HBCUs React to Massacre with Vigils, Tighter Security
By Sakita Holley, Phillip Lucas, Cara Anthony and Lerone Graham
Black College Wire
Photo Caption:
The front page of the Hilltop at Howard University was devoted to the killings.
Christina Burton, a sophomore print journalism major at Howard University, has yet to contact her cousin, a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Burton attempted to call Trisha Ford, a 20-year-old sophomore at Virginia Tech, three times after the mass murder April 16 on Virginia Tech's Blacksburg, Va., campus.
“That afternoon, 50 faculty, students and staff members assembled on the Howard University Yard under a gray and rainy sky to reflect and pray for the slain members of the Virginia Tech community. Burton was one of many at the vigil. Her cousin’s situation made it personal and emotionally taxing.
At Tennessee State University, Thea Boatswain said she had reason to believe that two of the 33 dead had been her high school classmates.
"I am still freaking out," said Boatswain, an agriculture science major from Fairfax, Va.
"I am trying to call people, but they are not answering their phones."
The shootings prompted Howard University to strictly enforce its requirement that students show identification as they enter residence halls, university President Patrick Swygert said.
“I want people to understand that safety is very important,” Swygert said. He added that there would be more campus police and they will be more visible on campus. There will also be an increase in the presence of District of Columbia police on campus.
Norfolk State University, scene of a killing March 31 of a student outside a dormitory, also took measures to try to prevent another tragedy. Hours after the Virginia Tech shooting, access to points of entry on campus was limited. Drivers without a valid decal are to be asked for identification, and campus police are to carefully monitor vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists and facilities. A vigil was planned.
The dramatic and tragic events began in Blacksburg when a man wearing a black leather jacket and a maroon hat walked into West Ambler Johnston Hall on Virginia Tech’s campus, according to news reports. He went on to shoot and kill two people in the building before killing 30 others and wounding an additional 15 hours later in classrooms in Norris Hall —- half a mile across Virginia Tech’s campus.
The shooter was later identified as Seung-Hui Cho, 23, a South Korean national and a Virginia Tech senior majoring in English. He killed himself.
The incident is being called the worst mass shooting in the nation's history. It preceded the anniversary of the Columbine shootings in Littleton, Colo., by only four days.
At the Howard vigil, Jennifer Owens, Howard University Student Association president, offered words of appreciation to the members of the Howard family who were in attendance despite the weather. She said she had been in touch with student body presidents on other campuses, who have been very supportive.
Additional speakers included the Rev. Bernard Richardson, dean of the Andrew Rankin Chapel. Swygert stressed the importance of mental health among parents and members of the Howard community both on and off campus. he advised students to use the university’s resources to do whatever it takes to vent about the tragedy.
Michelle Wilson, a junior biology major, said, “I feel that our campus is united and right now all we can do is pray. We also need to pray for the family of the killer — they are probably wondering ‘why?’”
Mike Harrison, a sports medicine major, said, “This is life and we have to deal with life as it is. We’re not exempt from what will happen in life. This tragedy reminds us that we’re still in the real world. People forget that stuff happens like this.”
Burton said she wanted to be in the presence of like-minded people during the vigil.
“You realize life is a gift, you have one of those epiphanies. Things like that can happen at Howard. It just makes me think that I’m lucky to be alive; to be going to school. It just shows to never take life for granted,” Burton said.
At Tennessee State, Boatswain said she received word of the shooting around 1 p.m. Central time and was told by friends that her former classmates attended classes in Norris Hall, where the second shooting occurred.
"I am just waiting to see the list of the deceased," Boatswain said.
Sakita Holley and Phillip Lucas, students at Howard University, write for the Hilltop. Cara Anthony, a student at Tennessee State University, writes for the Meter. Lerone Graham, a student at Norfolk State University, writes for the Spartan Echo. To comment, e-mail bcwire@hotmail.com
Posted April 17, 2007
Posted By: Jehan Bunch
Monday, April 23rd 2007 at 9:08AM
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