Following the events of the campus shooting at Virginia Tech on the morning of April 16, 2007, students were essentially on lockdown, told to stay put wherever they were, whether it was in classrooms, dormitories, or apartments. My roommates and I were all in our off-campus apartment and glued to our television screens and computers, trying to make sense of what had happened from emails, online chats with our friends, and from the televised news and online news. Information came in piecemeal, and we were in disbelief as the death toll reported on the news continued to rise.

I recently went through some of my archived emails, and thought it worthwhile to share the relevant emails that came through my inbox in the 24 hours that followed the incident. (I’ve omitted personal emails that came through from friends and family, to protect their privacy.)

 

 

April 16, 2007 9:26 AM
Shooting on campus.

A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating.

The university community is urged to be cautious and are asked to contact Virginia Tech Police if you observe anything suspicious or with information on the case. Contact Virginia Tech Police at 231-6411

Stay attuned to the www.vt.edu.  We will post as soon as we have more information.

University Relations

 

 

April 16, 2007 9:50 AM
PLease stay put

A gunman is loose on campus.  Stay in buildings until further notice.  Stay away from all windows

University Relations

 

 

April 16, 2007 10:11 AM
DO NOT COME TO WORK TODAY!!

STUDENTS,

DO NOT COME TO WORK TODAY! We’ll keep you posted, but it’s not safe to be on campus right now. Stay put and away from windows.

Ben Capozzi
Operations Specialist
New Media Center

 

 

April 16, 2007 10:16 AM
All Classes Canceled; Stay where you are

Virginia Tech has canceled all classes. Those on campus are asked to remain where there are, lock their doors and stay away from windows. Persons off campus are asked not to come to campus.

University Relations

 

 

April 16, 2007 10:31 AM
stay put!

Hey Everyone,

As you’ve probably heard, there’s been a shooting on campus. Classes have been cancelled, and people have been told to stay indoors. They even said on the news to not worry about coming into work today. So, don’t worry about office hours. Just stay in and stay safe. There’s supposed to be some sort of police statement being released later this morning, so stay tuned to the local news. Also, keep those involved in this in your thoughts and/or prayers. Police have said at least one person was killed and another was injured.

Take care,
Mia

 

 

April 16, 2007 10:52 AM
Second Shooting Reported; Police have one gunman in custody

In addition to an earlier shooting today in West Ambler Johnston, there has been a multiple shooting with multiple victims in Norris Hall.

Police and EMS are on the scene.

Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter.

All people in university buildings are required to stay inside until further notice.

All entrances to campus are closed.

University Relations

 

 

April 16, 2007 12:41 PM
Statement by President Charles W. Steger

Shooting at Virginia Tech / Statement by President Charles W. Steger

The university was struck today with a tragedy of monumental proportions. There were two shootings on campus. In each case, there were fatalities. The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus. I want to extend my deepest, sincerest and most profound sympathies to the families of these victims which include students There are 22 confirmed deaths.

We currently are in the process of notifying families of victims. The Virginia Tech Police are being assisted by numerous other jurisdictions. Crime scenes are being investigated by the FBI, University Police, and State Police. We continue to work to identify the victims impacted by this tragedy. I cannot begin to covey my own personal sense of loss over this senselessness of such an incomprehensible and heinous act The university will immediately set up counseling centers. So far centers have been identified in Ambler Johnson and the Cook Counseling Center to work with our campus community and families.

Here are some of the facts we know:

At about 7:15 a.m. this morning a 911 call came to the University Police Department concerning an event in West Amber Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims. While in the process of investigating, about two hours later the university received reports of a shooting in Norris Hall. The police immediately responded. Victims have been transported to various hospitals in the immediate area in the region to receive emergency treatment.

We will proceed to contact the families of victims as identities are available.

All classes are cancelled and the university is closed for the remainder for the today. The university will open tomorrow at 8 a.m. but classes will be cancelled on Tuesday. The police are currently staging the release of people from campus buildings.

