2008 Woodie Awards
National leaders, campus officials offer condolences
President Bush sends message of sympathy
Nick Needham
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Virginia Tech students will awaken this morning having lived through one of the most devastating days in the history of any American university.
With the death toll at 33 at the time of publication, yesterday's campus shootings mark the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
President Bush said he was "shocked and saddened" by the shootings and pledged to help local law enforcement in any way he could with the administration.
"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community," the president said during a press conference Monday.
Because of high winds and jammed cell towers, the popular online directory facebook.com quickly became a place for students to go and make sure their friends at VT were all right.
One Facebook group called Hokies Together is already launching a movement to get students from around the Carolinas and Virginia to rally at Virginia Tech later in the week.
Virginia Tech plans to hold a convocation on campus today at 2 p.m.
In response to yesterday's shooting at Virginia Tech, Dennis Pruitt, USC's vice-president of Student Affairs, said the university is taking steps to help USC students deal with the massacre in Blacksburg.
"This is a time we all should be supportive of each other," Pruitt said. "Campus is a community we all share and live in."
University President Andrew Sorensen posted a brief statement on the USC Web site offering the university's condolences to the victims and their families at Virginia Tech. Sorensen was at a fundraising event in Myrtle Beach when he first got word of the shootings Monday morning.
Pruitt said the university is setting up campus counselors to help grieving students cope with yesterday's shootings.
While he didn't want to go into specifics, citing security concerns, Pruitt said the university has an emergency management plan in place to deal with situations such as the one at Virginia Tech.
"Everyone should always be vigilant," Pruitt said. "The best thing people can do is to stay where they are."
With the death toll at 33 at the time of publication, yesterday's campus shootings mark the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
President Bush said he was "shocked and saddened" by the shootings and pledged to help local law enforcement in any way he could with the administration.
"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community," the president said during a press conference Monday.
Because of high winds and jammed cell towers, the popular online directory facebook.com quickly became a place for students to go and make sure their friends at VT were all right.
One Facebook group called Hokies Together is already launching a movement to get students from around the Carolinas and Virginia to rally at Virginia Tech later in the week.
Virginia Tech plans to hold a convocation on campus today at 2 p.m.
In response to yesterday's shooting at Virginia Tech, Dennis Pruitt, USC's vice-president of Student Affairs, said the university is taking steps to help USC students deal with the massacre in Blacksburg.
"This is a time we all should be supportive of each other," Pruitt said. "Campus is a community we all share and live in."
University President Andrew Sorensen posted a brief statement on the USC Web site offering the university's condolences to the victims and their families at Virginia Tech. Sorensen was at a fundraising event in Myrtle Beach when he first got word of the shootings Monday morning.
Pruitt said the university is setting up campus counselors to help grieving students cope with yesterday's shootings.
While he didn't want to go into specifics, citing security concerns, Pruitt said the university has an emergency management plan in place to deal with situations such as the one at Virginia Tech.
"Everyone should always be vigilant," Pruitt said. "The best thing people can do is to stay where they are."
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