2008 Woodie Awards
This charming (wo)man
Tragedy strikes again
Amber Chemam
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Some events go down in history as tragically unforgettable, and I have seen several in my lifetime.
Last week, tragedy struck once again, as if our generation needed another.
On April 16, a gunman entered a classroom at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and opened fire. In all, he killed 27 students, five professors and himself, marking the worst massacre in the history of U.S. college campuses.
Like the Columbine shootings eight years ago, this horrendous occurrence created an instantaneous serial killer out of someone who very easily could have been one of my peers.
It bothers me that Seung-Hui Cho was only a year older than me. It bothers me that he was also a senior in college. It bothers me that had circumstances been different, he could have very well been my next-door neighbor.
As a student, I am unable to avoid the parallels between my life and his and between my life and the lives of the victims, just as I found it impossible to ignore the connection I felt to Columbine as a high school freshman in 1999.
I cannot deny that I feel a great deal of disappointment for what I perceive as a lost sense of safety as I walk around campus. I do not want to, but once again, am forced to look at everyone a little differently.
Perhaps one of the most tragic aspects of these murders is that they put something out there, like a rotten stench in the air. They put the idea out there, ready to invade the heads of others who, like the killer, feel lost and alone in the world. Just as Cho is now being considered a copy-cat killer following in the footsteps of the Columbine shooters, I fear that the awful legacy will not end with him.
On that note, I am praying that anyone who is suffering as those souls did, anywhere in this whole wide world, will find peace without violence towards themselves or others.
Indeed, life can be cruel. People can be cruel. But, simply put, "an eye for an eye" only makes things worse. No equality can be found with anger and vengeance.
The University has taken measures in recent months to increase security to protect the community from the outside dangers of the surrounding neighborhoods.
I hope that, now, extra care is taken to protect us from dangers that could be present within the community as well. Just as every other college campus in the country is likely doing now, I feel that it is incredibly important to evaluate the level of care given to the students of this University-mind, body and soul.
Professors and fellow classmates of Cho have now come forward saying that they saw indications early on that Cho could be a danger to himself or others but sufficient action was not taken to prevent last week's tragedy. Let us keep this in mind and look out for ourselves, our friends and our neighbors in this tiny community.
And let us keep the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre in our hearts. They were, after all, our peers.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Cauldron editorial staff. All other columns and opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the author.
Last week, tragedy struck once again, as if our generation needed another.
On April 16, a gunman entered a classroom at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and opened fire. In all, he killed 27 students, five professors and himself, marking the worst massacre in the history of U.S. college campuses.
Like the Columbine shootings eight years ago, this horrendous occurrence created an instantaneous serial killer out of someone who very easily could have been one of my peers.
It bothers me that Seung-Hui Cho was only a year older than me. It bothers me that he was also a senior in college. It bothers me that had circumstances been different, he could have very well been my next-door neighbor.
As a student, I am unable to avoid the parallels between my life and his and between my life and the lives of the victims, just as I found it impossible to ignore the connection I felt to Columbine as a high school freshman in 1999.
I cannot deny that I feel a great deal of disappointment for what I perceive as a lost sense of safety as I walk around campus. I do not want to, but once again, am forced to look at everyone a little differently.
Perhaps one of the most tragic aspects of these murders is that they put something out there, like a rotten stench in the air. They put the idea out there, ready to invade the heads of others who, like the killer, feel lost and alone in the world. Just as Cho is now being considered a copy-cat killer following in the footsteps of the Columbine shooters, I fear that the awful legacy will not end with him.
On that note, I am praying that anyone who is suffering as those souls did, anywhere in this whole wide world, will find peace without violence towards themselves or others.
Indeed, life can be cruel. People can be cruel. But, simply put, "an eye for an eye" only makes things worse. No equality can be found with anger and vengeance.
The University has taken measures in recent months to increase security to protect the community from the outside dangers of the surrounding neighborhoods.
I hope that, now, extra care is taken to protect us from dangers that could be present within the community as well. Just as every other college campus in the country is likely doing now, I feel that it is incredibly important to evaluate the level of care given to the students of this University-mind, body and soul.
Professors and fellow classmates of Cho have now come forward saying that they saw indications early on that Cho could be a danger to himself or others but sufficient action was not taken to prevent last week's tragedy. Let us keep this in mind and look out for ourselves, our friends and our neighbors in this tiny community.
And let us keep the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre in our hearts. They were, after all, our peers.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Cauldron editorial staff. All other columns and opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the author.