Emotions About Virginia Tech Fill the Classroom

The tragedy at Virginia Tech was felt nation-wide and on campus the effect could be seen in students. When students got a chance to speak out, they let their voice be heard.

President Drew Matonak visited a classroom of Interpretation of American History I to discuss what students had on their mind. With Professor Alice Malavasic acting as the moderator, students touched on subjects that concerned them. There were debates on certain topics, but everyone was able to share their thoughts.

The first question asked was what HVCC would do in a similar situation. “We would lockdown the campus immediately and evacuate the campus,” said Matonak. The biggest concern at Virginia Tech was how carelessly they handled the situation on campus. Matonak said, “There is no question in my mind that they would have done things differently.” With the criticism Virginia Tech has faced, there is still the fact that administration was there in the heat of the moment dealing with the problem. The best way to deal with these situations seems to be having a procedure to strictly follow. Matonak said there is a binder full of safety procedures that is constantly updated to make sure the campus is secured. In times of crises it can be hard to remain calm and think clearly, but a set procedure should help anyone focus on the best solution.

Malavasic asked the classroom if they felt Virginia Tech dealt with the murderers illness properly. One reply was that if students if are afraid of a fellow student that problem needs to be dealt with. “It’s a matter of us communicating with each other,” Matonak said when dealing with students in conflicts within the campus environment. In the past Matonak said they have had to sit down students and evaluate. Sitting down with a student and dealing with problems one on one is the only way to get to the source of the problem. This is the only way to truly deal with the situation. Communication is key in a campus environment, so if any conflicts ever occur they should be brought to the attention of faculty or administration. Everyone should feel safe while they are on campus, because they have the right to that security.

Another topic of debate was if releasing the video footage in the media was an appropriate measure to take. Learning from what has happened is very important. One student even said that we haven’t been learning from past shootings. While the footage was very revealing and could lead to the debate it would increase others to replicate the murderer's actions, it is important for people to understand the situation. The media will get better ratings most times with footage like this, but the general public does benefit as well. Seeing the footage allows us to really understand the mind of the murderer and how troubled he really was. This could even lead to being able to point out character traits better with similar individuals.

Virginia Tech had to deal with a situation none of us ever hope to face, but now we all must face our emotions that swirl around the incident. “Go to the counseling center and talk to them about what you are feeling,” said Matonak. The important thing is to talk to someone about how you are feeling. Malavasic said, “we all need to grieve and we all grieve in different ways.”