Thursday, April 16, 2009 Print Edition

COLLEGIATETIMES Thursday, April 16, 2009

II Two years later, Tech looks ahead by zach crizer, news reporter

T

hey don’t need to mark their calendars. The 106th

day of the year looms among every one of the other 365. For families affected by the tragedy at Virginia

Tech, April 16 is about marking the calendar of the world.

“It’s definitely a day when I’m looking back and remembering how

that day went for me and my family and how it also went for my

sister and the other victims,” said Omar Samaha, whose sister Reema Samaha was killed in Norris Hall. “I can’t say that it is completely

different from every other day, because I do it every single day, but I definitely would say that it hits home a lot harder and reminds me of what happened and how tragic it was.”

It is not an anniversary for Suzanne Grimes, whose son Kevin

Sterne was injured in Norris Hall.

“I call it the second year mark,” Grimes said. “My initial thought

was that April 16 should be set aside for what it is: thirty two people lost their lives.”

Andrew Goddard, whose son Colin Goddard was also injured in

Norris Hall, said April 16 should be used to prevent future tragedies, a sentiment that was echoed by many families.

“In my opinion, the best thing for VT to do is give the day off each

year and encourage the new Peace Center to make arrangements

each year to arrange suitable events to remember the day,” Goddard said. “Those events should include a memorial service, but should also include presentations and meetings about mental health issues and gun violence.”

Many family members have spent time this week at numerous

events promoting violence prevention.

Samaha, Goddard and Grimes attended a press conference

Monday with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announcing a national advertisement campaign that hopes to “tighten gun laws and close the gun show loophole.”

Grimes and others continued their week by speaking to a commit-

tee at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

“Unless we have responsible gun laws, we’re going to have another

April 16,” Grimes said.

Parents Peter Read and Lori Haas also took part in the events,

along with survivors Lily Habtu, Goddard and Sterne.

C. Bryan Cloyd, a Tech professor whose daughter Austin Cloyd

was killed in Norris Hall, said the strength of the Tech community should be used to comfort all who have lost loved ones.

“Within hours of our community’s darkest moment, April 2007,

we began to realize the first positive consequence of that terrible day,” Cloyd said. “The Hokie Nation quickly came together to prove that goodness could prevail.”

Cloyd said his vision of April 16 is a day of remembering every

Hokie.

see FUTURE, page two

page 2

thursday, april 16, 2009

A road not taken: The story of April 16 victim Matthew La Porte T. REES SHAPIRO

ct news reporter Cadet Matthew La Porte would have woken up this morning with only a month to go until his graduation from the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. He’d also be one day closer to starting the dream career he’d diligently pursued in the Air Force ROTC program, serving his country as a second lieutenant intelligence officer.

But La Porte’s story is one of potential sadly lost. He was a “mean drummer” in the Corps’ Highty-Tighty marching band, a relentlessly tough Air Force Special Operations Preparation Team member, and a scholarship student surely headed toward a stellar career in intelligence until his arcing success was cut down during the April 16 massacre two years ago today.

If the shootings had never occurred, where would he be today? What follows are the steps Cadet La Porte might have taken on his journey toward becoming Lt. La Porte.

La Porte would have been up before the sun rose today, preparing his uniform, gray slacks with a white short sleeve button-up shirt, in order to be ready for morning formation at 7:20 a.m. After, he’d grab a bite of breakfast in Shultz and then a quick nap before heading out of the first floor doors of Monteith, where the majority of Highty-Tighty Band members live, toward the Military Building.

Maybe he’d be on his way to study for his class with Lt. Col. Keith Gay, Aerospace Studies 4216: National Security Forces. “Gem polishing” as Col. Rock Roszak called it, meets Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays at 9:05 a.m. in room 208 of the Military Building just north of McBryde.

The seniors would be just beginning their seventh and final region, the Middle East, in a course dedicated to enriching future Air Force officers’ global knowledge. The class focused on each region’s culture, economy, environment and politics, to “try to understand the world we are going to operate in,” Gay said.

Roszak referred to it in military terms as a step field officers take after being promoted to flag officers.

“If you reach general officer rank in any of the services, you attend a capstone course, kind of like a finishing school,” Roszak, associate director for Corps Alumni relations, said. “They are gems, but we’re just giving them that final buffer polish.”

Perhaps La Porte might have opted for the later section of the class that starts at 12:20 p.m. La Porte loved to sleep. In fact, he preferred the comfy confines of his rack to the amazement of his hall mates and frustration of his superiors.

“You couldn’t move him easily,” said Cpt. Chris Andersen of Air Force ROTC Detachment 875. “Myself being a former drill instructor, there were multiple times where I needed to get him motivated.”

It was usually to no avail, his hallmates attested. Waking him up to be on time for formation was often an exercise in futility.

“Freshman year you could set your watch by how late he was,” said Cadet Jason Oberoi, his freshman and sophomore year hallmate, and fellow Highty-Tighty bandsman.

La Porte had already earned a reputation for being tardy — or even missing — from some of his commitments in the Corps. He had a free spirit that occasionally carried him on 3 a.m.

Taco Bell runs, where he’d return with his arms full of burritos, and his lips pursed on a gigantic soft drink straw.

The 20-year-old sophomore would simply explain in his deep New Jersey accent that he was hungry.

“He was not a sterling cadet at everything,” Oberoi said. “But the few things that he did, he did real well.”

That included his avid participation in the tenor drum section of the Highty-Tighties. The Corps is led by seniors who hold the majority of superior positions within the regiment.

Cadets who are also members of the Highty-Tighties can seek leadership roles independently of their colleagues such as band company commanding officer, drum major and section leader.

Sophomore year La Porte lived in Brodie Hall room 211 with Nathan Boggs. His other hallmates all were members of the Highty-Tighties.

Because of their isolation from the rest of the band members living in Monteith Hall, they called themselves the “Brodie Bunch,” said current Band Company Commanding Officer Cadet Michael Hercula.

Cadet Collin Hu, his Brodie hallmate and sophomore-year tenor drum section leader, felt confident Cadet La

SALLY BULL/SPPS

Cadet Sarina Goings and Lt. Col. Keith Gay stand in room 2008 of the Military Building, renovated to honor Cadet Matthew La Porte. Gay, foreground, reads a poem written by La Porte.

Porte wouldn’t have ventured far from his fellow HTs. “He definitely would have stayed in the band,” Hu said. “It was one of those things where he felt he belonged.”

La Porte could have tried out to be the Highty-Tighty Drum Major, a position he held in high school at Carson Long Military Institute in New Bloomfield, Penn. This week he would be preparing to march in the traditional change of command parade held on the Drillfield on May 2. Perhaps he’d be the one leading the Highty-Tighties’ precise movements, keeping rhythm and time with the expertise he’d practiced from his years in the tenor drum section.

Some might have questioned La Porte’s capabilities to lead the HightyTighties as Drum Major, a position where timing is of the essence and responsibility paramount. But La Porte’s friends described a quiet inner confidence that had only just begun to blossom during his sophomore year.

“Matt was this wonderful enigma where you never knew what you were going to get,” said Cadet Lincoln Nesbit, a member of the “Brodie Bunch” and Mellophone player. “If he decided he wanted to do something, he could it. But he had to decide to do it ... He could accomplish pretty much anything he set his mind to.”

It was this quality that came in handy for his other passion within the Corps as an AFSOPT member.

PAIN, PUSHUPS AND PERSEVERENCE He charged up the grassy hill alone, knowing full well what awaited him along the way. It was the defining moment during a long spring night of initiation into the Air Force Special Operations Team.

La Porte fearlessly met the barrage of paintball projectiles from his ambushing colleagues, rounds splattering his torso. Riddled with welts from his attackers and soaked in sweat, he never stopped running, determined to finish the mission.

Cadet Josiah Donaldson is convinced to this day that La Porte could not feel pain. It was easy to believe considering the kind of grueling training he was subjected to while joining AFSOPT. La Porte and Donaldson became friends while they both “tapped,” or rushed, to be members of AFSOPT in the fall of 2006. AFSOPT is considered one of the elite training groups cadets can join while at Tech.

During a three week “tap” period, cadets submit themselves to a physical training regimen modeled after the Navy SEAL program. They wake up every morning at 5:30 a.m. and convene at different locations for physical training.

The first day of tap involves log training. A minimum of four cadets hold a telephone-pole-sized piece of wood over their heads and perform calisthenics for about two hours.

Other activities include marching to the airport and back with a 30-pound backpack in less than an hour, or a sixmile run to Christiansburg in less than 45 minutes.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they meet in the War Memorial Pool for water survival training, said AFSOPT member Cadet Bryan Glock, who was in charge of the fall 2006 tap class.

Cadets must voluntarily leave the training program. No one is ever kicked out, but mistakes can be costly.

Many drop out after the first few sessions in the pool, Donaldson said.

One exercise involves swimming 15 feet to the bottom of the pool to retrieve a 20-pound lead weight, then surfacing with it and holding it above their head while treading water. La Porte struggled on one occasion to keep the lead weight in his hands. A cardinal rule in the pool during AFSOPT tap is to not drop the weight.

During one session, La Porte dropped it so many times he acquired a punishing tally of pushups in the hundreds. But no matter how many pushups he’d be assigned, La Porte never quit.

“He had a lot of character and definitely one of the more determined people we had going through AFSOPT, and he wouldn’t quit no matter what we put him through,” Glock said. “He had more heart than a lot of guys who go through AFSOPT.” Eighteen cadets tapped AFSOPT that fall, all attempting to earn the honor of the Gray Beret signifying membership in to the elite squad. But those “just going for the Gray Berets don’t usually make it,” Donaldson said.

“They would see him running, and it was like nothing affected him,” Nesbit said. “He could just keep going no matter what they doled out. And they were all like ‘we have to keep up because how are we going to look if goofball La Porte over there makes it and we don’t?’”

Only four, including La Porte and Donaldson, made it to AFSOPT that semester.

La Porte seemed to thrive with his new status. Toward the end of spring 2007, his superiors began to acknowledge him as a solid cadet who could advance when he applied himself.

He seemed to be in the midst of an attitude transformation and well on his way toward earning his commission as a second lieutenant in just a couple more years.

His friends in the “Brodie Bunch” began to notice physical changes as well: Mass became muscle; scrawny became strong.

“He just started turning it around and doing things on his own initiative,” Hu said. “He wanted to join AFSOPT so he joined AFSOPT, and that was it.”

Hu would sometimes go in to La Porte’s room looking for extra contact lens solution, and there he was, on the floor doing push ups.

“There was nothing flashy about him that would draw you to him. At first glance, you’d pass right over him,” Oberoi said of La Porte’s earlier physique and athleticism. He remembers one day wondering, “Dude, when the hell did you get so jacked?”

THE LOST LIEUTENANT La Porte rarely spoke more than a few words in a sentence. His answers were clipped and terse. But when he did speak at length, it was with eloquence and a keen attention to succinct specificity.

“He didn’t speak like a lot of folks who will just shoot out information, or stuff will just shoot out of their mouth just because they want to spew something, but he thought about

things before he actually spoke, and that’s something that I admire about him,” Andersen said. “He wasn’t one of those people that would try to shower you with what you wanted to hear, you could actually see him thinking before he said anything.”

Historically, members of AFSOPT are generally granted their first career preference in the Air Force because of their dedication to higher standards in physical fitness.

According to Andersen, his ability to communicate would have made him an excellent candidate for the intelligence community if he’d been commissioned this May 15 in War Memorial Chapel.

Donaldson will be there that day. He intends to fly A-10 Thunderbolt close air support jets after he goes on active duty June 5. La Porte and Donaldson might have headed to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., together to attend the Air and Space basic course where most of the recently commissioned second lieutenants are first stationed.

At the 3 p.m. ceremony, La Porte would have sworn his oath of office, pledged his allegiance to the Constitution, and then received his Airman’s coin, a symbol of camaraderie in the military. He also would have had his new rank, two gold bars, pinned on his shoulders by his father Joseph, mother Barbara and sister Priscilla, a sophomore at the University of Delaware.

Donaldson said he’s certain his friend SALLY BULL/SPPS would have excelled as an officer because of his AFSOPT training.