Families wishing to reunite with the students are suggested to meet at the Inn at Virginia Tech. We are making plans for a convocation tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon at Cassell Coliseum for the university community to come together to begin to deal with the tragedy.

 

 

April 16, 2007 12:43 PM
Are you all OK?

I just heard the new about the shooting on your campus. Are you all OK? Is there anything we can do? We don’t have your numbers so sorry this is through Myspace…hope all is well. Take care of yourselves please!!

– Tvu & Derek
Magnetic North

 

 

April 16, 2007 1:22 PM
FW: 邦人の安全確認

皆さん、こんにちは。

先程、ＤＣの日本大使館の方から、ＶＴの邦人の安全を確認したいと電話がありました。
日本人が怪我をしたというニュースは入っていないと伝えたのですが、私自身、定かでないので皆さんの安全を確認したくメールしています。

何かに巻き込まれたりした方はいらっしゃいますか？
困っている事がありましたら、遠慮なくおっしゃって下さいね。

皆さんが安全でありますように。

中村晶子

 

 

April 16, 2007 1:22 PM

We mourn for your tragedy today. Please call me as soon as possible.

Alexander Hitchen
Senior Reporter
National Enquirer

 

 

April 16, 2007 1:51:20 PM
School Shooting
Dear Students,

I’m so sorry to write a blanket email like this, on what must be one of the most horrific days imaginable. I work for CBS News, for The Early Show, and we’re just trying to make sense of this tragic event, as I’m sure you are.

There are reports that the shooter was a young Asian American male – which is not confirmed – but I wanted to write to you at the Asian American Student Union board for any information you might know or be able to share.

If you get this and don’t mind responding, I can be reached at the phone number below, or simply by replying to this email.

I appreciate any help you’re willing to give.

Thanks,

Rebecca

Rebecca Resnick | Associate Producer, The Early Show | CBS | 524 W 57th St. NY, NY 10019 | 212-975-5073

 

 

April 16, 2007 3:31 PM
Campus Update on VT Shootings

Virginia Tech remains closed on Monday, April 16, 2007. Vehicular entrances to campus are severely restricted to essential personnel only. Additional security remains on campus as the investigation continues.

Counseling assistance for students in available at West Ambler Johnston and McComas Hall until 9 p.m. tonight. Students are encouraged to utilize these services. Counseling for faculty and staff is available at the Bowman Room in the Merriman Center (athletic complex). Student may also be together at the Old Dominion Ballroom at Squires Student Center.

The university will also close on Tuesday, April 17. Essential personal are to report for work. Classes will be canceled.

A public gathering will be held Tuesday, April 17 at Cassell Coliseum at 2 p.m. (a time change from the originally scheduled 10 a.m. gathering).

All students are urged to contact their parents as soon as possible to let them know individuals are safe.

Students, faculty, and staff who may have any information related to the incident at West Amber Johnston Hall and Norris Hall are encouraged to go to the Blacksburg Police Department to make statements, or call 540-231-TIPP (8477), or 231-6411

Parents with concerns are asked to call the Dean of Students Office at 540-231-3787.

Individuals injured in the two shootings have been taken to area hospitals.

University Relations

 

 

April 16, 2007 3:39 PM
Emergency AASU Meeting

Hello everyone.

I hope everyone is doing well in the wake of this tragic incident.  I truly hope that you all send your prayers to the families of the victims.

Unfortunately, this incident has lead to investigation by MANY new reporters and such.  PLEASE DO NOT SAY ANYTHING if you get any emails or phone calls! We want to be sure that we represent the APIA and VT community correctly.   Though it has been reported that the shooter was an “Asian male,” this has not yet been confirmed.  Due to this “report,” we do need to have a meeting to discuss such things, especially if it involves the Asian/Asian American community.  I have had reporters contact me asking questions regarding “Asian Backlash” and such.  So, we do need to meet as soon as possible so that we will be on the same page.

Mary Grace Campos (the AASU advisor) and I have set a meeting up at 3:00PM in the MCC in Squires.  Please try to attend.  I know that this may be difficult for some of you, so if you can not make it, I truly understand.

