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A crowd gathered outside Coffman Memorial Union to remember the victims of Monday’s massacre that left 32 students, plus a student gunman, dead.
“It’s not their burden to shoulder alone,” said Casey Martin, president of the Residential Housing Association.
Shelbie Dial, a senior, saw the event as a way to shift attention from the Virginia Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. “He wanted that recognition, but something like this brings it back to the students and teachers,” Dial said.
People at the vigil signed three banners that together read, “Today We Are All Hokies,” referring to Virginia Tech’s mascot. The banners, covered with messages of support, will be sent to Blacksburg, Va.
The event coincided with the school’s annual drive to beautify campus. Jennifer Swanick, a junior, was part of a crew planting rows of pansies on the main quad.
She said the memorial and the day of volunteerism were thoughtful ways to acknowledge the tragedy. “Just because it happened at another college, it’s a good way to remember what happened and remember that (acts of violence) aren’t out of reach,” Swanick said.
Freshman Megan Mueller said that despite being disturbed by the massacre and upset by Wednesday’s bomb threat, she’s not afraid of being on campus.
“I feel safe. I know there are a lot of resources for people,” Mueller said, referring to the mental health counseling offered to students.
In recent campuswide e-mails, the university has urged students to seek help if they need it. The school offers students walk-in and scheduled appointments, as well as over-the-phone counseling, said Harriett Copher Haynes, director of University Counseling and Consulting Services.
Haynes said that with troubled loners like Cho, it’s important to reach out to them and be persistent in doing so.
“I think it helps to really try and intervene early ... before it’s too late.”
Haynes said the school’s mental health services could do a better job of persuading students to get counseling before their problems escalate. The school has started a campaign to remove the stigma associated with seeing a counselor, she said.
Freshman Eric Brew, who sat in the foyer of Smith Hall where Wednesday’s bomb threat was found, said he has no sympathy for Cho, who in recently released footage portrayed himself as an outsider wronged by his peers.
“People did try to reach out to him and he just blocked them out,” Brew said.
