thebattalion ● wednesday,
september 29, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
Student opens fire at UT, kills self Campus locks down, no other injuries
EDITORIAL
Shooting raises alarm, disarm campuses
Ty Petty and Matt Woolbright The Battalion The sound of gunfire shattered the usual routine of morning classes at the University of Texas at Austin Tuesday when a shooter opened fire in a busy area on the south end of campus near the largest dormitory. At about 8:15 a.m., the shooter opened fire at an unknown target with an AK-47 by the Littlefield Fountain. The total number of shots fired remains unclear; however, no students, other than the shooter, or emergency personnel sustained injuries in the incident. Later in the day, the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office identified the shooter as Colton Tooley, 19, a sophomore math major. Texas sophomore Megan Hodges was in class nearby when the shooting started. Students were on lockdown and took cover during the danger. “After waiting for like an hour, a SWAT team came in and escorted us out,” Hodges said. “They were waiting by the door with cocked guns in hand and made us all raise our hands in the air while they searched the building. When I finally got outside, there were more police officers and tanks, and helicopters were everywhere. It was really scary, and it really shook me up.” After the initial shots, police chased Tooley on foot to the Perry-Castaneda Library. At 9:12 a.m. UT Police reported that Tooley had been found dead of an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound on the sixth floor of the library.
Reports out of Austin regardthemselves. However, this incident ing the shooting on the University alone is a prime example of the of Texas campus raise significant risks associated with permitting the alarm for campuses nationwide — purchase, possession and carrying especially in Texas. of rifles and shotguns with little to In Texas we are adamant about no restraint. gun rights and small governThe balance of rewards simply ment, but this comes at a cost. does not come close to outweighUT students would have paid this ing the risks. With a modern cataclysmic cost Tuesday morning military grade weapon, such as if they were the targets of a sopho- Tooley’s Kalashnikov, he could more math major armed with an have easily slain dozens in a matter AK-47 inside the campus library. of seconds. Colton Tooley, 19, fired a series A&M shouldn’t have to of shots outside the library, before supersede state law to protect its shooting inside and ultimately students. Texas needs to join A&M killing himself on the sixth floor. and make it outright illegal to have The most shocking part of firearms on any campus. There the matter is, accordshould be no question that The risk of ing to the National an armed civilian on a guns on Rifle Association’s college campus presents campus website, Tooley did a danger and significant outweigh not violate any state risk that needs to be benefits of laws until he disaddressed. vigilantism. charged his weapon. Violence should be That’s right, calmly prevented by the proper carrying a loaded assault rifle authorities, not armed, private on a crowded college campus does citizens who can actually perpetunot violate state law. A&M policy, ate the danger. It is far too easy however, prohibits weapons on for a real gunman to blend in and our campus. escape or continue their rampage Texas gun laws do not restrict and take advantage of vigilantes where any firearm can be carried who are prone to mistakes and can other than machine guns and make matters worse. handguns. Allowing rifles and shotIf we don’t do something, guns on high school and college shooters like Tooley toting ascampuses and other venues that sault rifles around campuses will continually house large crowds is go unchecked, and someday, simply too much of a risk. somewhere, the scale will tip again Yes, it is important to preserve – and it will be devastating. personal rights, and law-abiding No campus is invulnerable, citizens should be able to defend including ours.
See Shooting on page 2
EDITORIALBOARD The Battalion’s editorial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor in chief having final responsibility.
Editor in Chief Matt Woolbright editor@thebatt.com
Managing Editor Megan Ryan battcopy@thebatt.com
Opinion Editor Ian McPhail opinion@thebatt.com
Photos courtesy of The Daily Texan
After firing numerous shots on the UT campus Tuesday, Colton Tooley, 19, was chased by police to the PerryCastaneda Library where he fatally shot himself. Tooley was wearing a dark suit and a ski mask. The campus was closed and on lockdown after the shootings. UT Police reported Tooley dead at 9:12 a.m. on the sixth floor of the library. Police searched the campus for a possible second shooter, but after further investigation concluded it was only Tooley. No one else was hurt.
Cyclist crashes into car, dies at scene in Bryan
Dining Services open forum allows students to voice concerns
Tuesday morning at 7:41 am, the Bryan Police Department responded to an accident at the 400 Block on the North Harvey Mitchell Parkway just south of the Villa Maria intersection. A cyclist was riding against traffic and attempted to change lanes when a 1999 Nissan Maxima struck the cyclist. The cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. Sergeant Steven Spillars of the Bryan Police Department was an officer that responded to the call. “[Accidents] are preventable, cyclists need to be aware because they have less of a profile, so reflective clothing and required markings at night can make a cyclist more visible,” Spillars said. “Cyclists need to be aware of the traffic laws because they must follow them as well.” Bicycles are meant to follow the same traffic laws as cars and, they are involved with same traffic accidents. Cyclists’ involvement in traffic accidents is fairly common in the Unit-
Ryan Seybold
Pg. 1-09.29.10.indd 1
ed States. In Witnesses 2009 51,000 bicyclists were Call the Bryan injured and of Police Department that 630 bi- at (979)209cyclists died 5300 with any in a colli- information. sion on U.S. roads. Bicyclists’ deaths account for two percent of the 2009 traffic fatalities according to the Bicycle Safety Helmet Institute. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the number of recorded head injuries from Bicycle accidents in 2004 was set at 151,024. In the same year football and baseball injuries came out 51,953 and 63,234 respectively. Riding a bicycle is dangerous and measures to ensure safety should be taken. Observe all traffic signs and wear a helmet. The cyclist’s name has not yet been released to the public. Thomas Levitt, staff writer
The Battalion Student senate and the Residence Hall Association jointly held an open forum Tuesday, to discuss measures that have been approved by the University which will, starting in 2012, require all students living in residence halls to purchase $1,200 in dining dollars each semester. It will also remove meal plans entirely, which means students will purchase all their on-campus meals with dining dollars, or cash. “The purpose of this forum is to allow students to voice their opinions and concerns to the student senate and the RHA,” said Katherine Gnadinger, president of the Residence Hall Association. Scott Bowen, the speaker pro tempore of the student senate, and David Riddle, the director of Texas A&M dining services, were also in attendance. “The student opinion expressed here will give student senate a clearer idea of what stance we should take on this issue. If the dissent is strong enough, we can push for a repeal of this addition to campus residents’ fees,” Bowen said. A point of concern for many of the students in attendance was that the approval of this plan happened out of the public eye, and while not necessarily obscured, there
wasn’t much perceived effort to let students know what was being proposed, and those students who were aware of the proposed plan did not realize how imminent the decision was. “Between RHA and student senate, and other student organizations, I think we all knew this was out there, but at the same time, I don’t think anyone knew this was reaching the decision phase until the decision had already been made, and that’s when we [student senate] started meeting with the RHA,” Bowen said. Other students in attendance voices concerns regarding residents with food allergies who are unable to eat on campus. This grievance was addressed by Riddle, who confirmed that there will be a process in place by which students with special circumstances such as food allergies would be able to exempt themselves from the obligation to purchase dining dollars. Other students voiced concerns for campus residents with limited financial resources, and the effect that an obligatory purchase of dining dollars would have on them. “If you double the cost of living on campus, which is effectively what you’re doing, people are going to do See Dining on page 4
9/28/10 11:43 PM