What is with this country?!

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The school security is not bad, but that could be it. How it was handled is part of the issue. Two hours passed between when the first shooting occurred and the first e-mail was sent to students. The 911 call was made around 7:15 A.M. according to the press. The e-mail I have is time-stamped 9:26 A.M..

Had the university responded quicker, classes would not have been in session. The majority of the fatalities occured in Norris from what I understand.

The worst part is that from my understanding many of the classrooms on the floor that was attacked in Norris were upper-level engineering / computer science. Many of the dead were likely seniors, so close to graduating and continuing their lives.

Many other students I have talked with have discussed creating a petition for Charles Steger to resign over this. Had action been taken sooner, there might have been a greatly reduced loss of life.

From what I heard from others (pure hearsay at this point) the shooter was angry over some relationship issue. Cheating by a girlfriend or something along those lines. I do not know that to be fact though.

Oh Shades, that is soo sad. I'm speechless. I agree with you about his resigning. That was inexcusable. And email is hardly the way to communicate an emergency.

Are you living on campus? Are you safe? Did you know any of the people killed?

My university is already on it. Here's an email I just got (we're 6 hours behind you so it's not even noon here yet) - I'm impressed with their response:
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Dear C: I have written to RH and to KK to suggest that UHH do something as a response to this horrendous tragedy. I believe the university needs to come together in sympathy with VT, but also to review our own emergency response plan, what we do in the classroom and in the dorms in the event of such an act of terror on our own campus.

Violence affects us all—gun violence, domestic violence, warfare. I urge my colleagues to discuss this with one another and with our students.
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I'm off-campus, and hadn't left my apartment today, so I'm fine. I don't believe I know anyone that was killed or injured. As far as I know none of the people I know would have reason to be in the academic building, but I have no way of knowing about the dorm. All I can really do is wait around and hope for the best.

I'm doing the same thing waiting, waiting and hoping for the best, to hear about my friend. I'm glad you are ok. I'm sure things are going to be hectic for ya'll for awhile. Any idea when some normalcy (returning to classes and such) will begin?

As of now, classes are canceled for today and tomorrow. Beyond that, I have no idea, for both when classes will resume and whatever other action will be taken.

This sounds like Columbine all over again. Thank God I'm not in college yet!

This one is worse than Columbine. They say this is the worst one in US history.

Yeah, people blame everything BUT the parents. You have to be one heckofa sociopath to do something like this, and the craptacular parenting that we have been having in these past few decades is taking its toll.

Metal detectors will do jack on most campuses because they are so open, they aren't like high schools where there are a limited number of entrances and exits. Now if they had tunnels kept good security in them then there would be some security, but it would still want for improvement.

What worries me is that if something like that happened here, I would be responsible for preserving the safety of others because I work as a computer lab LA, and I don't know what I would do to keep people from being shot at.

Yeah, the students need guns too.

I think the source of this kind of thing is that the kids who do these things are insecure, have no one they can trust, and feel they're being rejected by everyone. I think this is a great problem in the US society, that the very individual view of people also makes bullying much easier. (Among kids, as well as adults)
The availability of weapons does not alone create the ideas to kill as many people as possible, rejection does. But the availability of weapons gives these people an easy way to manifest theit fantasies. That alone is a valid reason to have a restrictive firearms legislation.

I'm glad the e-mail was handled like that, it could have been a lot worse:

I hope things improve and that you'll stay safe. WP is still here, and you can use the Haven when you feel too stressed and need to vent.

The e-mails weren't very informative.

Note: The first shooting was phoned in to 911 at 7:15 this morning...




Also known as BS, the cops claimed they never had a shooter in custody, and the guy committed suicide.

The fifth e-mail was more in-depth, but was sent at 12:45 (approximately) in the afternoon.

Yeah, I read about the suicide on the Insomniac Games forums. The news sounds more informative than the schools, which, given the situation, needs to have the most information to handle the situation.

So far other students have provided nearly as much information as the news has.

I still don't understand how the shooter managed to chain two doors in the building without being spotted. He went there with intent, that much is clear. It wouldn't surprise me if the rumor about him finding out his girlfriend was having an affair with another CS student.

Last edited by shadexiii on 17 Apr 2007, 12:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

It's called lazy police and security cameras that only do their job when someone looks at them ages after.

Last edited by KBABZ on 16 Apr 2007, 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think that makes sense, although I should state I have never been to America so am unqualified to give an opinion.

However I do have a theory.....
America (it seems to me) has strong individual competition and "free market", and those who can't keep up are "left by the wayside", so to speak.

To illustrate, in WW2, POW's held by Japan were in apalling conditions (I knew a Changi POW). When an Australian soldier could not eat his rations for whatever reason (eg couldn't keep it down because of dysentry), he would give his rations to others, who ever needed it most. They all help each other. It is said of the US prisoners, that they would look after themslves first, and trade or barter their rations for their own individual benefit.

So I get the impresion the US culture is less concerned about looking after its weaker members than we are. These people get more disenfranchised and alienated from society and its these people who are morelikely to become "home grown terrorists" or shoot up schools.

Anyone want to comment?