 "Photo:")
The largest shooting in United States history occurred yesterday on the Virginia Tech campus when a gunman, whose name remains undisclosed, opened fire on two separate occasions, killing 32 people before turning the gun on himself.
The shooting began at about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed dormitory, and then continued approximately two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building about a half-hour away, according to the Associated Press.
Two people were killed in a dormitory room, and 31 others were killed in the classroom building, including the gunman who put a bullet to his head, according to a story in the AP.
The massacre has received national attention, but the manner in which the campus handled the situation has triggered controversy, questioning the level of security on college campuses.
"My question has been, constantly, how did that man get from the left side of the campus half a mile away to the right side, with the cops and fire trucks in between? They should have had police officers and security guards quartering off areas of the campus to make sure that didn't happen," said Dr. Britt Minshall, former U.S. Deputy Marshall, INTERPOL agent, and advisor to President Jimmy Carter on the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration in a phone interview.
According to Minshall, authorities were too focused on the first scene to consider what the gunman would do next.
"They assumed he shot someone and was running away. I don't want to blame anyone, but something was done horribly wrong," he said.
Virginia Tech president Charles Steger emphasized that the University closed off dormitories after the first shooting, and used e-mail to update students about the incident two hours later. An e-mail was sent to the students only moments before the second shooting took place, according to the AP.
Minshall offered a three-fold explanation for why such incidents occur. First, he described the ages of 18 to 25 as the most unstable age range.
"You have all kinds of young people trying to actualize their lives," he said. He also addressed the pressure on young people to obtain scholarships, to date, to succeed in sports, etc. "There's always drinking, camaraderie, and competition," he said.
"We live in the most violent nation in the world. The American people love their guns. And as long as you have this, you're going to have what happened happen."
This matter of national concern affected students on a more local level, however, when University of Massachusetts students asked themselves, "Could this happen at our school?"
Junior Nick Philpott's initial reaction upon hearing of the shooting was concern for his friends who attend Virginia Tech.
"I haven't been able to get in contact with them yet, but I know they're okay because of their away messages," he said.
"When events like this happen, it is a reality check. It's scary to see that this can happen anywhere," said freshman Shaina Jackson.
Junior Sarah Pinheiro said that while the possibility of violence isn't something she considers on a daily basis, situations like the Virginia Tech shooting cause her to question residence hall security, and how prepared UMass would be in the event of such a crisis.
"I always think about how random people can come in and out of the dorms and someone - like a killer - could be roaming around and you'd never know," said Pinheiro, "Especially since it could be either a UMass student or someone that isn't even affiliated with the school." Pinheiro cited last year's stabbings on UMass' 'Frat Row' as an incident in which violence occurred on campus, perpetrated by non-UMass students.
Philpott expressed a hope that this incident will draw national attention to violence carried out by Americans, rather than emphasizing terrorist violence from other countries.
"I really don't know what UMass could do but I think that someone needs to do something to try to ensure that something like this will never happen at UMass," Philpott said.
Paying more attention to security policies rather than more strictly enforced policies - such as the alcohol policy - is one suggestion Pinheiro makes in order to make UMass more safe.
"UMass spends lots of money on things we don't need. You don't need those new buildings if your students are getting gunned down," she said.
Minshall predicts that the national reaction to the Virginia Tech shooting will be "what it always is - put a bandaid on an oil well." He predicts calls for new security and gun legislation.
"And six weeks later, the NRA [National Rifle Association] will write a check to every Congressmen in the country and there will be no gun legislation," he said.
According to Director of News and Information at UMass Ed Blaguszewski, who briefly spoke with the UMass Police Chief Barbara O'Connor after the occurence, "This is a scenario that the Chief has thought about and that she is concerned about, as all campus officials are."
Chief O'Connor could not be reached for comment.
Freshman Jacob Chamoff rejects the idea that UMass, and other universities of a similar size, could prevent such an incident.
"It's hard to do much more on an open campus. It might help to have more police officers, but anyone can still get on campus and do whatever they want," he said.
"I think other schools will try to make their campuses safer in response to this. But I still think that something like this would never happen to me, or where I am, although that's just me being naive," said Jackson.
"We just have to realize that there is crime and the possibility of danger everywhere," said Minshall.
Local police at Virginia Tech received bomb threats over the past two weeks. However, they claim there is no connection between the threats and the shootings. At least 26 people are being treated in the hospital, with at least six in surgery, according to the AP. The investigation into the exact course of events is ongoing.
Anna Dolianitis can be reached oorosesrredoo@yahoo.com.
Be the first to comment on this article!