Take care and pass my support to your respective organizations,
-Aaren Salido
AASU President

 

 

April 16, 2007 5:57 PM
Statement from Mayor Ron Rordam

The Town of Blacksburg would like to express its deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those touched by the tragedy which occurred today on the campus of Virginia Tech, and in our Town. This was a senseless act of violence which impacted the entire Blacksburg community. We need to come together now as a community and support each other as we grieve.

We must honor those who lost their lives so tragically, remember those who are suffering, and reach out to them with our prayers and support.  Our thoughts are with those who witnessed this violence. We remember the emergency personnel who responded and treated so many of the victims. Today is a day to reflect on our many blessings of family, neighbors, and our Blacksburg community, which includes the students of Virginia Tech.

We will grieve individually and as a community, but most importantly we need to be there for each other. Again, our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have been touched by this tragedy.
Sincere Regards,
Ron Rordam
Mayor, Town of Blacksburg

 

 

April 16, 2007 7:06 PM
From Nippon TV: Inquiry about shooting incident

Dear Ms. Yokoyama,

Hello, my name is Asuka. I’m a producer at Nippon TV’s Washington News Bureau.（日本テレビワシントン支局）
I found your name and e-mail on the Kurabu-Nippon website.
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you.

I was wondering if you could help us out as we have heard that there are a number of Japanese students on campus and we are looking for Japanese students to interview. If you feel comfortable talking to me, please call me at 202-210-8425 (cell). I am not down there but we have a crew on campus that would be interested in talking to you and any other Japanese students. If you personally are not comfortable talking to the media, if there is anyone else that might be interested, please pass on the word.

Lastly, I’m very sorry that this tragic incident happened today and I send my deepest prayers to all those affected.

Thank you so much for your time.

Deepest regards,
Asuka Konishi
Producer
Nippon TV Washington News Bureau

 

 

April 16, 2007 8:04 PM
TV Asahi Producer Seeks for Your Information

Dear Ms. Yokoyama;

Good evening. I am sorry to bother you and to send this kind of e-mail suddenly.
This is Toshi Horiuchi of TV Asahi America, the New York bureau of Japanese TV network TV Asahi.

If possible, and if you don’t mind, please let us know what was going on today over the phone.
What did you do at that time? What did you hear?

I am sorry again for this insensitive questions, but that would be appreciated if you help broadcast to prevent this kind of tragedy in the near future.

You can reach me at 212-644-6300 or 917-538-9074 (cell).
If you don’t feel OK, could you introduce Japanese students or professors who could answer questions?
Thank you very much again.

Sincerely Yours,

Toshiyuki Horiuchi
Associate Producer
TV Asahi America, Inc.

 

April 16, 2007 10:00 PM
Planned Faculty/Staff Evacuation

Faculty and staff located on the Burruss Hall side of the Drillfield are asked to leave their office and go home immediately.

Faculty and staff located on the War Memorial / Eggleston Hall side of the Drillfield are asked to leave their offices and go home at 12:30 p.m.

University Relations

 

 

April 16, 2007 10:01 PM
University closed today; classes canceled Tuesday

Virginia Tech has closed today Monday, April 16, 2007. On Tuesday, April 17, classes will be canceled. The university will remain open for administrative operations.

There will be an additional university statement presented today at noon.

All students, faculty, and staff are required to stay where they are until police execute a planned evacuation. A phased closing will be in effect today; further information will be forthcoming as soon as police secure the campus.

Tomorrow, there will be a university convocation/ceremony at noon at Cassell Coliseum. The Inn at Virginia Tech has been designated as the site for parents to gather and obtain information.

University Relations

 

 

April 16, 2007 11:21 PM
Daily Yomiuri Interview

Dear Ms. Yokoyama:

I am a writer for The Daily Yomiuri (the English-language version of The Yomiuri Shimbun) in Tokyo.

I am sorry to bother you so soon after the terrible shooting incident at your university, but I am writing an article about how this incident has affected Japanese students in America — and especially in Blacksburg.

