Virginia Tech Massacre

Posted by Naomi Rockler-Gladen Apr 17, 2007

After I first heard about the Virginia Tech shootings, I walked into my 11:00 a.m. class and turned on CNN. What do you say in response to news footage like that, especially when you're sitting in a classroom on a college campus?

In our discussion, comparisons to Columbine immediately came up. Columbine is a sensitive subject at Colorado State University. A few years ago, several survivors of the shootings were students in my classes. In fact, Friday marks the eighth anniversary of Columbine. So school shootings pack an extra punch of empathetic pain around here.

People talk about the need for more security on campus, and they're probably right, although it seems like an almost insurmountable task logistically. Big campuses are so open. How many doors can you lock? How many security cameras can you hang?

One student mentioned how it was weird that recently, I had commented in class that I was surprised there wasn't more violence on college campuses. I did make that comment. University campuses are so full of stress and rage, and this anger is directed at students, professors, and everyone in the community.

I hope that the Virginia Tech massacre encourages us to have conversations on campuses about how to improve our support systems. After Columbine, there was much talk about improving security in high schools. But there was not enough talk about improving the culture of high schools to prevent bullying. I hope this incident will encourage us to reflect on how colleges and universities can better help students cope with the stress of college life.