Cadet La Porte’s Tenor drum sits in a common room of Brodie Hall.

“He would have commanded respect from his people just because of up the hill first, taking a few rounds. organization,” Glock said. “Knowing his mental toughness, and his physical As soon as he made it to the truck, he that he went down in that same kind toughness,” Donaldson said. “The peo- looked back for his team, but there was of scenario meant a lot to us.”

His body was found face down, ple who we want in our organization, no Cadet La Porte. His goggles had and the people who usually make it fogged from the sweat beneath his inches away from Cho. La Porte was in, are of the lone wolf mentality. They eyes. He had tripped and stumbled on the last victim the killer faced before committing suicide. He was shot are competitive. They are the kind of the way up the hill. people who will finish a job even if “We want to find the part of the more times than any other victim in no one else is there to help them, or if individual where you can push them room 211.

“Matthew is my inspiration in so everyone else quits.” to their limit, and yet after they have nothing left they still manage to push many ways, and what he did in that forward and keep doing what we ask of classroom speaks to his character so THE RIGHT STUFF On the morning of April 16, 2007, them,” said Glock, one of the AFSOPT powerfully,” wrote Cadet La Porte’s La Porte clearly demonstrated his members in charge of the initiation sister, Priscilla, in a message. “He selfless and unrelenting nature that that night. “He knew he was going always chose the harder right over the would have served him so well in his to get shot at, but he just charged up.” easier wrong, which is something most Air Force career during his 9:05 a.m. A hail of paintballs splashed his body people talk about, but never do. This is intermediate French class taught by as he struggled to make it up the hill. why he is my inspiration. No matter Despite getting hit at least 50 times at what the consequences to his comfort professor Jocelyne Couture-Nowak.

“More people would have died if near point blank range, La Porte never were, he always chose to do what he believed was best — he tried to keep it weren’t for him in there,” Hu said, quit.

“When it came down to it, he knew the door of the classroom closed with who worked that day as an EMT with Virginia Tech Rescue Squad. “There is what he had to do, and he did it,” his own body the day he died. He is a Donaldson said. “It’s my understand- hero.” no doubt in my mind.”

Hu, who will be on EMT duty Two nights earlier on Saturday, ing he died the same way.”

About 36 hours later, Seung-Hui again today, wishes La Porte had been April 14, Cadets La Porte, Donaldson, Nolan Faulkner, William Moffat, Cho went on a shooting rampage around to earn his saber and receive and Sean Heatherman were in battle in Norris Hall and wounded every his class ring. La Porte’s sister Priscilla dress uniforms crawling around the person in room 211, Cadet La Porte’s wishes he was still around to give her Jefferson National Forest as part of French class. Cho killed 11 students a good laugh, maybe with his favorite an extended crucible mission for and seriously wounded five more. phrase explaining his preferred choice of eyewear after dark: “The sun never AFSOPT initiation held once a year Professor Couture-Nowak died.

FBI agents, who talked with sets on a badass.” Donaldson wishes in the spring. Equipped with paintball guns and protective masks, the five Glock after the shootings, said it La Porte would be standing close by cadets approached their final objective. seemed La Porte had charged at when he receives his gold bars durThey received instructions to make Cho under fire exactly as he had ing the commissioning ceremony in haste to an extraction vehicle, a white done during AFSOPT initiation. a month.

And the entire Corps wishes the truck with a spotlight, at the top of an Armed with a desk, he was wounded at least six times in the chest and once gloves, sticks and tenor drum that sit opposite hill.

As the cadets sprinted toward the in the hand while attempting to stop behind a glass case in a common room of Brodie Hall, just feet from where he light their AFSOPT leaders ambushed the gunman.

“That just really exemplifies who he used to live, were still pounding from them from the tall grass all around.

As team leader, Donaldson sprinted was and who he’d become through our his beat.

Future: Family members contemplate how to best handle the future of April 16 from page one

“We can remember and honor those we lost on April 16, 2007, by committing ourselves to never losing this spirit of community and compassion for others,” Cloyd said. “Each April 16 should be a Day of Remembrance for all the Hokies we have lost in the preceding year — a time to share with their families and friends the gift of compassion that the world shared with us in 2007.”

Families have considered the future of April 16 not only in Blacksburg, but its importance around the country.

Grimes said the day should serve as a reminder of the factors that led to April 16.

“That day marks a significant change in society,” Grimes said. “It made a big impact in the U.S. and across the world. I think it was a wake-up call.”

Samaha said there are three main things that he would like to see each year.

“We would like to see classes canceled every year,” Samaha said.

“Number two, memorial services would be something we would really like. And number three would be some type of promotion as to what

we can do as a community to prevent future tragedies from happening.”

It is all part of a larger idea of the future for Samaha.

“The point is that we remember and we do as much as we can to remember and to look forward to the future, to becoming a more active community in trying to prevent future tragedies,” Samaha said.

A Tech alumnus himself, Samaha said the tragedy has only brought him closer to the university community.

“Everyone at Virginia Tech is a part of our lives,” Samaha said. “No matter what, we’re going to be forever tied to

each other.”

Grimes said each April 16 should be observed as a day of reflection on morality.

“April 16 needs to be set aside for some significant remembrance in Blacksburg and around the country,” Grimes said. “People need to step up and be responsible for their actions.

They need to have some moral respect for life.”

There are no small details for Grimes.

“Everything that is planned or thought out is very significant,” Grimes said.

Even the wreaths that will hang near the War Memorial are of great interest.

Grimes said the third wreath, which remembers students who have died since April 16, was disappointing to her, because she felt it should represent all fallen students.

Cloyd said the 32 victims of April 16 would eventually start to fade from the university’s immediate consciousness.

“In 10 or 20 years, very few people will remember the faces and names of the 32 loved ones we lost on April 16, 2007,” Cloyd said. “But they will remember the students and faculty lost that year, and they will still grieve

those losses.”

Instead, he said the spirit created in the Tech community would leave a positive mark.

“Over time, a day of remembrance focused only on the 32 will become increasingly irrelevant — a sad part of history people would rather forget,” Cloyd said. “In contrast, a day of remembrance for the students and faculty lost during the preceding year can be a way of maintaining and growing a community of Hokies that recognizes the importance of caring for others.”

page 3

thursday, april 16, 2009

Roy is ‘eternally hopeful’ that Steger will speak openly about April 16 TERESA TOBAT

ct features reporter Former English department head and alumni distinguished professor Lucinda Roy captured her emotional response to the 4/16 shootings, interactions with gunman Seung-Hui Cho and deals with ideas about freedom of speech in her book, “No Right to Remain Silent” published March 31. Roy said writing and publishing the book has been a difficult journey — but that some jourQ&A neys are worth the risk.

CT: What was the process of completing this book, “No Right to Remain Silent” like?

Lucinda Roy: It was the hardest book I’ve ever written.

And I’ve written some tough ones.

My last novel, my second novel, was set in war-torn Sierra Leone. So I’ve ROY written some things that are particularly painful. This was particularly painful because it was such a personal story for me. And also because I didn’t want to wound people further. I didn’t want to wound the parents of those who were killed or other family members of those who were killed or injured. It’s such a sensitive subject and I understand why people don’t want to revisit it, because it’s too painful to revisit. Once I decided that if we didn’t talk about it we were at greater risk for it happening again then I didn’t feel I had a choice.

CT: You mentioned you didn’t want to wound family members of victims of 4/16. How did you do that while still being honest?

LR: Well, for example, only the opening paragraph of the prologue deals with the shootings directly and once people have got through that, (and they can always skip the prologue if they want) then they don’t have to read about that again. And I thought that that would be a better way to approach things. I don’t like books that sensationalize this kind of thing because I think it can be very dangerous and it can inspire other young people to do the same kind of thing. So it was very important to me that Seung-Hui Cho not appear as someone who was larger than life, but

rather he appear as I really thought that he was, a very troubled, very disturbed person.

CT: How did you find Seung-Hui Cho? What was he like? Could you describe him for me?

LR: He seemed to be excessively shy at first. He would wear dark sunglasses indoors and have a cap pulled over his head, and he would take 10 to 20 seconds to respond to a question. That’s a very, very long time. And when he did respond, he would respond in a whisper. So that changed a little bit as we worked together. And he would speak in longer sentences and his voice would be loud enough for me to hear it often very well. But in the beginning, that was the way that it was. He seemed to be very depressed to me. But I’m not a psychiatrist or a psychologist and so there’s only so much that you know as a teacher of creative writing. But it seemed to me that he was. I’ve worked with a lot of people who’ve been depressed in the past and his symptoms seemed much like theirs.

CT: You mentioned Sueng Hui Cho changed. How so?

LR: He became much more relaxed I think with me than he was in the beginning. And I think because we worked together, and even though we didn’t begin even working together ‘til midway through that fall semester. I had had him in a previous class in the spring of 2004, in a large poetry lecture class with about 250 other students. So he knew me from that class even though I didn’t know him all that well from that class because it was so big. But I did remember him from there. It seemed as though he became more forthcoming and so it wasn’t a surprise to me to learn that he had gone to the counseling center to try to get help, as I’d asked him to do. And that he had asked for the particular counselor I’d recommended. So I didn’t find that out until after the shootings, because at that time at Virginia Tech, you weren’t really permitted to know what went on with students when it was to do with mental health or health concerns in general. But I’m glad that seems to be changing now.

CT: How can students maintain their privacy while getting help when they need it?

LR: That is such a good question. And I have to say that’s something that I try to explore in the book. Lots of people say, “All you need to do is anytime there’s any violence in a piece of work,

clearly it indicates that somebody is violent.” That’s just not the case. I don’t think people realize how often students write about violence. And if you turn the T.V. on, you see it all the time and we shouldn’t be going around arresting or incarcerating people who write “Homicide” or “C.S.I.” or something.

So we need to be careful of overacting.

But there are times when you see that is a student really is in deep trouble and needs to have some kind of intervention. And it is possible that the student himself or herself may not know that.

And so I do think that as educators and as parents, we need to once in a while in extreme cases say, “This really seems serious, you’ve got to get some help for this.”

CT: How do you think your book has been received?

LR: I got my first negative e-mail last night. And I’ve had hundreds of great ones, but I had a negative one last night and it was very negative. Just that I was a deplorable human being and that kind of thing. The administration, some members of the upper administration, have clearly not been thrilled with the way I’ve written the book. But I’m hoping that in time they will see that it is a very honest account. No one has suggested that I’ve lied and they know me, they’ve known me for more than 20 years and I’ve never lied to them about anything, nor would I. And I actually would not have written this book if I’d felt that we were communicating openly on this campus, but I just don’t feel right now under the current administration that we are. And that worries me a great deal. And my heart goes out to the victim’s families and friends because they’re good people and they’re part of our community. And they must always be part of our community. And if we start to forget that, that’s when we get into trouble, I think.

CT: Do you think the administration is completely responsible for the shootings?

LR: Oh no. In the book I don’t suggest that. I actually think in many ways everyone who says that Seung-Hui Cho is responsible is right. Seung-Hui Cho is responsible. He was the person who pulled the triggers on both his guns.

He was the person who purchased the guns. Now whether it was his illness making him do that or whether it was just a kind of sociopathic hatred of society, I don’t know. And I don’t think people will ever really know. It seemed

to be a combination of both things. But I don’t you should not say, and I’ve tried to avoid saying that I think the administration is responsible for what happened. What I do think is that they’re response to the shootings and also some of the things they did prior to the shootings were very disappointing, and didn’t help the situation. I think the best thing that could be done now would be, for example, for President (Charles) Steger to come out and really talk about what happened on April 16. That’s never really happened. And other people have spoken on his behalf. But I think that a president speaks so I look forward to that day. That will be a very important one. And in recent days, I’ve been able at least to speak to some people that I haven’t been able to speak to for a long time because initially when I first spoke to the media, then I was kind of cut off from lines of communication with the administration and that came as a surprise to me because I hadn’t realized that would be a cause of consternation. I just assumed everybody would communicate openly about what had happened. And it’s been said that lines of communication had been cut off because I had a lawyer. But in fact, most Virginia Tech faculty members, if they can afford it, have a lawyer. And in fact, my lawyer is pro bono, thank goodness, because I couldn’t have afforded a lawyer for this long. And she’d always made it clear from the very beginning that she wanted to make work collaboratively with Virginia Tech. It doesn’t make any sense that getting a lawyer would have been the reason why I was cut off from my communication. So that’s something that’s been said that’s inaccurate and I’d like to correct that.