I certainly hope that you and your friends are safe. I am writing to you now because you are listed online as the Webmistress and Show Coordinator of Kurabu Nippon.

If you would like to make any comment on this incident or your reactions to it, or about your views of crime and safety in America generally, I would like to hear them.

You may reply by e-mail, but if you would like speak by phone please let me when a convenient time to do that would be.

If you know of any other Japanese students who might like to say something, please feel free to pass this message along.

Thanks very much for reading this message. I hope that I will hear from you.

Sincerely,
Tom Baker
Staff Writer
The Daily Yomiuri
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/

 

 

April 16, 2007 11:36 PM
question

Dear Yokoyama-san,

My name is Junichi Hirata, I am a reporter for TV Asahi, we are here in Blacksburg covering todays horrible events and are hoping to get some Japanese students reactions. If you are interested in helping us contact me at 917-733-4765, we are hoping to do this tonight(monday the 16th, but will do it any other time as well.

Sincerely,
Junichi Hirata
TV Asahi

 

 

April 17, 2007 12:06 AM
NHK久米井と申します

横山様

はじめまして
NHK国際部の記者の久米井と申します。
突然のメール、お許しください。

突然の予想もしていなかった大学での乱射事件で、大変だったかと思います。
そんな中、大変恐縮ですが、もし、当時のことなどについてお話うかがえればと思いご連絡させて頂きました。
もし、差し支えなければ、お話を聞かせて頂けないでしょうか？
お電話番号を教えて頂ければ、こちらからご連絡いたします。
また、大学内にJapanese Cultural Associationもあるとうかがいました。
もし、ご存じの方で、ご覧になっていたかたをご存じでしたら、合わせて教えて頂くことはできますでしょうか？

大変なときに、ご迷惑をおかけして、申し訳ございません。

何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます。

NHK
久米井彩子

Ms. Yokoyama,

My name is Ayako Kumei, a correspondent for NHK international news department.
I didn’t know if you are able to read Japanese with your e-mail, so I’ve decided to write to you in English as well.
I am terribly sorry to hear about the horrible shooting that happened in your university.
I was wondering, if I could ask you a few questions about the shooting.
And I also heard that there is a Japanese Cultural Association.
If there’s anybody you know witnessed the shooting, and if you would let me know of that person, I’d appreciate it very much.
If you’d e-mail the number to call, I will call you from Japan.
I’m sorry that I’m asking a lot when the school is in turmoil.
Hope to talk to you soon.

Ayako Kumei
NHK

 

 

April 17, 2007 12:39 AM
Jamie Bishop

All,

I just heard Jamie Bishop was one of the 32 Hokies who lost their lives. For those of you who didn’t know Jamie, he worked at the NMC last year in what is now the student office. He was an amazing person, both friendly and caring. He’d often stop to talk  to all of us, long after his shift was over just because he was that kind of guy. He was a German teacher teaching German 1106 in Norris 207, where only 1 of the 15 students survived.

The NMC has lost it’s own and he will be sorely missed.

– Mike

 

 

April 17, 2007 1:21:30 AM
Candlelight vigil

Hello everyone,

In this time of sorrow and lost, we must remain strong and united. Please attend the event below to pay respects to victims.

Fellow Hokies,

In light of the recent events that have devastated our campus, there will be a candlelight vigil held for our community to come together and reflect on Monday’s tragic events.  Everyone will have the opportunity to write messages, place flowers, and light candles as we remember those who have been affected by this tragedy.

Please encourage fellow Hokies and community members to attend the vigil tonight!  Everyone is encouraged to wear orange & maroon.  We are doing our best to provide enough candles but please bring one with you if at all possible.

Volunteers Needed:
3:00pm-6:00pm – Preparing candles for the vigil at the German Club Manor (711 Southgate Drive near Lane Stadium)
7:00pm – Distribution of candles prior to vigil on the Drillfield

Contact Sumeet Bagai (703.856.4774), Scott Cheatham (540.808.8477), or Adeel Khan (703.303.8056) if you have any questions.

