Archive: April 13, 2008 - April 19, 2008
A Little Sports Therapy
By Joe Kendall Athletics have always been a unifying force at Virginia Tech, and on the first anniversary of the April 16 shootings, they once again filled that role. A near-record crowd filed into the recently-expanded Virginia Tech softball stadium...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 17, 2008; 9:18 AM ET | Comments (0)
Trying to Remember How to Be Happy
By Amrita Raja Today felt a lot like April 17, 2007. There was an air of uncertainty: What are we supposed to be feeling? What are we supposed to be doing? We can't be sad forever, so let us try...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 11:21 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Walk in the Garden to Remember
A quiet moment in the Hahn Horticulture Garden on April 16, 2008 (By Suzanne Higgs) By Suzanne Higgs I've done my best to avoid thinking about April 16th, until today. I didn't go to the 11:45 p.m. vigil last...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 6:30 PM ET | Comments (0)
Memories of Leslie
By Amrita Raja We were walking into our dorm when I said, "So, we should go swimming sometime." "Well, how about tomorrow?" Leslie asked. "Tomorrow?" "Yeah! The pool's still open on Sundays!" That's how Leslie Sherman, one of the 32...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 6:15 PM ET | Comments (0)
Sad but Not Defeated
By Austin W.G. Morton I wake up most mornings at the usual time, slump out of bed and begin my normal routine: give a good stretch, check my phone, quick shower and it's off to class, meetings, errands, etc. Today...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 4:38 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Day of Remembrance
By Shamus Williams It was a beautiful day on campus: sunny and not a cloud in the sky. It is a far cry from the cold and snowy conditions that confronted students one year ago. And like the weather, today...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 2:43 PM ET | Comments (0)
Notes of Encouragement
Mementos sent to Virginia Tech after April 16, 2007, displayed in the Holtzman Alumni Center (By Amrita Raja) By Amrita Raja This morning, I woke up to an inbox with a handful of messages, one of which was from...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 12:11 PM ET | Comments (0)
Support for Va. Tech President Remains
By Shamus Williams In the days following April 16, the national media directed a lot of blame at Virginia Tech president Charles Steger. We students did our best to stand behind our beleaguered president during that time, and that support...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 11:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
Choosing Safety Over Privacy
By Amie Steele Among all the political debates that arose out of the shootings - gun control, mental health legislation, the university's response to violent situations - one important issue has been sent to the back burner: student privacy. In...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 10:05 AM ET | Comments (0)
Reclaiming April 16
By Shamus Williams Earlier this year, the university decided to cancel classes on April 16 in order to honor the lives lost in the shootings and to allow students a day to grieve. The university made the right decision on...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 6:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
The Campus Newspaper a Year Later
By Joe Kendall During the week of the April 16 shootings The Collegiate Times newsroom was a whirlwind of work and mourning as staff members juggled their responsibilities as both student and journalists. I remember one evening putting together a...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 16, 2008; 4:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
Coming to Va. Tech After the Shootings
By Austin W. G. Morton For most high school seniors, the month of April is a joyful time of college acceptances and preparation for life away from the nest. The decisions to make and options to weigh are countless: The...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 15, 2008; 2:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
Putting Hope Back Into the Media
By Suzanne Higgs As a budding journalist, I found the national media's behavior last April at best disappointing and in some instances downright shameful. Not only did they completely attack our campus and make it nearly impossible to get around...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 15, 2008; 11:48 AM ET | Comments (0)
Students Need a Campus Safe From Guns
By Shamus Williams In the course of the past year, the debate about gun control in the state of Virginia has intensified. On my campus, it has been even stronger, with both sides hotly discussing whether students should be allowed...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 15, 2008; 8:27 AM ET | Comments (0)
Getting the Help We Need
By Joe Kendall In the wake of the April 16 shootings, the killer, Seung-Hui Cho, was often described as "evil," "a lunatic" and "psychotic." Although such terms may have been useful in dealing with the initial rage felt by many,...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 15, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Healing Through Art
Image of the painting referenced in the poem (By Amrita Raja) By Amrita Raja Yesterday afternoon, members of Blacksburg's community -- professors, parents, children, community leaders and Virginia Tech students -- all filtered through the doors of the Lyric,...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 14, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Can We Prevent the Next Shooting?
By Austin W.G. Morton Forty. That's the death tally for 10 months' worth of shootings at universities. Arguably, three more - the number of student shooters - could be added to the total; although, whether they are included depends on...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 14, 2008; 9:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
It's Better to Heal Together
By Suzanne Higgs Since the shooting last year, there has been an outpouring of love and sympathy and gifts to our university from many individuals and groups. People have shown their care and concern in many different ways. The most...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 14, 2008; 7:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
A Student Body Grows Up
By Amie Steele People say certain events make you grow up overnight. I think that April 16 did that for Virginia Tech. The world watched the students - and the university - grow up in front of its eyes. A...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 13, 2008; 2:20 PM ET | Comments (0)
To Those Left Behind
By Amrita Raja Program from Ein deutsches Requiem performance (By Amrita Raja) On Saturday night, as part of the commemorations of the anniversary, I attended a performance of Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem, a joint effort by the New River Valley...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 13, 2008; 10:19 AM ET | Comments (0)
Lingering Worries
By Joe Kendall I don't remember much of what happened on April 16, 2007. For me, the day is a muddled mess of blurred thoughts and exhaustion. I do remember that it was the worst day of my life, and...
By Amy L. Kovac | April 13, 2008; 9:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
