Today has new meaning for me as a student at Virginia Tech. It's not just a Thursday, or April 16th- my grandfather's birthday. Even though I wasn't here for the shooting that happened two years ago that took 32 students' lives, it became very much a part of me today.
As I walked across campus in the fog at sunrise to pay my respects at the memorial- for the victims, and to support my friends who were undergrads at the time- it felt even more surreal and strange to me than being on campus as a prospective student. I felt like I belonged there, and yet didn't. I'll never fully understand what happened and what it was like to be there, but it's part of the University and a part of everyone there now. Each time I walk across the drillfield, I see the memorial- 32 hokie stones laid out in a semicircle, each with a student's name on it. And each time before today, it was a silent nod, a respect that it was there. But seeing it this morning with flowers, pictures, candles, and family members by each stone made it all too real, like it had happened yesterday in a bad dream that I hadn't woken up from yet. And, as I'm sure many of us who weren't there then but are now, there was a certain helplessness and newfound rage for the entire tragedy.
Campus is different now, from what I've heard and from what I've seen. Norris Hall, the building where most of the killings happened, was reopened last friday as a violence prevention center and a community center on campus. The neon flyers on the dorm where the first two shooting occurred that told the media to "pack up and go home" are no longer there. The student body and the faculty have gotten stronger and there's a lot more support that's readily advertised. And, most physically evident, there is a massive police force on campus. Nothing Big Brother-esque, but enough to let you know that they're there and mean business. There's been heightened security detail surrounding today too- everything from ambulances to unmarked state troopers. Most of the roads on campus are closed for the "3.2 for the 32 Race" that I'm missing, sitting in the airport.
So, if you have a minute today, even away from all the media coverage from our sleepy town of Blacksburg, send some good vibes toward campus. Because today, we are all Hokies. And it's the day of all days for us to realize that We are Strong, We are Virginia Tech.
As I walked across campus in the fog at sunrise to pay my respects at the memorial- for the victims, and to support my friends who were undergrads at the time- it felt even more surreal and strange to me than being on campus as a prospective student. I felt like I belonged there, and yet didn't. I'll never fully understand what happened and what it was like to be there, but it's part of the University and a part of everyone there now. Each time I walk across the drillfield, I see the memorial- 32 hokie stones laid out in a semicircle, each with a student's name on it. And each time before today, it was a silent nod, a respect that it was there. But seeing it this morning with flowers, pictures, candles, and family members by each stone made it all too real, like it had happened yesterday in a bad dream that I hadn't woken up from yet. And, as I'm sure many of us who weren't there then but are now, there was a certain helplessness and newfound rage for the entire tragedy.
Campus is different now, from what I've heard and from what I've seen. Norris Hall, the building where most of the killings happened, was reopened last friday as a violence prevention center and a community center on campus. The neon flyers on the dorm where the first two shooting occurred that told the media to "pack up and go home" are no longer there. The student body and the faculty have gotten stronger and there's a lot more support that's readily advertised. And, most physically evident, there is a massive police force on campus. Nothing Big Brother-esque, but enough to let you know that they're there and mean business. There's been heightened security detail surrounding today too- everything from ambulances to unmarked state troopers. Most of the roads on campus are closed for the "3.2 for the 32 Race" that I'm missing, sitting in the airport.
So, if you have a minute today, even away from all the media coverage from our sleepy town of Blacksburg, send some good vibes toward campus. Because today, we are all Hokies. And it's the day of all days for us to realize that We are Strong, We are Virginia Tech.
Was this the shooting by the Korean/Chinese guy?
