Spring Break
33 dead after shooting on Virginia Tech campus
SJSU students react to tragedy
David Zugnoni
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: News
Yesterday's shootings at Virginia Tech University had students of San Jose State University shocked, upset and worried about their safety on a college campus.
"I feel protected at this school, but obviously those people at Virginia Tech did too," said Leo Cortez, a senior majoring in justice studies. "It can happen anywhere."
SJSU University Police Sgt. John Laws said university police departments don't expect shootings on college campuses, and that they can only work to stop a shooting once it has begun.
"This kind of incident has so many variables that it's almost impossible to prevent it," Laws said, "much less stop it once it happens."
Several students were bothered by the two-hour interval between shootings, questioning why the gunman was not caught, why the university didn't notify people faster, and why the university was not immediately shut down.
"I was pissed off because apparently the first shooting happened at seven or eight in the morning, and the whole school just kind of kept going on like it was an average day - people just going to class," said Dustan Drake, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. "There was absolutely no notification, and then the guy comes back and shoots, what, 30 more?
"… You don't have a shooting at a school and then keep it open like nothing happened. … Classes aren't that important, just for one day. People are getting killed."
Lydia Ortega, an SJSU economics professor who attended Virginia Tech from 1980 to 1982, said she could understand why there was a delay notifying people of the first incident, adding that panic would have been likely to ensue following a notification.
"The campus is so spread out," Ortega said. "You've got people running all around campus to try to tell people. … I don't know what way they could have told people. Then, remember, they don't know where this guy is. You could run outside and get shot."
Ortega said the Virginia Tech campus is extremely safe and that she felt safe walking home alone at 3 a.m. when she was a student there, and thus the university was less prepared to deal with the incident than a campus in a more dangerous area would have been.
"I feel protected at this school, but obviously those people at Virginia Tech did too," said Leo Cortez, a senior majoring in justice studies. "It can happen anywhere."
SJSU University Police Sgt. John Laws said university police departments don't expect shootings on college campuses, and that they can only work to stop a shooting once it has begun.
"This kind of incident has so many variables that it's almost impossible to prevent it," Laws said, "much less stop it once it happens."
Several students were bothered by the two-hour interval between shootings, questioning why the gunman was not caught, why the university didn't notify people faster, and why the university was not immediately shut down.
"I was pissed off because apparently the first shooting happened at seven or eight in the morning, and the whole school just kind of kept going on like it was an average day - people just going to class," said Dustan Drake, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. "There was absolutely no notification, and then the guy comes back and shoots, what, 30 more?
"… You don't have a shooting at a school and then keep it open like nothing happened. … Classes aren't that important, just for one day. People are getting killed."
Lydia Ortega, an SJSU economics professor who attended Virginia Tech from 1980 to 1982, said she could understand why there was a delay notifying people of the first incident, adding that panic would have been likely to ensue following a notification.
"The campus is so spread out," Ortega said. "You've got people running all around campus to try to tell people. … I don't know what way they could have told people. Then, remember, they don't know where this guy is. You could run outside and get shot."
Ortega said the Virginia Tech campus is extremely safe and that she felt safe walking home alone at 3 a.m. when she was a student there, and thus the university was less prepared to deal with the incident than a campus in a more dangerous area would have been.
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Ted Rudow III,MA
posted 4/17/07 @ 9:40 AM PST
A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people in the deadliest campus shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman was killed, bringing to death toll to 22, but it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life. (Continued…)
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