CT: Did you expect backlash from the administration?

LR: I had worked with the administration before and been disappointed before. In one particular incident where I made a hire of a person called Shelli Fowler, who came to English, she’s the partner of the graduate dean Karen DePauw. I had hired her with a lot of consultation with the department. The hire was made at the request of the provost’s office, because it was a spousal, partner hire, and I’d been delighted to do it because Shelli Fowler is a magnificent faculty member. She’s just amazing. But the administration got very nervous about things and when the board voted against the hire, even though she’s already signed the contract

and I’d signed the contract, at the last minute it was overturned by the board of visitors. Never happened in the history of Virginia Tech before. It was the first hire I’d ever made at that level. I had expected the administration would really stand up and speak out about that, but as it turned out their reaction was very much like it’s been in the past couple of years. One of shutting down and silence and battening down the hatches and circling the wagons and that kind of thing.

I think it’s partly because people get so scared and they’re not quite sure how to react, especially if it seems like a very controversial thing, then they’d rather take cover. But if some people are taking cover, some people have to still stand out in the open, so it gets to be quite dangerous. So I don’t think that’s a good policy, especially for leadership. You have to step up sometimes. Goodness knows you don’t want to, but you don’t have much choice.

CT: Do you think President Steger will ever speak openly about what happened?

LR: I’m eternally hopeful. And I think it would be wonderful if he did speak openly and honestly. Because many people have some very legitimate questions. It’s not that people want to hound him. That honestly is not the case. But I think it can be surprising when you read, for example, the panel report that was produced after the shootings to see that for the most part, President Steger is absent from that report. And that’s a surprise. You would expect he would speak in some detail about what happened. So that’s surprised me and disappointed me. But nothing’s irreparable and I still hope this administration will understand how important open communication is. I have a great affection for Provost Mark McNamee and I see other good people in that administration, really good, honest people and I’m hoping that it’s possible to speak and to respect the victim’s families in that way … it’s been a wonderful thing in the past two weeks since this book came out. Because at first, people didn’t know how to take it and they hadn’t read it and they thought, “Oh, maybe it’s going to sensationalize the tragedy,” but gradually people would read it and I’ve had incredible letters and notes and phone calls from victims, family members, from those who were injured and emergency responders. That’s been the most remarkable thing for me.

It’s meant it’s allowed us to talk about

things that previously I think people didn’t quite know how to approach.

And some wonderful, encouraging notes from faculty members, I’ve been here a long time and I have a lot of faculty members and staff whom I love dearly and I really do think of as family members. They’ve been great. I just got a note from a student today that touched me deeply and I’ve had many others of those. So that’s been a great thing and I feel very fortunate that that has happened and that there has been a kind of outpouring of support, because I didn’t necessarily expect it. I knew that it would be a very difficult journey, and I still expect it to be difficult. But some journeys are worth the risk, if it means perhaps that somewhere there will not be a shooting like we saw, because people will realize we have to respond to troubled students.

CT: Do you think you’ll ever recover from the tragedy?

LR: I don’t think you really recover from something like this. I think that you reconcile yourself to it. You adjust to it so that you can function and maybe even find joy again. And I have to say this semester I have found joy in my classrooms and that’s a great gift. I’ve found joy with my family, and my friends, and I’ve laughed with them sometimes. Even though afterwards I’ve felt bad about laughing because you remember what you’re living with.

But I think you have to go through these stages and eventually get to a place of reconciliation and just carry that burden and look around and be inspired by people whose burdens are so much greater than yours. The families, the victim’s families and friends, they are suffering so much more than I am and I need to remember that and that gives me strength to do what I think is right. You have to do what you think is right, otherwise you can’t live with yourself.

CT: How would you like people to remember this book, 10, 20 years from now?

LR: I would love it if people said, “That was one of things that helped us to begin talking about this.” Just as simple as that. They don’t have to love the book or think it was well written or anything, but just if it opens up a conversation, then I would be thrilled.

Because I do believe that if we learn to enter dialogue with our ears open that there are things we will learn that will help us get through this.

Tech works to improve mental Tech receives grants health treatment aft er shooting to fund 4/16 efforts JUSTIN GRAVES

ct news reporter Virginia Tech has expanded emergency services in the years following April 16, 2007 through grants from the federal government.

Ellen Plummer, assistant provost and director at Tech, has overseen much of the federal funding the university has received over the past two years. She cited two main grants from the Justice Department that Tech received in fall 2008 for security efforts.

The Byrne Funds grant, received in early fall 2008, goes toward equipment for the Virginia Tech Police Department as well as the safety and security efforts coordinated by the Emergency Management office and the VTPD. The Office for Victims of Crime allocated the second grant, which supports victim services across the university and for the Office of Recovery and Support, Plummer said.

Both grants have made significant contributions to Tech’s ability to respond to a variety of needs, from salaries and benefits of new personnel to other safety options in residence halls and classrooms.

“All of these grants are being used by offices across the university to help respond to mid and longer-term needs generated by the shootings.

With the exception of the Byrne Funds, significant grant funds are used for personnel in many offices,” Plummer said. “It is also used to support training, the purchase of training materials, and to support outreach and education. A good portion of the work provided by the Office of Recovery and Support is funded by the OVC grant.”

Plummer would not comment on the amount of either grant.

Cook Counseling Center has also since added more counselors and case managers.

The hiring of case managers intended to address criticism as far as internal communication on April 16.

Compared to the previous two years prior to April 16, the number of student appointments made went up more than 50 percent.

Since April 16, the number of student walk-ins Cook received inflated to 38 percent.

Dr. Christopher Flynn is the director of Cook Counseling Center.

“I think that there are a couple things that have made more money be spent. The whole community was shaken by the event, so there is naturally going to be a dramatic increase in appointments made and number of students coming in,” Flynn said.

“The university has responded by allowing us to hire more staff members. That’s the most obvious change. The visibility of the center was heightened in the aftermath,” Flynn said.

“The university has made a substantial commitment to the counseling center and to increase our resources,” Flynn said. “Everyone has been extremely responsive to the mental health needs of Virginia Tech students, and we are grateful.”

Larry Hincker, university spokesman, says

GORDON BLOCK that an additional case manager and six fulltime counselors add to the fleet of services that were already offered to students even before the tragedy.

“They are to follow through on students who need assistance in any way, whether it’s serious help or it’s ensuring that someone gets notifications back to professors when a student will be gone for an extended period of time,” Hincker said.

In the aftermath of April 16, two organizations received much attention. The Care Team always existed, and its role is similar to that of case managers.

The Threat Assessment team looks at all issues believed to be a serious threat to the university and community, whether or not it involves a student or is a criminal threat.

“Membership for the Threat Assessment team was bolstered after 4/16. It is parallel to the Care Team, but functions similarly,” Hincker said.

VT Alerts was a new program that saw very rapid membership, as each student is mandated to opt in or out of the program, with most opting to receive notifications whenever an emergency takes place on or around campus. This program is run through the national Notification Network, or 3n. Tech spent $38,000 to set up 3n for the university.

34,000 different e-mails, phone numbers, and screen names have been registered each year for the past two years.

Additionally, Tech changed the locks on classroom doors so that a person could not enter from outside. The total cost for all the locks that were changed was $150,000.

This year, electonric signs were installed in some classrooms to serve as a communication device in the event of an emergency. The signs will post messages similar to the VT alert messages.

Tech curently has 200 signs installed in clasrooms and hopes to expand with 34 more over the summer. The initial installations cost $310,00, and the summer additions will cost about $10,000.

The school received other smaller grants, as well. A grant from the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education, received in September 2007, funds “Assessing and Responding to At-Risk Behaviors in a Higher Education Setting: A Virginia Tech Demonstration Project.”

“Tech is in the second year of implementing this project, the funds of which have been used to fund mental health assessments, hire case managers in students’ affairs and human resources, and support the implementation of the threat assessment team,” Plummer said.

“These activities have been in place for over a year and will continue beyond the scope of the grant.”

In retrospect, Hincker says that all of the hard work and money spending since April 16 has been worth it.

“Every student that was injured and had not graduated came back to Virginia Tech. That speaks volumes about what we’ve done, and hopefully will about what we’re still trying to do as a university and as a community.”

ct news reporter Two years after the shootings on April 16, 2007, state and university officials are working to improve a mental health system many blamed for not stopping gunman Seung-Hui Cho. Tech has faced criticism for its counseling services in recent times from the recently released book “No Right to Remain Silent” authored by alumni distinguished professor Lucinda Roy. Roy, who for a short period tutored Cho, describes frustrations in pursuing psychological treatment for Cho. Among other complaints, Roy discusses staffing inadequacies at Cook Counseling Center and road blocks she encountered while trying to get Cho help.

Rick Ferraro, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and supervisor to Schiffert Health Center and Cook Counseling Center, is content with Tech’s counseling services in the time since the shootings.

“We’re pretty well placed right now,” Ferraro said. Ferraro noted a recent hire of a psychiatric nurse in combination with the transition of a university psychiatrist from a part-time to full-time position, a rarity in a university setting. Tech also increased its number of counselors to 16, up from 10 prior to the shootings.

With 29,316 total undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled for the spring 2009 semester compared to 27,350 in the spring 2007 semester, the increase of counselors changed the ratio from 2,735 students per counselor in 2007 to 1,832 students per counselor in 2009. Ferraro noted that more counselors would make the center more effective.

“We’d like more, but one has to be realistic in times of budget cuts,” Ferraro said. The location of Tech and the Cook Counseling Center creates additional challenges in working with individuals with mental illnesses.

“One of the things we’re confronted with is most of the time psychiatric services are concentrated in big cities,” Ferraro said. “It doesn’t take a genius to see that Blacksburg is not a major metropolitan area. As a result, the outside psychiatric services are limited.” Ferraro added that college counseling centers were first created to assist the academic mission and to assist with student’s personal growth.

“Those were the traditional two missions,” Ferraro said. Now, the center has the additional mission of student crisis management and working with other agencies such as community service boards to provide patients proper mental health care.

A major frustration for Roy was the inability for her to force Cho to seek treatment.

“I wanted to require Seung (Hui Cho) to see a counselor,” Roy writes. “Weren’t there times when students were unable to ask for help even though they might need it?”

Ed Spencer, vice president for Student Affairs, said that counseling someone against their will was not an appropriate course of action.

Students and Cook counselors compared

Spring 2007 Number of students: 27,350 Number of counselors at Cook Counseling Center: 10 Number of students per counselor: 2,735

Spring 2009 Number of students: 29,316 Number of counselors at Cook Counseling Center: 16 Number of students per counselor: 1,832 “Most counseling centers are not going to take someone who’s required to take counseling,” Spencer said. “There has to be a desire to be there.” However, the university can require a student seek a mental health assessment.

“If we feel that an individual is in special need, we’re always able to demand a mandatory assessment,” Spencer said.

According to the Virginia Tech Review Panel’s report, Cho was triaged three times by Cook Counseling Center over the course of 15 days from late November to mid-December 2005. After sending what his suitemates considered to be a suicidal instant message on Dec. 13, 2005, Cho was taken by the Virginia Tech Police Department to the New River Valley Community Services Board, which evaluated him as an “imminent threat to self or others” and issued him a temporary detaining order. Cho was then transported to St. Alban’s Behavioral Health Center of the Carilon New River Valley Medical Center.

The following morning, an independent evaluator and a staff psychiatrist at the center evaluated Cho, and both found him not to be a danger to self or others. After a special judge ordered follow-up treatment for Cho, he was released noon of Dec. 14, 2005. A few hours later, Cho went to Cook Counseling Center where he had an appointment for that day.

That appointment would be the last contact between the center and Cho. According to Ferarro, the biggest challenges for Tech’s counseling services come from a limited number of its patients.