Please forward this email to everyone in our community!

 

 

April 17, 2007 7:29 AM
A list of Japanese students

Dear Mr. Kanesaka and Ms Yokoyama,

We are deeply sorry to hear that the incident occurred yesterday morning. My name is Odaira. I work for Consular Section, Embassy of Japan at Washington, DC and spoke with Ms Yokoyama yesterday afternoon over the telephone and confirmed her safety.

We would appreciate it if you could provide us a list of Japanese students who are members of ‘kurabu nippon’ for us to confirm their safety and to maintain the list for future reference.

If you need any information for this matter, please feel free to call me at (202)238-6792. In the meantime, we would like to thank you for your attention to this request.

Sincerely yours,

M. Odaira
Consular Section
Embassy of Japan

 

 

April 17, 2007 9:23 AM
[KURABU-NIPPON] IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ

JCA members:

In the wake of this immense tragedy, I understand that many of you are feeling shaken up, shocked, and upset about everything that has happened yesterday, as well as with all the new information that they have released today.

There are a few things that we need to address:

Because we are an APIA organization, and the released confirmation today that the killer was  Asian, we are expected to be hit by a lot of the media and possibly harassed by other college students and members of the community who are understandably very upset about this tragedy.

PLEASE DO NOT WALK AROUND BY YOURSELF at any time in this coming week.  If you or anyone you know experiences harassment and verbal or physical attacks based on your race or by the fact that you are affiliated with an Asian organization, please contact either myself, Akira, or Richard.  We need to be informed of such incidents so we can report them accordingly.

If any media tries to talk to you, please use your discretion, as you will most likely be quoted as a representative of the APIA community at Virginia Tech.  We encourage that you decline interviews and refer them to University Relations.

Also, if you do not feel safe staying on campus during the remainder of this week, all three of us (and I’m sure some other off campus members) are more than willing to offer our apartments to you to stay in.  Please email or call us if you need a place to stay off campus.

Also, there is a convocation this afternoon at 2pm in Cassell Coliseum (with overflow in Burruss), as well as a candlelight vigil at 8pm on the drillfield, for those who would like to pay their respects to the victims and their families.  Again, please make sure that you do not travel by yourself if you are planning on attending these events.

If there is anything that you would like to share or have addressed, feel free to contact any one of us at any time.  We will be here for you.

Deeply saddened,
Misono Yokoyama
Akira Kanesaka
Richard Umemoto

 

 

April 17, 2007 9:24 AM
Update for University Community Regarding Campus Tragedy

Tuesday, April 17

Virginia Tech continues to mourn the loss of 33 members of our community. As we move forward, we share the following information:

Virginia Tech will cancel all classes for the remainder of the week to allow students the time they need to grieve and seek assistance as needed. The university will re-open administrative operations beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, April 18, understanding that some faculty and staff may wish to take additional time off this week to grieve the loss of fellow colleagues and friends. We ask individual employees to communicate with their supervisors of their schedules for the balance of the week.

We will close Norris Hall for the remainder of the semester. Staff are currently working to arrange alternative location for classrooms and faculty offices.

Counseling and other resources are available for students, faculty, and staff. Students may receive counseling at McComas Hall and counselors will be available for extended hours. Counselors will also be available in West Amber Johnston for residents.

Employees may receive needed support by going to the Brush Mountain Room in Squires Student Center throughout the day.

The university will be holding a convocation ceremony at 2 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. This will be the first time the Virginia Tech community will come together since the tragedy to share our collective sorrow. At that time, President George Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Gov. Timothy Kaine, Mrs. Kaine members of our Board of Visitors, members of the clergy, our students, and poet Nikki Giovanni will share messages of condolence to the family and friends of the victims and words of hope to all of us as we move forward past this tragedy.

Again we encourage all members of the Virginia Tech community to attend. Should the coliseum be full, the event will be broadcast on campus cable stations.

The Virginia Tech community, and the world at large, continues to struggle with these horrible events. We hope these steps will help in that healing process.

University Relations