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By cernig, Section Journals
I know this isn't exactly a sports related column, but I think it's a nice piece of work anyways. I had to write it as an essay for a class in school so it's not in my typical three-four sentence column structure format. So I will post it in my journals for anyone interested in reading my editorial on one of the most talked about days, not only in my day, but in American history.
Thirty-three shots. Thirty-three shots, that's all it took to turn an ordinary Monday in Blacksburg, VA, into one of the most talked about days in American history. Thirty-three deadly shots in a two-hour span across the Virginia Tech campus were felt by millions of Americans. There are places in the world where shooting sprees are common, but not on the Virginia Tech campus. According to ABCnews.com, Josh Wargo, a junior at Virginia Tech, he labeled the university as "pretty peaceful." Then how did a massacre of this magnitude happen? If any question is in desperate need of answering, it's this: why was there the glaring two-hour gap in between the two separate shootings? In the wake of everything that has unfolded, it's easy for everyone to point a finger and say, `this should have been done, or they should have done this.' However, just how easy is it for an administration or police department to prevent mass panic on a school campus and still make students feel safe? Virginia Tech president Charles Steger, in an interview on "Good Morning America," told host Diane Sawyer a 911 call reporting a shooting at a dormitory was made at approximately 7:15 a.m. The Virginia Tech Police department immediately responded to the call, a call they believed to be related to a domestic dispute. An efficient approach was then taken by the Virginia Tech administration. According to Steger, the administration locked down the West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory - the site of the first shooting - but classes were not canceled because police believed the shooter had already left the campus. The shooting incident came one week after the university received two bomb threats; they (the university) and the police agreed the situation to be done and over. Nearly two and a half hours after a first shooting was reported to the Virginia Tech Police, a second 911 call was placed reporting shootings on the other side of the Virginia Tech campus. It was at this time administration decided to cancel classes for the remainder of the day - and week. Initially, many students on campus were in shock trying to figure out why nothing was done in the two-hour span to prevent the second shooting at Virginia Tech. What most people don't realize, however, is that proper precautions and methods were taken. Had the police department and the Virginia Tech administration felt the gunman, later to be reveled as Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at the school, was still on campus after the first shooting, there still wouldn't have been much anyone could have done. The Virginia Tech campus is home to more than 25,000 full-time students, spreads over 2,600 acres, and has more than 100 buildings. With classes already being in session, evacuation was out of the question because no one knew where the shooter was. Had the university tried to evacuate, they could have put thousands of students directly in harm's way. E-mails by the university were sent out to students to alert them of the situation and the police department was doing everything in their power to find out what exactly was going on. The Virginia Tech administration and the police are not to blame for the massacre that unfolded. The massacre was a freak accident and an unfortunate occurrence, nothing more can be said about it. Seung-Hui Cho was bullied as a student in high school and mocked because he was shy and because of the strange way he talked. According to MSNBC.com, a doctor's report in 2005 from Carilion St. Albans Behavioral Health Center concluded that while Cho could pose a threat to himself, he posed no threat to others. Cho was released. In return, he killed thirty-two students and staff at Virginia Tech, then himself, and will forever have a lasting impression on America. It should be pointed out that Cho was a "red flag" student, but nobody had the guts to raise the red flag. There needs to be a change; people can't be afraid and they must be able to do something about somebody who is exhibiting abnormal behavior. People must intervene. Obviously, Cho got the last laugh and got what he thought he wanted: self-respect. The man once known as "the question mark kid" had now completed the deadliest campus shooting in American history.
The 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre is a situation that many still can't believe they witnessed, let alone that it happened in the first place. Virginia Police Chief Wendell Flinchum called the shootings, "one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life." The university will move on because they are Virginia Tech. The massacre was handled correctly and efficiently; it's just sad to know more lives weren't saved. In a terrible situation, one can never forget what they saw and what they learned. They can never forget the thirty-two victims who were innocently killed, or the one individual who killed them. Thirty-three shots will forever be a reminder of all the good people who were lost and the evil that killed them. Thirty-three in Spanish is the "smile to the camera" word, as is "cheese" in English. Thirty-three, the number that will be engraved on all members of the Virginia Tech baseball team's caps for the remainder of the season to show that not a single victim, or gunman, will ever be forgotten. Thirty-three is a young woman's favorite number. Thirty-three shots and Americans were killed for living in their American skin.
Copyright ©2007 Colin Cerniglia. All Rights Reserved.
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