“The vast majority of the people here are easy as pie,” Ferraro said. “But the people who are really challenged, they can use quite a bit of services because they genuinely need it.”

Spencer said there was an increased awareness from university officials on dealing with students with mental health issues since the shootings.

“People have learned how to spot problems, and the university is able to respond to issues that arise quickly,” Spencer said. “The world is much more cautious these days and attuned in to what’s going on.” Part of this effort is communication with parents during orienta-

tion for incoming students.

“We encourage students and parents that if there are background concerns, we ask them to share that with us,” Spencer said. “The only way you can be effective as a university is to work as a team.”

On the state level, an approximately $2.9 billion deficit led to cuts of $6.6 million for the state’s mental health facilities. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, in a conference call with reporters on March 6, said that the cuts were focused in reducing administrative costs.

“We haven’t made any cuts that have caused huge public protests or anything like that,” Kaine said.

Despite the limits for funding, Kaine stressed the long-term value of funding community-based mental health care.

“If you do that, instead of waiting until someone needs to be institutionalized, you actually deal with problems at the front end, and it’s more of a preventative focus,” Kaine said.

One area of controversy for Kaine was a proposal to close the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in Staunton, and the Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute based in Marion.

Patrick Halpern, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of the New River Valley, said that the two facilities were vital in the care of mental health patients.

“Those two centers are tremendously important for adolescents who need more intensive in-patient care,” Halpern said. “If those two facilities were closed, we don’t have enough facilities or programs to facilitate demand.” Despite the original proposal, both centers have received funding to stay operational.

While Kaine was confident with the current Virginia budget, he noted that with the current level of budget cuts any additional cuts to the state budget could be very problematic for the mental health system.

“If our lot is we have to find more cuts, it won’t be easy, and it won’t be pain free,” Kaine said.

page 4

thursday, april 16, 2009

Special Collections: Library has more than 300 feet of materials

Digital archives help community remember, heal

KELSEY HEITER

ct news reporter The library’s archive division has been collecting materials related to the tragedy since April 2007.

Project planning began shortly after on April 16 with the help of consultants from the Library of Congress.

Tamara Kennelly, university archivist and digital librarian, said the archive consists of condolence materials received by the university after April 16.

“The archive includes banners, posters, books, artwork, textiles and memorabilia of various kinds, photographs, proclamations and resolutions, cranes, poetry and many cards and letters,” Kennelly said. “We have physical items, which are available to students and researchers and the public at large through the Special Collections reading room on the first floor of Newman Library.”

Aaron Purcell, director of Special Collections, said he has been working with other archivists to learn how to preserve the April 16 items.

“People really revealed things emotionally, and that is evident through the cards and documents,” Purcell said.

“We have tried our best to preserve the items that people have made to express their condolences.”

Purcell added that Special Collections for April 16 totals approximately 300 feet of material.

“We want to have some kind of evidence for people to remember, not scenes from the news and graphic pictures,” Purcell said. “We have moved the material back on campus from last year, but we have still not completed the collection.”

Kennelly said the archives can be accessed on the Web through the Special Collections library Web site.

“At this time, approximately 2,100 images are available online,” Kennelly said. “Eventually, an additional 4,000plus images will be added to this collection. The university library is in the process of determining what the best system will be for the long-term storage of these images and other digital materials.”

Greg Beecher, associate director for administrative services of University Unions and Student Activities, said UUSA has been providing services to Tech students since April 16, 2007.

“University Unions and Student Activities provides programs and services to Tech students that are educational, entertaining and service related,” Beecher said. “Many items dealing with April 16 were sent to UUSA as a result of being a student union on campus.

Many of the student unions across the United States sent messages to us about the tragedy and how they are handling it. As we began to receive the messages

KELSEY HEITER

ct news reporter The Center for Digital Discourse and Culture at Virginia Tech began a digital memory bank in remembrance of April 16, 2007.

A digital memory bank is a “repository of material to which people contribute their ephemera and related digital objects that help people remember events,” said CDDC member and political science professor Jeremy Hunsinger.

“The CDDC is one of the world’s first university based digital pointsof-publication for new forms of scholarly communication, academic research and cultural analysis,” Hunsinger said. “It also supports the continuation of traditional research practices, including scholarly peer review.”

President Charles Steger said the lives of those lost are, and will be, honored in various ways on campus.

DANIEL LIN/SPPS

The boards above are just a portion of more than 300 feet of April 16-related material in the library archives. of good will and encouragement, we began posting the April 16 items in the building for everyone from the community to see.”

Purcell said he was not here when April 16 occurred, but the archivists at Tech talked to other universities who have gone through similar tragedies.

ON THE WEB Kennelly said the archives can be accessed on the Web through the Special Collections library Web site at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/prevail/ index/html.

“My understanding is that within a day or two of the event, archivists here were talking to other archivists, literally, all around the world,” Purcell said.

“There are other colleges out there, such as Syracuse University and Texas A&M, who have collections related to similar experiences, and it is fortunate that they have experienced things of this nature before so they can help us in what to do. It is just unfortunate that we, along with the other schools, had to go through such a tragedy.”

Purcell said he wants to make the collections something people can access in future years.

“There are many people across the

world wanting to know the emotional response that came after the events of April 16,” Purcell said. “We may, over the course of time, continue to collect items that are sent in, but it would only be related to the anniversaries. The April 16 collection covers many different disciplines, which can give people many points of view when looking back on it.”

Kennelly said the collection was started because of the outpouring of items sent in from all over the country and the world after April 16.

“It is estimated that over 87,000 items were received by the university in addition to the thousands of cookies, cards, bracelets, cranes, stuffed toys and other items that were given away to students and the public through Squires Student Center in the immediate aftermath of the shooting,” Kennelly said. “These materials represent the response of the world to the shootings. Many materials, particularly those from other universities, express a feeling that their students were drawn close to us by the events and consider that we are all Hokies now.”

Beecher said he helped with the idea of the collection so that the university would know who sent the items.

“I came up with the idea of tracing where each item came from so that we could respond to them with a thank you,” Beecher said. “Then I instructed

our administrative support staff, who also logged the information, to post the items around the building wherever there was space. As we began to do this, other staff members from UUSA and volunteers from other departments chose to get involved with helping to hang up items.”

Purcell said the collection is still not fully complete.

“We are really gearing up to make a finding aid, which is something that archivists do to make it easier to find what you are looking for,” Purcell said.

“If we are taking a while to get these things in order, it is because of the chaos. There is no guidebook on how to do this. It really is a unique bunch of material, and we are glad to have it, and we are hoping to do something great with it all.”

Purcell added that special collections will have a booth on display in Squires Student Center the week before April 16.

“We are also going to put a display in our cases here in Special Collections,” Purcell added. “We do not want to keep these things up forever, but we want to have a sense of remembering but moving on at the same time.

We want to let people know that the collection is here, and we want to promote it, but we do not want April 16 to define who we are as a student and faculty body and as a university.”

ON THE WEB All materials can be found on the April 16 archive Web site at www.april16archive.org/ collections.

“We will continue to memorialize in many ways, including the permanent April 16 memorial, various programs and scholarships in their memory, community service and most importantly, by carrying on the noble process of education and academic inquiry all of them sought at Virginia Tech,” Steger said. “People chose to remember the lost loved ones and colleagues in so many creative and positive ways, whether that was through quiet reflection or special ceremonies, or whether it be through dance or other forms of artistic expression; each way (is) uniquely special.”

Steger added that people handle their grief and emotional trauma in unique ways, so we should never presume to tell anyone the appropriate stages of recovery for the loss that Tech experienced two years ago.

“What we experienced is something that no other (school) should experience again,” Steger said.

Brent Jesiek, former member of Tech’s CDDC and current assistant professor in the school of engineering education at Purdue University,

is the founder of the April 16 digital archive at Tech.

“The archive itself features a wide variety of approximately 2,000 digital artifacts,” Jesiek said. “The most common types of items include digital photographs, news stories from a variety of media sources, but especially college newspapers, blog posts written in the aftermath of April 16, digital artwork, and official memos, documents and reports.

One of our main goals was to collect as many items that were available nowhere else or that would be likely lost with the passing of time.”

Jesiek added that all materials can be found on the April 16 archive Web site.

“More recently, we have launched our ‘April 16 Archive: Front Pages Collection,’ which features hundreds of snapshots of front pages from newspapers all over the world, published in the immediate aftermath of April 16,” Jesiek said. “It also includes some front pages from the one-year anniversary of the tragedy. It is browsable by region, country and newspaper.”

Hunsinger said he hopes the memory bank will be continually added to for years to come.

“This project has several stages,” Hunsinger said. “I think the archive will likely last many years in its current manifestation.”

Jesiek said his idea to create the digital memory bank came on the evening of April 16 after he wrote a blog post documenting his reaction to the tragedy.

Documenting “got me to thinking about how many other people were posting similar items, and what would happen to these valuable bits of history,” Jesiek said. “An evening or two later, a conversation with some friends at The Cellar turned to the topic of starting a ‘digital memory bank’ to help collect and preserve memories of the tragedy, including the sorts of items that many of us were reading, viewing and creating.”

Steger said the support he has seen on campus from day one has been the defining element of the April 16 tragedy for the Blacksburg community.

“There are some people who continue to struggle, and we must do everything we can to support them,” Steger said. “We must continue with our teaching, our research and our outreach. We honor those who died by continuing to fulfill the promise the education affords each of us.”

Mark McNamee: ‘Think about how you can YSU begins mental health program take advantage of what you have to do’ JUSTIN GRAVES

KELSEY HEITER

ct news reporter Virginia Tech Provost Mark McNamee sat down with the Collegiate Times to discuss how he has been dealing with the shootings on campus two years ago. McNamee discussed the ways that students are remembering the lives lost on that fatal day, but are also moving on with their own lives, continuing to hold a special place for those students and faculty members who were killed and injured.

Collegiate Times: How do you believe that students on campus will handle remembering April 16 this year since it is the two-year Q&A anniversary?

Mark McNamee: What I have noticed talking to students is that the students who were here on April 16 that day will bring back many memories and many feelings that they may not even know yet. It is still very personal, and it comes to the surface more that day then any other day. The students who are new to the campus, they know a lot about April 16, and I think that they will be very interested in being part of something that happened on the campus. My guess is that the way that they experience the feeling will be quite different; there will be some real contrasts, whether it is very personal or whether it is a more generalized experience.

CT: Do you believe that this year’s anniversary, since it is the two-year anniverMCNAMEE sary, will in some way be less emotional for students?

MM: I think it is going to very emotional because what I have found is that when you talk to students about anything that happens, it does not take very long for April 16 to come up, in terms of bringing back a memory or people thinking about it. I have a feeling that it will be emotional and that emotion will come at different times. People may be doing fine and listening to the ceremonies, participating in the remembrance run, or just feeling really good about something, and then at some point it will really hit them. My guess is that the emotion will be as strong for some that day as it was for them on April 16 itself.

CT: In your experience over the past two years, how have you seen students beginning to move on, but at the same time, hold a place in their heart for the lives lost on April 16?

MM: We have had a lot of conversations with students and faculty and staff about how this is affecting them. I think one of the things I have seen is, on a day-to-day basis as people are studying and so on, humans, by their very nature, are able to process things along parallel tracks, so for the most part, people can be very functional and very focused, so there is a sense of moving on; and essentially, you almost have to do that to develop as a student and a human being to make a contribution to the world so things can feel very normal to you. I think that when you have an experience like this and a remembrance event like this, I think it will always be a part of who you are, and when you do things, you will be influenced by what happened and those memories and those remem-

brances. I think that is perhaps a healthy part of the healing process, and the reason human beings recover from tragedies is that they are able to, in some ways, keep these parallel ways of operating.

CT: Have you had students come talk to you who are still deeply troubled by the events of April 16? What do you say to them?

