of you can say what you are saying!? I have written a long response, but have decided not to post it. I am done. This is not helping me heal, nor anyone else. I am sorry you are unable to support the grieving Hokie family and continue to point fingers.


F&I – I agree the majority of kids were not rich, but there were plenty and they did have some of the finer things in life… shiny new BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus… girls with Daddy’s credit cards to go out and buy whatever they wanted and to binge drink with at the bars… some sororities/fraternities had reputations… etc. At the same time you had the “agriculture kids” in big pick up trucks, tight jeans and cowboy boots and what I call the “normal kids” those that fall in the middle. I mean, this is anywhere really, but I did notice a slightly more “snobby” crowd coming in my senior year. I am done as well. Thank you for all your support and understanding. I hope you and your husband continue to heal and support the community around you.

Belle - Thank you too.

I hear you loud and clear njc. fork....stick...DONE. We know it is personal. I will be wearing my hokie maroon - the orange isn''t quite orange - it''s like a burnt orange? Correct? Hubby''s traveling. He packed all his hokie gear. Funny, he will be proudly wearing it tomorrow at another University

.

On the second point - As you said, you do see the demographs at most Universities, especially one of the higher prestige in terms of difficult to get into. VT is very competive & does attract the cream of the crop; but, I don''t think it has that rep. as snobby. Seems like people tried to reach out to him. He precieved all this anomosity. Very Very odd and sad. I shutter to think about what his home life must have been like.

 

[njc]

Date: 4/19/2007 11:34:59 AM
Author: fire&ice
Funny, he will be proudly wearing it tomorrow at another University

.

VT is very competive & does attract the cream of the crop; but, I don''t think it has that rep. as snobby.

I bet he is not the only one!

I think you are correct. Just saying like any where, there was plenty of "flash". I certainly saw it and thought d@mn!

Chigaco Maroon and Burnt Orange. Anything close works... none of my shirts ever match and they are all VT produced.

Belle - Would love to see that if you happen to come across a pic.

Diamond - I agree we need to learn from this. Sorry for your loss in 9/11.

 

[decodelighted]

Kindness doesn''t always work.
One on One attention doesn''t always work.
Intervention doesn''t always work.
Assessment doesn''t always work.
Hospitalization doesn''t always work.
No one, no place, no school, no country has a perfect solution. Hopefully "the system" and our nation''s attitudes toward mental illness will be challenged by how difficult it was for well-meaning HUMANS to predict/change/prevent this horrific outcome.

I''ve faced the challenges the people who tried to intervene have faced. The timebomb in my orbit floats freely among people I love. And there''s not a D*MN thing I can do about it.

Yet.

 

[diamondfan]

Date: 4/19/2007 10:55:32 AM
Author: Finding_Neverland
I saw an interview with one of his roommates yesterday. Cho was in a dorm for upper classmen.


It was a 6 person suite. 3 bedrooms, 2 per bedroom. They shared a common room and a bathroom. The guy said some people requested to be together, others were assigned on a random basis. Cho was assigned.


The guy said they all tried making friends with Cho at the beginning of the school year. He wouldn''t even answer and say ''Hi''. The guys thought he was a science major and maybe didn''t speak English very well. They tried to bring him into the group socially the first month or so of school. They also thought he was just shy and didn''t want to be bothered. That he probably had his own set of friends he was hanging out with. They pretty much left him alone after that.


As the school year progressed, he''d see Cho typing on his computer in his room or watching TV in the commons of the Dorm. Cho never spoke a word to any of the suite mates. They were all shocked by this. The University did not disclose Cho''s prior problems to his suite mates and they never saw any hint of aggression from Cho.

Well, they tried, and they even made accomodations for him, thinking he was shy or not fluent in English. After a while that would be just so unpleasant to live with. As much you might try to ignore it, some things are just scary. Not necessarily indicative of someone who would go off and kill, but just not a great environment to share.

 

[njc]

Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Spencer answers questions about observations of the gunman''s state of mind without the benefit of hindsight.
Listen now

Chris Flynn, Director of Virginia Tech''s Thomas Cook Counseling Center, discusses student mental health issues and the law.
Listen now

 

[iheartscience]

Njc and fire&ice, I am not trying to attack VA Tech at all. Of course they could not possibly predict such a tragedy. I''m just saying that I hope stricter guidelines will be adopted by universities and high schools everywhere regarding disturbed and mentally ill students. This could possibly prevent another shooting or just help a mentally ill person who won''t ask for it.

The problem with mental illness is that most people who are suffering from it think they''ll never feel better, therapy won''t help, it''s useless, no one understands, etc.-or they don''t think anything is wrong with them. There are always multiple suicides at universities each year and some sort of overall, mental health policy could help possibly prevent those as well.

The late teens and early twenties are a very common age for mental illnesses to begin, including schizophrenia and depression. Plus, going to college is a huge life change, and huge life changes always put people at risk for anxiety and depression.

I just think that university professors, RAs, etc. should have a little more power than they do now, especially regarding the mental health of their students. Before (I believe) the 1960s, the term colleges used to describe their relationship with students was "in loco parentis," which means that they acted in the place of parents. That''s why college students used to have curfews and very strict rules. Students protested this because they were legally adults, so now universities have very little say in their student''s lives.

I know nothing can change what happened, and I know that the perpetrator deserves 100% of the blame. However, as a society we need to learn from this terrible tragedy and try to prevent the same thing from happening again.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 4/19/2007 12:13:52 PM
Author: njc

Date: 4/19/2007 11:34:59 AM
Author: fire&ice

Chigaco Maroon and Burnt Orange. Anything close works... none of my shirts ever match and they are all VT produced.

This cracked me up! The detail was amazing. But, then what would one expect from an nano engineering bent school!

 

[njc]

I believe you are correct about it being in the 1960s. My mother was a little uneasy when my brothers and I went off to college and she learned there were no such thing as "dorm mothers" any more. I''ve always kind of teased her about it... the length she had to go to in order to visit my father! She would have to get a note from her mom saying she was allowed to leave. Then a note from my father saying she was invited to visit. Then a letter from wherever she was going to be staying. On and on and on... times, places, transportation, etc. While I certainly enjoyed my freedom to come and go as I pleased, I do wonder what something like that would have done in this situation. I know it would never happen though.

If you are going to put stricter guidelines in place for schools, I think you need to do the same with work places as well. This could have just as easily happened after graduating at a place of work. Adjusting to the "real world" can be stressful as well. If a student can snap at school, an employee can snap just as easily.

I think the biggest hurdle for any kind of reform will be privacy and discrimination law. Another step closer to Big Brother?

F&I - You would be amazed... thats a pretty standard style guide. I have 3 I must follow at work, one of which I got to write myself!

I interned with the University Relations department, so I know that style guide pretty well too.