MM: We do know that there are many students who, for them, the feelings and experiences are still very profound, and we are encouraging students to seek help, either through their church or our counseling center or throughout their own family connections in terms of people in their hometown. We hope people recognize that it is perfectly normal for people to be at different stages and for people to have different reactions; there is no one time frame, and there is no one right response to a tragedy, but anyone who is really struggling and who is not able to focus and who is getting distracted from their work, we really encourage them to get professional advice and support and work with their family and friends to build connections and stay connected to others. We do a lot of work with the injured students. President Steger and I have lunch with them once a month, and we see them in a lot of different activities. If you work with them on a day-to-day basis they do extremely well, and they are making good progress. Many of the students have graduated, and they seem very successful, but again, they have a very deep personal experience that none of us have gone through.

CT: What do you believe to be the best way for students now, two years after the event, to move on?

MM: I would encourage students to recognize that they cannot predict the future; things can happen. In memory of the students that were killed and injured and the faculty members that were killed and injured, I would encourage students to think about how they are going to have meaning in their lives: is there something special they can do, both in the short term and long term that will make the world a better place?

That seems lofty, but students can commit themselves to a greater good, a greater purpose in remembering what happened. I feel that it will help them personally and really make a difference in the world. One of the things that you do, if you participate in the event, is read about the different individuals who lost their lives. The most common theme across every life, no matter if it is a faculty member, undergraduate or graduate student, was that each of these students had a vision for a better future. They were all focused of doing good work that took many different forms. I think if students can capture that dream and that spirit, then they will leave inspired and something here has helped them become a better person.

CT: If you could say anything to the student body about how they can make a difference in the world, what would you say?

MM: I would encourage students to, from time to time, step back and see what is positive in their life, and thank your parents and brothers and sisters and friends and appreciate the good things that you have in life. Think about how you can take advantage of what you have to do, something to push yourself a little bit further or to make a sacrifice because of what happened here and you feel that you can do that.

ct news reporter Universities nationwide responded to the April 16 shootings and began to research how to improve their own security systems.

With the shootings as a reference and Tech’s response to the aftermath as a guide, Youngstown State University in Ohio — home to more than 13,000 students — has created a program called the Mental Health Training, Response and Awareness on Campus program.

Funded by a two-year grant from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, the program stresses awareness and education concerning mental health concerns and threats on campus.

Toni Notaro, adjunct faculty member at YSU and administrative director of the Mahoning County Health Board, has been instrumental in the founding of M-TRAC. As a licensed clinical counselor, she has a 15-year history with the Mahoning County Mental Health Board.

“The Margaret Clark Foundation gave us a grant to set up a program to address the mental health needs of YSU students. We partnered with YSU to set up an educational program to train faculty and staff, and all of those who may have direct contact with students on a day-today basis,” Notaro said. “We want them to be able to realize the signs and symptoms of mental health issues or realize the symptoms of those that are struggling so that they can know how and where to access help for them.”

The program tries to break down the statues that govern the sharing of information so that people understand that there is a way to either gain or disseminate information about a student or other individual who may be at risk.

FERPA and HIPAA are two of the most well known information sharing blocks at the university level.

“With April 16, people felt like they couldn’t say anything about the problems that the shooter had,

when in fact they should have tried to reach out and get him help,” Notaro said.

Lt. Michael Cretella of the YSU police department was instrumental and worked closely with Notaro in getting M-TRAC started.

“Lately, this has been an issue that no one wants to talk about, and we need to educate people about that. Even I need to be educated about that, as a law enforcement officer and a citizen,” Cretella said.

“We thought that if we could put a program together where we could provide all campus officials with some of these clues, maybe we could get those students the help that they need.”

“We want to keep people from not intervening. People are embarrassed by the issue, quite frankly, and the mantra that we’re trying to get out is that every day people deal with mental health issues,” Notaro said. “If people were more accepting, they could help, and hopefully we will help eliminate some of these tragedies.”

The grant received by M-TRAC is part of a larger program in the state of Ohio, which provides grants across northeast Ohio for educational programs. The university received a $50,000 grant to help with mental health needs.

“Without that grant, we wouldn’t be able to get the resources necessary to help with the program getting off the ground,” Notaro said.

“We’ve brought in speakers, and everyone has been very instrumental and supportive. We’ve also been trying to encourage other universities in the area to develop things like this.”

Cyndy Anderson, the vice president of student affairs at YSU is also a member of the university’s mental health board on which Notaro serves.

“As we talked about the needs here on our own campus, it became very clear that this was an opportunity for the campus to partner with the mental health board and make a difference in the lives of many different people,” Anderson said. “(Notaro) is so ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make

this program successful, and it has definitely been a privilege working with the whole university.”

Anderson also stressed that the universal support has been great for the program and is necessary with any new endeavor.

“What has made our program so successful thus far is that the faculty, staff, students and administrators are all behind it. That faculty union is key,” Anderson said.

Amongst other features, YSU has also purchased a system called Simplex, with is similar to the 3n program purchased by Tech that delivers VT Alerts. They have also implemented a campus-wide speaker system.

“Certainly the text messaging system is important, but speakers all over the campus with the alert system will alert people verbally so that if you don’t have your phone on or you’re not getting reception, you are still connected,” Notaro said.

“This campus-wide alert system is going to let people know there might be some event on campus they need to be aware of it.”

That awareness, Anderson stresses, is one of the largest factors in the reason for M-TRAC being founded.

“After the tragedy as Tech and the shootings elsewhere, we realized that we may not be as prepared as we should be in terms of identifying behavior and assisting students who come to us in need,” Anderson said.

Notaro reiterates a similar sentiment.

“We asked ourselves if we thought we were ready, if we could put ourselves in the shoes of the faculty at Tech, and we weren’t,” Notaro said. “We want to make sure everyone understands what policies the university has in place, that we’ve trained the police, and to have an understanding of what is in place.”

“We decided that this would be a fantastic program if we could get the support. It’s not that we have a large group necessarily of people affected my mental illness on camps,” Cretella said. “But everyone knows someone who is suffering from this somewhere.”

page

opinions 5

editor: laurel colella email: opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

april 16, 2009

EDITORIAL

Aneducator’stestament Marking the second year of life at Virginia Tech after the shootings of April 16 pulls our community nearer to both the terrible pain of that day and some of the incredible goodness exhibited in its aftermath.

It is on this second anniversary that we honor and remember the victims while searching for answers — in policy, in our faith traditions, in the Tech administration — to the many questions that remain unanswered.

Today we are reminded that, “We are Virginia Tech,” that by way of a communal dedication this community is a wonderful while imperfect place committed to the growth of both intellect and spirit. Today, we recommit ourselves to living lives of significance demanded of us by the memory of our fallen friends. Today, we might also take a moment to hold up one of those amongst us who has epitomized the better nature of this university community.

When we say, “We are Virginia Tech,” we should remember Lucinda Roy. Roy, an alumni distinguished professor and former head of the English department, would most certainly prefer that we not know that she is capable of courage, grace and compassion so far above and beyond the call of duty. But her dedication to the craft of education — an endeavor not to be confused with “teaching” — stands as example to all of us in pursuit of our own life’s work.

Her e-mail correspondence with Seung-Hui Cho was never meant to see the light of day.

There was no reason for her, one of Tech’s brightest lights, to take up the cause of one of the most troubled students (both academically and emotionally) nearly any professor can remember. But Roy reached out to Cho with an almost parental kindness.

In one e-mail, she wrote: “It does really seem to me that you are struggling with some issues, and I am genuinely concerned about you. It’s always good to seek assistance when you’re facing really tough situations and counselors can be wonderfully

helpful.”

In another: “I look forward to hearing from you, Seung.”

When other professors just as busy and of just as significant university stature turned their back on him, Roy stayed. She opened her office to him. She lent him a novel. She organized an independent study with English professor Fred D’Aguiar.

To say that Roy “tried” would be to cheapen her work.

Roy’s work with Cho stands as an educator’s testament to the craft.

And until now we have met her with a black, forbidding silence.

There was silence and suspicion from the administration and a simple lack of awareness among students. We encourage any and all to read over the documents relating to her and others correspondence with Cho to truly grasp the depth of her attention.

It was a silence that Roy attempted to puncture in her latest book.

As she wrote, Roy “began to understand how pervasive silence is when it comes to issues relating to the well-being of the young in this country. … If I remained doggedly silent, how would I bear it if some other tragedy on the scale of the one we had endured (or even greater, perhaps) occurred in the United States or elsewhere? If I honestly believed that what we had witnessed was not an aberration but a mounting rage among a small minority of young people who see themselves as both victims and vigilantes, how could I refuse to speak?”

We laud her for her speech. But we appreciate more her call to do just the opposite.

As Roy told the Collegiate Times, “I really did write it to communicate something and that something was please listen to these young people. You must listen.”

Today, we hope only that each of us will, someday, have not only the courage to speak but the grace and compassion to listen.

The editorial board is composed of David Grant, David Harries and Laurel Colella.

Remembering the events of April 16 TOM MINOGUE regular columnist It was a cold afternoon in late February when I first set my eyes on Virginia Tech. The Model United Nations team from my high school was visiting the school for the second Virginia Tech MUN Conference.

Needless to say, we had a great time, and out of the former team myself and another graduate both attend Tech as students now, as we had planned on doing during that frosty weekend on campus.

Thinking about that weekend and how wonderful it was and meeting all the students at Tech who were part of the International Relations Organization is probably a large part of the reason why what happened next was so shocking.

I’ll never forget it when, during another mind-numbing day in algebra three with trigonometry, my teacher told the class about what had happened here. When school was over and I had driven back home, my mom was watching the story on the news.

There’s no need to recount the details, I’m sure they’ve been restated enough times and in enough ways to last a lifetime for the majority of us. What was important though was that the cochair of my committee at VTMUNC, Disarmament and International Security, had died in the events of that day.

I’m not sure whether I’d ever quite felt shock before that point, but I can safely say when I heard about her it was disbelief that struck me first. The pictures of her were still up on Facebook from a couple of weekends ago.

It didn’t make sense that someone could be wiped off the face of the planet just like that. Of course, it didn’t happen just like that. I saw the police running across the Drillfield through the flurries of snow on the television. Though numbed by the constant buzz of the box, what I was most scared about was the sense that the bubble had somehow been popped.

The basic assumptions of safety and security even in the extremely safe suburb of Stafford, Va., had been thrown out the window. If it wasn’t safe at the college I had every intention of attending, where else wasn’t safe?

The nature of such an event had immeasurable repercussions across this campus, the state and the nation, and I cannot pretend to imagine what

it was like for everyone on campus that day.

But I feel as a current student at Virginia Tech that the least I can do is extend my condolences out to the victims and their relatives and hope that they can pass this coming day in peace.

For the rest of us, the best thing we can do is celebrate the lives of those who passed on and do everything we can to build a better tomorrow. I honor my co-chair’s memory by attending Tech knowing that the events of yesterday will not stop us from reaching out to the future. We cannot remain in fear anymore than we can remain without hope, and I can hope that no one will forget those who died.

Still, I would like to thank the administration of Tech for confronting what happened that day head on. It was an awful situation that demanded the strong leadership that numerous faculty members demonstrated.

All I can ask for those people who were not affiliated with the tragedy in any way is to take a little time today to remember those who died and think about the future of our university. It’s not enough to simply recall the past; we should be thinking about how we’re going to make a change. Everything that happened was incomprehensible then, but again I feel the most we can do is to make a difference now.

If you see someone eating lunch alone in D2, go talk to him or her. If you know a friend who has been having a hard time with school lately, take some time out to stop by their dorm room. The point is that the actions we take on campus and the ways we treat people do make a difference. Can the idea of making a difference change the outlook of a university, a state, a country? I’d like to think so.

What I’m going to be thinking about today is exactly how to make a difference. I don’t have the answers, neither do a lot of people, but thinking about a change is the logical idea that precedes making one.

For now I’ll have to take solace in the words of a man who said how I feel more precisely than I’m able to now, as I have the past two years of my life around this time of the month. I guess I’ll worry about the future tomorrow, when I’m done thinking about today.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

National news failed to get to the heart of tragedy CHAD VAN ALSTIN regular columnist Being that today is the anniversary of the April 16 shootings, I have no doubt that today’s paper will be filled with articles appropriate to memorialize those who died. I have to be completely honest in saying that it would be extremely inappropriate for me to do so.

On the day of the shooting I was sitting in New York watching TV. Although I had been accepted to Virginia Tech at the time, the shooting had little realism to me as I watched the drama unfold. I cannot imagine the emotional impact this day had on the teachers and students who were attending Virginia Tech at the time of the shooting. Therefore, I will not speculate.

If I were to say that I could truly empathize, I would be doing a great disrespect to those who died and to those who were emotionally devastated by the shooting. In reality, I cannot empathize appropriately. I wasn’t even able to call myself a Hokie yet.

Sadly, to me the Virginia Tech shooting was a series of dramatic stories on TV about a place 10 hours from my home.

My involvement with the shooting was limited to television images and the wild speculation of commentators and politicians.

I have since come to understand that these shootings very closely impacted many of my good friends. However, the media coverage of the VT shootings leaves me completely unable to quite wrap my mind around exactly what occurred here.

The national news didn’t cover the story — they sold it. The story was a sexy drama that had seemingly more national news coverage than the Iraq

War. It was impossible for those of us on the outside to truly comprehend that 32 people had died. Instead, the national news found it more appropriate to take their viewers on a futile journey into the mind of Seung-Hui Cho. Honestly, I paid no attention to what Cho was like. The mind and writings of Cho are certainly irrelevant to the shooting itself, and the media coverage of Cho served only to immortalize him in our minds.

No politician, voter, political group or protester has a right to represent those who died.

The victims can only represent themselves.

Diving into the killer’s mind and making extreme assumptions about the “warning signs” of the shooting is not only inappropriate, but it’s also absolutely pointless.

Thought policing future students for what they write will not prevent another shooting, and it certainly won’t bring back those who tragically died here on April 16.

I was also more than disgusted by the politicians who used the shooting to push their agendas. Both the anti-gun and pro-gun crowds were equally guilty in their grotesque abuse of people’s fresh emotional reactions. Both sides used the shooting to pass legislation and to keep the blame of the shooting off of themselves.

The politicians couldn’t care too deeply about the Virginia Tech shooting. If they had cared, then they wouldn’t have used the shooting to commit their abuses of power. Like

me, they watched it all on TV. As a libertarian, there is no question about which side I take on the gun issue. However, I was so deeply disgusted by the complete lack of ethics on both sides that I quickly removed myself.

The emotional impact of the shooting barely had time to set in, and already there was new legislation and heated debate on the role of guns in the shooting. It was irrelevant as to whether concealed carry would have saved lives, whereas it was equally irrelevant as to how Cho purchased his weapons.

A change in law or rules in either case would be nothing but an emotional reaction. Sadly, it would also in no way bring any of the victims back to life.

The shooting gave both sides the ability to unfairly point to something as recent evidence for the necessity of their new law. It all served only to make me sick. The public support for the new legislation on both sides served only to make me even sicker.

No politician, voter, political group or protestor has a right to represent those who died. The victims can only represent themselves. Anyone who wishes to memorialize those who died would never speak on their behalf. My deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of those who died.

I guess a lot of people have chosen to forgive the shooter for what he’s done. I suppose some find this to be a healthy relief. A friend of mine from Mongolia asked me how it was that people in America could forgive a murderer.

My honest answer to him was that I didn’t know. It isn’t mental illness or laws that are responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting. The finger of blame can only be pointed at the one who pulled the trigger. Even the media cannot change that fact.

Form strong bonds based on common experiences shared ERIKA ENCINAS regular columnist

I went to JMU two weeks ago for one last hoorah with my old high school friends before we all graduate in May. We spent most of Saturday bumming around, but as night fell, we decided a few drinks out on the town would be fun.

One $10 taxi ride later, we arrived at a bar we’d heard was having a good band that night. After the bouncers informed us the cover charge was $10 a person, we quickly decided to call the taxi back and take our chances at another bar across town.While we were waiting to leave, a large handicap accessible van pulled up about 10 feet from us. While my friends chatted away, I couldn’t help but notice who was boarding the van.

As I watched, five or six young men came out of the bar. Each was extremely buff and muscular, but it slowly dawned on me each man was walking with choppy strides.

Looking closer, I realized every one of the men had one or two prosthetic limbs, and after squinting to read the

name of the rehabilitation center on the van, it dawned on me that each man was a combat veteran. As I watched these men struggle to board the steps of the van, I was hit with several different emotions.

First I couldn’t get over the fact that each of these vets was only a year or two older than me, if that. There I was, all dressed up for a night of fun, friends and alcohol, and suddenly I felt inadequate and foolish when compared to the veterans.

Second, I was the only one of my friends to even notice the men or seem to care. Third, as I watched these men struggle, I was struck by the bond of community and familiarity between them as they cracked jokes even in the midst of obvious physical pain.

Finally, part of me wanted to go over and thank them for their service and sacrifice on my behalf as a United States citizen, but I could not bring myself to do so.

What could I possibly say that wouldn’t sound cliche to these men who had experienced such trauma and suffering?

After I said goodbye to my friends and came back to Virginia Tech, I

slowly took my recent experience at JMU and realized it applied here as well. As the second anniversary of April 16 descends on Blacksburg I can’t help but think of how many people must have felt as I did with the war veterans: What could they say to those of us who were here that day and heard gunshots as myself and countless others did?

I am sure people who learned they were speaking to a Hokie in the aftermath of the tragedy wanted to express sympathy but simply did not know how to without sounding like a broken record.

Like those combat veterans, those of us who were here on that fateful day are a group of people who have bonds forged out of common pain.

Among ourselves we will always be able to find an understanding shoulder.

But as I discovered, there are bound to be people whom we have met and will meet who feel for us as Hokies. For me, it is a continuing source of comfort to know that even if it is not spoken, there will always be support for Virginia Tech and the Hokie Nation today, tomorrow and beyond.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Two years after the Virginia Tech massacre, gun laws have not changed My name is Elilta Habtu, and I’m an injured survivor. I was sitting in German class when I was shot in my wrist and in my jaw. The second bullet will forever remain 1 mm away from my brainstem. These past two years I’ve advocated for more responsible gun laws in our country.

I’m devastated that two years after the worst school shooting to occur ever in American history, where 32 of our fellow Hokies were brutally murdered, our gun laws in Virginia have not changed.

The simplest action our legislators can do that could prevent gun violence and save lives is to close the gun show loophole here in Virginia and across our nation as well. There are only 10 states in our country that currently have closed the gun show loophole.

Our gun shows are the easiest one-stop shop to buy guns where anyone, including federal convicts, the mentally ill, gang members and even people on the U.S. terror list, can easily purchase weapons, even

semiautomatics like AK-47s.

Although the shooter didn’t obtain his guns from a gun show, the mentally ill — like the shooter — can currently do so at a gun show. All a criminal has to do is purchase from a private seller — an unlicensed seller who legally is not required to perform a background check on the buyer.

Unlike a situation where a friend sells a gun to a friend, gun shows have hundreds, even thousands, of people attending and selling guns to complete strangers.

A simple background check would catch the felons and prevent them from buying guns that could mow down the rest of us. Why do our legislators refuse to protect the American people from potential killers?

The most powerful impact that any Hokie can do is to contact your legislators, especially Sen. John Edwards of Montgomery/Roanoke county, who has consistently and egregiously voted against closing the gun show loophole even though the largest mass shooting in American history took place in his very own district.

Another action one can do is to contact the one candidate in

this year’s Virginia gubernatorial race who does not support closing the gun show loophole — Bob McDonnell.

The only way we can change our gun laws in Virginia is to hold all of our legislators responsible for their actions, or inaction, for responsible gun laws.

Tell Edwards, McDonnell and any Virginia legislator who does not support closing the gun show loophole that you want your legislators to make public safety their first priority.

It is time for our lawmakers to take a stand for the safety of Virginians.

You can also publicly show your support for closing the gun show loophole by attending this year’s Protest Easy Guns second anniversary lie-in, which will be led by survivors, friends and families of the deceased victims.

It will be held at 3 p.m. on the lower Drillfield near Davidson Hall. From now on, in memory of our fallen 32 and all victims of gun violence, let us work together in bringing more responsible gun laws to Virginia and to our nation.

Elilta Habtu Alumna, ‘07

The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief David Grant Managing Editors David Harries, Sara Spangler Public Editor Cate Summers News Editors Caleb Fleming, Sara Mitchell News Reporters Gordon Block, Zach Crizer, Justin Graves, Kelsey Heiter, Riley Prendergast, T. Rees Shapiro News Staff Writers Debra Houchins, Phillipp Kotlaba, Gabe McVey, Will Thomas, Ryan Trapp Features Editor Bethany Buchanan Features Reporters Topher Forhecz, Teresa Tobat, Jonathan Yi Features Staff Writers Ryan Arnold, Mary Anne Carter, Drew Jackson, Tom Minogue, Alex Pettingell Opinions Editors Laurel Colella Sports Editors Thomas Emerick, Brian Wright Sports Reporters Joe Crandley, Justin Long, Ed Lupien, Melanie Wadden Sports Staff Writers Garrett Busic, Matt Collette, Lindsay Faulkner, Hattie Francis, Alex Jackson, Mike Littier Copy Editors Erin Corbey, Thandiwe Ogbonna, Kristen Walker, Michelle Rivera Layout Designers Go-Eun Choi, Velechia Hardnett, Kelly Harrigan, Rachel McGiboney, Mina Noorbakhsh, Josh Son Illustrator Mina Noorbakhsh Multimedia Editor Phillip Murillas Multimedia Producer Candice Chu Multimedia Reporters Kevin Anderson, Peter Velz Online Director Sam Eberspacher Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager Ryan McConnell College Media Solutions Staff Advertising Director Patrick Fitzgerald Asst Advertising Directors Tyler Ervin Jenna Given, Katelynn Reilly Ads Production Manager Anika Stickles Asst Production Manager Allison Bhatta Ads Production/Creation Breanna Benz, Jennifer DiMarco, Rebecca Smeenk, Lindsay Smith, Katie Sonntag, Lara Treadwell National Account Executive Kaelynn Kurtz Account Executives Nik Bando, Brandon Collins, Chris Cunningham, Lee Eliav, Judi Glass, Kendall Kapetanakis, David Morgan, Marcello Sandoval, Arianna Rouhani, Jennifer Vaughn Assistant Account Executives Madeline Abram, Katie Berkel, Diane Revalski, Devon Steiner Marketing Manager Amanda Sparks Office Manager Kaelynn Kurtz Student Publication Photo Staff Director of Photography Sally Bull Business Manager Paul Platz

Voice your opinion. Readers are encouraged to send letters and comments to the Collegiate Times.

365 Squires Student Center Blacksburg, Va. 24061 Fax: (540) 231-9151 opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com Students must include name, year, major and phone number. Faculty and staff must include name, position and department. All other submissions must include name, residence, and if applicable, relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e. alumni, parent, etc.). Letters should not exceed 300 words, and should be in MS Word (.doc) format if possible.

Letters, commentaries and editorial cartoons do not reflect the views of the Collegiate Times.

Editorials are written by the Collegiate Times editorial board.

Letters to the editor are submissions from Collegiate Times readers. We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, e-mail spps@vt.edu.

Have a news tip?

Call 231-9865 or e-mail: newstips@collegiatetimes.com Collegiate Times Phone Numbers News/Features 231-9865 Sports/Opinions 231-9870 Editor-in-Chief 231-9867 College Media Solutions Phone Number Advertising 961-9860 The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday through Friday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. The Collegiate Times receives no funding from the university.

The Collegiate Times can be found online at www.collegiatetimes.com.

Except where noted, all photographs were taken by the Student Publications Photo Staff.The Collegiate Times is located in 365 Squires Student Center, Blacksburg, Va. 24061. (540) 231-9865.

Fax (540) 231-9151.

Subscription rates: $65 semester; $90 academic year; $105 full year. The first copy is free, any copy of the paper after that is 50 cents per issue. © Collegiate Times, 2009. All rights reserved.

Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.

page

6 features

editor: bethany buchanan email: features@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: w 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., f 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

april 16, 2009

DIY: How to make your own spa “When in doubt, take a bath,” my mother often reminded me as a child, since then becoming a dependable retreat for reflection and MARY ANNE meditation, whatCARTER ever my ailment.

The longer I steep, features the more surely my reporter stress, grief or anger melts away, left in the tub with the dregs of bubble bath and body wash. According to holistic health blog Live Lighter and Web MD, a steamy soak is proven to not only improve your mental state and decrease stress, but also provide relief for insomnia, lower blood pressure, improve cardio health, relieve headaches and improve circulation, while enhancing your bath with revitalizing herbs, calming oatmeal, soothing salts and antiseptic honey can improve your complexion, prevent breakouts, and further reduce stress. With basic household ingredients, you can create your own organic bath remedies in your own kitchen to indulge yourself or share with a friend.

COLLEGIATE TIMES PRESENTS: A quick look at family movie trailers by peter velz

Up – May 29 IN BRIEF: Pixar’s 10th feature hopes to continue the studio’s perfect 1.000 batting average of unconventional family fare. Carl Fredericksen, a crotchety geezer in search of adventure, attaches millions of balloons to his house, setting sail on a journey across the country. Russell, a young, persistent Boy Scout, is forced to take part after stowing away on the flying abode.

Looks promising: Pixar has yet to disappoint and always manages to make timeless films that never go for the easy laugh while maintaining a strong emotional core.

Not so much: The film looks great, but Disney insiders are worried about the lack of market appeal. Pixar’s box office drawing power has declined in recent years, and if this film isn’t a success, they might have to reevaluate how they make films. In other words, sacrificing originality for monetary potential.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – July 1 IN BRIEF: Woolly mammoth, Manny, and his friends return to the big screen, seemingly in efforts to further confuse the youth of America by depicting a world where dinosaurs and mammals coexist. Apparently there is a land beneath the mammals’ world where dinosaurs reign. Segue to jokes about male motherhood and painful body waxing.

Looks promising: 20th Century Fox stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars. Good for them.

Not so much: Jokes about milking a male yak? When will it end?

Herbal Bath Tea 1 cup of rosemary, chamomile, rose, mint, thyme, bay leaves or lavender 1 cup oatmeal or Epsom salt Muslin or cheesecloth Needle and thread

Where the Wild Things Are – Oct. 16 IN BRIEF: The adventures of Max, a mischievous and imaginative child, come to the big screen in one of the most intriguing pictures of the year. “Adaptation” director Spike Jonze, well, adapts Maurice Sendak’s celebrated picture book with narrative flourishes by illustrious author Dave Eggers.

Looks promising: Words cannot express how pitch-perfect everything is in this trailer. From the stripped-down Arcade Fire song, to Max’s faithfully rendered wolf suit, to the tactile realism of the “wild things,” everything looks like it will fuse into a delicate balance of playfulness and poignancy.

Not so much: Will the additional plot of Max’s fractured home life remove too much of the book’s innocence? These concerns are valid, but if there was ever a team that could pull it off, it’s Jonze and Eggers.

Step One: Create your own combination of dried herbs or flowers in a medium bowl. (You can use as many as you want, just keep in mind the 1:2 ratio of flowers to oatmeal or salt.)

Step Two: For sensitive skin, add oatmeal. To soothe sore muscles, add Epsom salts.

Step Three: Make appropriatelysized pouches of muslin or cheese cloth by cutting two pieces of fabric and sewing together three sides and turning it inside out.

Step Four: Add “tea” to pouch and tie closed with a ribbon.

Step Five: Add to hot bath for a gentle, fragrant, all-natural treat.

ICON KEY warm & fuzzy

cuddly creatures

inexplicable explosions

hilarity to ensue

WANNA GET

LUCKY?

definitely devastating

potentially pants-wetting

Tijuana Toss Every Thursday Night 6pm - 10pm Flip a coin, win the toss, and get a 16"XL one-topping pizza FREE!

PK’S HAPPY HOUR Monday-Friday 4-9PM $1.50 Pints, $2.75 BAMS, $5.50 Pitchers Bud, Bud Light, Miller Lite & Coors Light $2.00 Rail Highballs, $3.50 Rail Doubles

PK’s Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 1..2..3..GO! $1.00 select pints or $4.00 select pitchers $2.00 rail doubles $3.00 Long Islands, Blue Motorcycles & Green Dinosaurs

432 N. Main St. pksbarandgrill.com FREE DELIVERY 540.552.FAST

DON’T FORGET! Wednesday is Wing Nite

Floral Bath Bomb 1 cup baking soda 1 cup citric acid 1 cup cornstarch 1 cup sea, Epsom or table salt 1 cup dried herbs or flowers or loose tea (mint, lavender, chamomile, jasmine, or rose are good choices and can be combined for original scents) 15 drops of essential oil 2+ tablespoons sesame, olive, or almond oil 2 teaspoons of water Food coloring (optional) Waxed paper Molds: muffin tins, Easter egg, cookie cutters, etc.

Step One: Crush or powder dried flowers using a rolling pin or any other means necessary.

Step Two: Combine citric acid, baking soda, dried flowers, essential oil, optional food coloring and water in a large bowl.

Step Three: Stir and add the sesame, olive or almond oil slowly until the mixture clumps together and can be molded into a ball.

Step Four: Pack your molds very firmly and allow them to sit for several minutes.

Step Five: Once they have set in the molds, put them on waxed paper to dry for several hours.

Step Six: Tightly wrap in cellophane and tie with a ribbon for a refreshing gift or store in an airtight container.

Step Seven: Add to hot bath for a fun, relaxing indulgence.

Ginger Mint Body Scrub 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup sesame, olive, or almond oil 2 tablespoons of honey

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTSY OF MARY ANNE CARTER

Fresh ginger root, grated Fresh mint leaves, chopped

Step One: Combine brown sugar and herbs in a medium bowl.

Step Two: Drizzle honey and oil into mixture and stir.

Step Three: Store in an airtight jar or container.

Step Four: Liberally apply to body, gently scrubbing skin several times a week to polish, rejuvenate and revitalize your complexion.

Honey Oatmeal Facemask 1 cup old fashioned, unflavored oatmeal 1 cup honey Optional: A few drops of vitamin E oil

Step One: Combine ingredients in a medium bowl.

Step Two: Stir until it is an even consistency.

Step Three: Spread an even layer across face, let dry and rinse for a gentle, moisturizing solution to sensitive skin.

Store remaining mask in an airtight container.

page

features 7

editor: bethany buchanan email: features@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: w 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., f 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

april 16, 2009

Loose leaf teas mark Mill Mountain’s taste Japanese Snow Monkeys know how to unwind.

I watched a YouTube video of them tossing snow at passersby before retreating for a RYAN lengthy dip in a nearby hot spring.

ARNOLD It’s not surprising, features then, that these writer monkeys influence one of Mill Mountain’s soothing loose leaf teas, “Snow Monkey Plum.” It’s a Japanese black tea laced with the sweetness of plums, a fruit the monkey apparently cherishes. I imagine they exchange plum harvesting for the upkeep of their hot springs.

Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea opened in 1991. It’s located on the corner of North Main Street and Giles Road, across from Wendy’s.

“We were the first coffee shop in Blacksburg,” said owner Scott Elich with pride.

One could say its 51 different coffees make it unique, but I’m intrigued by Mill Mountain’s collection of nearly 30 loose leaf teas.

“Most people are used to tea bags, which have very, very tiny pieces of tea leaf,” Elich said.

Loose leaf teas, on the other hand, boast significantly larger leaf segments. Some types actually contain entire leaves. For Elich, this gives them the upper hand over bagged tea.

“I think it’s got a better flavor,” he said.

The leaves fill mason jars that line a rear wall countertop, and, like “Snow Monkey Plum,” each tea is accompanied by a narrative label explaining its origins. Elich acquires most of his teas from distributers on the west coast.

“Mainly San Francisco, Oregon and here in Virginia,” he said.

Elich trusts the distributors’ recommendations, and most of the teas are traced back to India and China.

Brewing loose leaf tea is different than bagged tea and slightly more involved.

Mill Mountain welcomes customers to uncap the jars and waft the scents in search of an agreeable flavor.

Once a flavor is chosen, they scoop your leaves into a small kettle.

“The rule of thumb is one teaspoon per cup,” Elich said.

Hot water is then poured into the kettle. Elich explained that tea should utilize hotter water than coffee — the boiling point of 212 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. For approximately six minutes the leaves are allowed to expand and release their aromatic magic.

Since a direct pour would release the free-floating leaves, a small strainer rests atop your mug to filter

LooP In the

Wondering what's going on around the 'burg?

Check out the events of the upcoming week.

Where: Lyric Theater, 135 College Ave. What: University Jazz Bands Concert- Spring concert led by John Adler When: 8 p.m.

Cost: $5 general, $3 students/seniors

177 1

Fri, April 17

Where: Gillie’s, 153 College Ave. What: The Sad Cobras– indie-pop band out of Roanoke, VA When: 9:30 p.m.

Cost: Free, tip the band Where: The Duck Pond What: CNR Mud Bass Community Event– Fishing tournament for all ages. Limited number of rods and reels provided, so bring your own if you have them. Complimentary gift bags, great prizes and educational activities provided plus free refreshments all morning.

When: 9 a.m.-noon Cost: Free

SALLY BULL/SPPS

Mill Mountain boasts a selection of nearly 30 loose leaf teas. the elements. Simply set the strainer aside while drinking your tea.

Although Elich says the above process is best, you can make adjustments at your apartment if you wish to forego the few extra utensils.

There are tea infusers of many varieties that encase the leaves and can be placed directly in a mug. After you’ve added water, let it steep as previously suggested. You can find tea infusers at Mill Mountain or walk one building over to Eats Natural Foods.

“The prices are by pound,” Elich said, “which is a lot of tea.”

Most flavors hover well below $20.

You aren’t restrained to one pound intervals, though, so let’s break this down.

Since I’m no Wolfgang Puck or Rachel Ray — my cooking knowledge hardly extends beyond frying an egg — I consulted WikiAnswers.com to find that, for dry measurements, one pound yields 96 teaspoons.

Unless you plan on strapping a tea IV to your arm, that might be more than necessary.

What is realistic, then?

For sake of example, I’ll use this month of April. As a college student, let’s assume you forfeit eight weekend days to liquids known for percentages as opposed to pounds. That leaves 22 days, or possibly 22 single tea servings. According to my Casio calculator watch, you could survive April’s showers on a quarter pound purchase.

Such a fiscally sound and dynamic drink certainly seems worth a try.

Plus, Mill Mountain is a cool place to visit.

The rectangular space is bisected

by a multi-sided serving counter that resembles an exclamation point.

Nothing is hidden from the customers’ view. Visible shelves display the necessities of such an establishment: empty thermoses, napkin reserves and receipt paper.

Above intimate tables, paintings and photographs from the Blacksburg Regional Arts Association line the two longest walls.

The facade parallel to North Main Street is mostly transparent, with two generous sections of nearly floor-toceiling windows. Sitting prominently between the windows is a large metallic beacon, Mill Mountain’s roaster.

“A lot of kids come in here and look at it,” Elich said. “They look at it stirring the beans.”

The beans rest beside the roaster in burlap sacks weighing between 130 and 150 pounds each.

In addition to its products and visual allure, Mill Mountain’s staff is very personable.

Steven Thompson, Chair of the Graduate Program in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, has frequented Mill Mountain for 17 years and enjoys interacting with Elich. He feels his voice has an impact.

“You can actually have a conversation about improving the place if need be,” Thompson said.

It is consistency, though, that truly drives Thompson’s loyalty to Mill Mountain.

“So much of modern life is going from no place to no place,” he said. “I like starting my day off in a pattern.”

Maybe Mill Mountain can be your hot spring respite.

188

Sat, April 18

199 1

Sun, April 19

200

Mon, April 20

211

Tue, April 21

222

Boiling at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, Mill Mountain’s teas pass through a small strainer before serving.

Where: Alphin Stuart Livestock Arena What: 13th Annual Pre-Veterinary Club Pet Show– Competition includes agility, best costume, barking contest and more. Bring your pets or come to watch.

When: Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.

Cost: $5 entry for 1st event, $1 for each additional event; free to watch Where: Owens Food Court What: Farms & Fields Project Grand Opening– Opening of Virginia Tech’s first local and organic foods venue. Enjoy locally-sourced hors’ d’oeuvres and enter to win your own sustainability starter kit.

When: 10-10:30 a.m.

Cost: Free Where: Squires Student Center, second floor What: Greek Showcase– Find out more about all of the Greek organizations on campus.

When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Cost: Free Where: Lower Drillfield What: Reading of the Names– Remembering those who perished in the Holocaust to never forget the travesties of the past. Also featuring votive candles honoring those who died and Holocaust showings every hour.

When: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Cost: Free Where: Squires BreakZONE What: Free night of bingo When: Registration starts at 6 p.m., games begin at 7 p.m.

Cost: Free

Wed, April 22

SALLY BULL/SPPS

Where: Squires Commonwealth Ballroom What: Enlightened Gospel Choir Spring Concert When: 7-9 p.m.

Cost: Free

233

Thu, April 23

Where: Squires Student Center, room 300 What: Kain Tayo- Let’s Eat! FASA cooking night– Filipino American Student Association hosts a night of Filipino food, featuring a variety of native dishes and drinks.

When: 8 p.m.

Cost: Free Where: The Lantern, 211 Draper Rd. What: World/Inferno Friendship Society– An energetic band from Brooklyn combining punk and soul for a unique sound.

When: Doors open at 8:30 p.m., show starts at 9:30 p.m.

Cost: $10

page 8

thursday, april 16, 2009

Policies:

Place An Ad Today

CLASSIFIEDS WWW.COLLEGIATETIMES.COM 540.961.9860

Visit our business office at 618 N. Main St. 9am–5pm 9am 5pm Monday–Friday Monday Friday,, or place an ad online at collegiatetimes.com.

Deadline: Three business days prior to publication by 3PM.

Rates: Rates as low as 32¢ per word, contingent on the number of days to run. Prepaid. 15 word minimum.

Cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.

FREE CLASSIFIEDS FOR VT STUDENTS! students must come to 618 N Main ST to place the ad Sub-Lease Travel Rides Campus

Childcare Tickets for Sale Tickets Wanted Volunteers

Textbooks for Sale Textbooks Wanted Lost & Found Help Wanted

For Sale Events Health & Fitness Automotive

Travel

Help Wanted

Notices

NAGS HEAD 4 month Student Summer Rentals, $450/mo/person, seabreezerealty.com 252.255.6328

STUDENT WITH EXPERIENCE in landscaping or farming to help on yard/farm near campus. Call 552.2943

!BARTENDING! Make Up to $300/ Day. No Experience Necessary Training Available. 1-800-965-6520 EXT210

SPRING BREAK 2009! Ultimate SPRING BREAK Experience.

Last chance to sign up! Learn how to travel to beautiful locations like Jamaica, Acapulco, Cancun, Panama city Florida and Bahamas party cruise. An MTV official partner (610)247-9224 Adrian ur VT Campus Manager Awhite@Studentcity.com BBB Certified

How ‘bout them apples?

VT Students get FREE advertisements in the Classifieds...come by 618 N Main ST to place your classifieds!

Help Wanted HOOPTIE RIDE The Hoopite Ride is currrently hiring drivers with good driving records. Must be at least 23 years old. Earn $ while having fun! Call Ken @ 540-998-5093 hooptieride@verizon.net

LEGAL TROUBLES

Free Consultation with Attorney. Traffic, Alcohol and Drug Charges, VT Judicial Review. Joel S. Jackson, PC. jsjackson99@hotmail.com, 540-961-5297.

For Sale TOWNHOUSE FOR SALE Pheasant Run Crossing. Tired of hearing “move in condition” and then seeing “Animal House”? Look at the rest and then buy the best.

Recently painted, new carpeting, well maintained. (540) 961-5971

Automotive

For Rent

MISCELLANEOUS MOTORCYCLE PARTS for sale. Call 540-674-1354 between 10am and 2pm Tues-Sat. Ask for Dan.

4 BED 2 BATH FOR RENT. Hunter’s Ridge. W&D Ethernet. Water/ Sewer/ Trash included. $1,040.00.

Newly remodeled. 540.808.8892

Notices Wanted Musical Roommates

Greek Notes For Rent Personals Furniture for Sale

Downtown Living South Main Living North Main Living Prices Fork Living

The Collegiate Times reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement it deems objectionable, at any time.

No refunds are available.

The advertiser assumes full responsibility for his or her advertisements and agrees to hold the Collegiate Times harmless for the content of all advertisements authorized for publication and any claims that made may be against the Collegiate Times.

Any questions concerning ads, please call the Better Business Bureau at 1.800.533.5501.

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at 1.800.669.9777.

Patrick Henry Living Christiansburg Living

page

9

april 16, 2009

page

10 sports

editor: thomas emerick, brian wright email: sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: w 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.; t 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

april 16, 2009

Dishing on the NFL draft It’s that time of year again; the NFL draft countdown is upon us, just days away.

Year after year, the NFL draft is hyped up as much as the Super Bowl itself.

RYAN Fans crowd into Radio City Music TRAPP Hall in New York ct sports City, decked out in staff writer their team’s gear to cheer (or boo, in the case of Donovan McNabb) their team’s draft selections for the next two days.

It is an exciting time, though. Year after year, fans and general managers alike are pondering who could be COMMENT the next Tom Brady, a sixth-round selection who’s become one of the most decorated quarterbacks of all time.

They wonder whether they can dig through the running backs to find another Terrell Davis, a sixth-round pick who ran for 2,000 yards in 1998 and led the Broncos to a pair of Super Bowl wins. They wonder whether their rookie quarterback will take the NFL by storm like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, or if they will just fizzle out on a team going nowhere like Alex Smith.

It isn’t easy to predict. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford has become the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but even he has question marks.

His overall completion percentage is a sub-par 55 percent, which is not going to set stat watchers’ hair on fire.

On top of that, not too many first overall picks have a career in which their touchdowns (26) and their interceptions (23) were so close, even though it was just two seasons. Sure, he had impressive workouts at Pro Day, but that’s without pads or a 300-pound lineman breathing down his neck.

Despite that, he has the athleticism, pocket presence and arm strength to make him tantalizing enough for the Lions to take given their current quarterback situation.

How about the steals, though? To me, that’s what I find most interesting about the NFL draft, not the Staffords, Currys or Crabtrees. Granted, come game day it’s always exciting to see them live up to the hype in their first season. However, I love seeing the late round pick-ups come through huge in their rookie campaigns in the NFL. A player I really like, though, is Pat

Golf tournaments memorialize victims LINDSAY FAULKNER

ct sports staff writer

KYLE MAXEY/SPPS

Orion Martin (90) and Purnell Sturdivant combine to sack Cincinnati’s Tony Pike. Martin is tenatively projected to be a sixth-round selection.

White. He’s not the prototypical NFL quarterback, but his skill set is as impressive as any in college football. He’s the first and only college quarterback to win four bowl games as a starter, rank sixth in NCAA history for most victories as a starting quarterback, and have more rushing yards than any other quarterback in NCAA history, just to name a few of his accolades.

We saw how effective the Miami Dolphins’ “wildcat” formation was last year with running back Ronnie Brown.

Can you imagine that formation set with a player who can elude tacklers or gun the ball down the field like White can? A team that could utilize his talents would find themselves with a very effective red zone weapon late in the draft.

Jarrett Dillard is another guy I think could be a sleeper pick in the draft. In his sophomore season at Rice, the wide receiver had 91 catches for 1,247 yards and an astounding 21 touchdowns. He had a 15-game touchdown streak at one point, a figure that trails only former Pittsburgh wide out Larry Fitzgerald.

After a mediocre junior season, he bounced back big his senior year with another 20 touchdown receptions to put his career total at an NCAA-record 59.

His size (he’s only 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds soaking wet) and somewhat flat junior season have caused his draft status to slip to a third rounder. But he has great hands, runs his routes well and could be a very strong slot or third down receiver who stretches the field.

Several similarities can be drawn between Dillard and Steve Smith of the

New York Giants, who have comparable size and skill sets. Smith emerged as Eli Manning’s favorite target in the 2008 season, and one could expect the same kind of success out of Dillard.

And what about Virginia Tech’s own Orion Martin? Martin is a relentless pass rusher who is in constant attack mode. The defensive end finished his Tech career very strong with 56 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks.

He gets his hands up, too, recording a pick in Tech’s Orange Bowl victory over Cincinnati while recording nine other breakups and 11 quarterback hurries throughout the 2008 season. He also recovered a fumble and forced two more on the season.

Martin has quick feet and great hands to help him shed blockers quickly and possesses remarkable on-field awareness, so why then is he projected as a late sixth rounder? He doesn’t have a sure pro position; because of his size he may need to be converted to an outside linebacker where he has little to no experience. Nevertheless, the former walk-on has as strong a work ethic as any player in the draft who will give a team all he’s got. He’s the kind of boomor-bust player who could give an NFL team a lot of bang for its buck if it took a chance.

Not to say that any of these players can come to a 0-16 team and make them playoff bound instantly. However, potential contenders who can use smart draft pickups to make their club even more dangerous might take a chance on players like these.

Although Blacksburg will be hosting many remembrance ceremonies and events on campus for the fallen 32 on Thursday, there are also events coming up in the communities of the victims. Two are taking place on the links, as Jarrett Lane and Erin Peterson will be honored in their own respective golf tournaments.

In the nearby town of Pembroke, Castle Rock Golf and Recreation will host the Inaugural Jarrett Lane Memorial Golf Tournament on May 9. A similar event, the Second Annual Erin Peterson Golf Tournament is being held at the Chantilly National Golf and Country Club in Centreville on April 20.

“It was the members of the community who are active golfers and friends of Jarrett that decided to plan the event,” said Jarrett’s sister, Alicia Lane-Farrell. “They kept in touch with my family and made sure we were okay with it.”

Josh Price, a member of Castle Rock Golf and occasional lesson instructor, came up with the idea initially.

“I didn’t know Jarrett very well,” Price said. “But he went to high school with my wife and her friends, and I thought it would be something great to do to get the community involved.”

The tee time for the tournament is 9 a.m. with a registration fee of $300 for teams of four that can register by calling the golf course.

All of the proceeds from the tournament will go to the Jarrett Lane Memorial Fund, which gives scholarships to graduates from Giles County and the Southwest Virginia Governor’s School, where Lane attended.

“Our goal is to start giving, not specifically to charities, but to children or youth that want to go to athletic, music, art or academic and

leadership camps that cannot afford it,” Lane-Farrell said.

His sister said that these activities helped shaped Jarrett’s character. He graduated as valedictorian from Narrows High School but was also enrolled in Southwest Virginia Governor’s School where he went for half of the day to take on more challenging courses.

Lane lettered in football, basketball and track, and he participated in the band as well as various academic and leadership clubs. An engineering student at Tech and a member of Campus Crusade for Christ, Lane also participated in various intramurals.

Lane had been accepted with a full-ride to Florida’s coastal engineering program.

The Second Annual Erin Peterson Golf Tournament will benefit the Erin Peterson Fund, which gives two scholarships — one for leadership and one for a commitment to excellence — to a pair of graduates from her alma mater, Westfield High School. Peterson’s mother, Celeste, said that with the economic crisis, the fund is even more driven to help out those in need in the community.

“I also put the scholarship application out on FastWeb and got over 2,000 responses,” she said. “Out of

those responses, we gave away three scholarships.”

Celeste said that the fund is also working diligently with a program at nearby Falls Church High School that targets students whose parents did not attend college and teaches them how to achieve in high school.

Last year, the tournament featured a field of 141 golfers and 60 volunteers, including former Washington Redskins Ken Harvey and Charles Mann. This year, former Washington Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan will be a participant.

“The tournament has been extremely successful with getting golfers and people from all around the community with volunteering and offering auction items,” Celeste said. “The outpouring has been phenomenal.”

Erin was a freshman international studies major and recent graduate from Westfield High School where she was a starter on the varsity basketball team.

When she was home, she coached a travel basketball team.

At Tech, she participated in Empower, a program that helped minorities in local high schools.

She had also been a recent inductee of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega.