European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page i stars and stripes wednesday april 18 2007 Virginia tech rampage As massacre unfolded word by Sharon Cohen the associated press the first crackle of gunfire shattered the monday morning Calm it was am on the Campus of Virginia tech and an epic kill ing spree had just begun Snow was swirling on the Windy april Day and classes had not yet started when a murderous rampage that would shake the nation started in a coed dormitory West Ambler Johnston Home to 895 people the first reports of trouble were tragic but Small in scope giving no hint of the massacre about to unfold in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia one per son was dead another injured the official word to students apparently did not come right away in a mass email Virginia tech officials announced that a shooting had occurred at the dorm and that police were on the scene and they urged anyone in the University Community to be cautious and Contact police if they saw anything suspicious or had information the email was signed off at am classes on the Blacksburg a Campus had gone ahead As scheduled the first period began at 8 am the doors of the buildings re Evan Virginia tech student Jill Weikert walks with thousands of students to attend a memorial service on the Campus tuesday Maine open and the heavily armed gunman with a motive yet unknown had set his sights else where a Norris Hall an Engineer ing building nearly a half mile away on the 2600acre Campus police believe the shooting at Norris began around am the buildings doors had been chained shut possibly by the gun Man authorities said Brittany Zachar an 18yearold freshman who lives at West am Bler Johnston decided to attend an economics class even though she saw a Handwritten sign on Pink paper posted in the dorm bathroom saying something had happened and going to class was optional As she walked on Campus she heard the pop of gunshots coming from the direction of Norris Hall she saw police running i heard the gunshots and just sprinted she said adding that she took cover in another school building at am the school said it sent out a second email please stay put it warned a gunman is Loose on Campus stay in buildings until further notice stay away from All windows the University also began Tele phoning resident advisers in the dorms to notify them and sent peo ple to Knock on doors to get the word out Virginia tech president Charles Steger said at a news con Ference Virginia tech sent out a third email at am announcing classes were cancelled and repeat ing the warning for everyone to lock their doors and stay away from windows by then the magnitude of this bloody Day was becoming increasingly Clear obviously these crazy Zutoft Leblue Nightmare scenarios can happen just about anywhere John Holden Depaul University Chicago schools seeking better Security communication the associated press Chicago the two hours it took for Virginia tech officials to email students a warning about a gunman on Campus has raised concern about How schools can get critical news out faster in a crisis when youre in the Middle of something two hours is not very Long but when youre looking in it does seem like a Long time said Mitchell Celaya the assistant chief of Campus police at the University of California Berkeley at us Berkeley Celaya said an extreme Emer gency would warrant among other things a Siren on an outdoor Public address system followed by an announcement with instructions the University of Florida is working with local police to place automatic Calls to Campus Tele phones with similar kinds of messages including alerts about hurricanes and tornadoes and the University of Cincinnati has gone As far As making its Public address system audible inside buildings there is no one magic communication system that we can press a Button and let everyone know what is going on said Chris Meyer assistant vice president for safety and Security at Texas University where they use All of the above methods and others the University of Georgia has joined a Small but growing number of institutions that Are testing Simi Lar systems their service provided by the califor Nia based nit group is voluntary and allows Stu dents to plug in various phone numbers and email addresses to a web site and then transfers Mes Don Security personnel patrol near Norris Kail on the Campus of Virginia tech in Blacksburg a on Mon Day shootings there raised anew questions about Campus Security and communications in a crisis sages from the University using phone systems out Side the affected area so it does not Jam local phone lines elsewhere some universities Are devising More targeted Means of Security in Hopes of quickening their responses but the fact of the matter is campuses Are largely open places where just about any one especially a student is free to roam obviously these crazy Zutoft Leblue night Mare scenarios can happen just about anywhere said John Holden a spokesman at Depaul univer sity in Chicago mass shooting on Virginia tech Campus a gunman opened fire in a Virginia tech dormitory and classroom building monday killing 32 people before committing suicide in the deadliest mass shooting in us history App am Norris Hall 31 killed including the gunman 0 App 500 feet All times Eastern local appx715arn West Ambler Johnston Hall two people killed in the dormitory dining facility academic building Arpin Ratech Campa fix s source Virginia tech a amid world sympathy us gun Laws decried the associated press Virginia tech shootings sparked criticism of us gun control Laws around the world tuesday editorials lashed out at the availability of weapons and the Leader of Australia one of americas closest allies declared that americas gun culture was costing lives South Korea foreign ministry said the government hoped Mon Days shootings allegedly carried out by a 23yearold South Kore an native would not stir up racial prejudice or confrontation while some focused blame Only on the gunman world opinion Over us gun Laws was almost unanimous Access to weapons in creases the probability of shoot ing there was no sympathy for the View that More guns would have saved lives by enabling Stu dents to shoot the assailant leaders from Britain Germany Mexico China Afghanistan and France stopped Short of criticizing president Bush or us gun Laws when they offered sympathies to the families of mondays victims editorials were less diplomatic Only the names change and the numbers read a head line in the times of London Why we ask do americans continue to tolerate gun Laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year when presumably tougher restrictions such As those in Force in european coun tries could at least reduce the number the French daily be Monde said the regularity of mass shoot Ings across the Atlantic was a Blotch on americas image in Mexico radio commentators criticized the availability of fire arms in the us campuses in Texas Oklahoma react to scares Austin Texas authorities evacuated buildings at St Edwards University on tues Day after a threatening note was found there a school official said at the same time build Ings at the University of Oklahoma were locked Down after an other scare there police officers in Austin secured the perimeter of the St Edwards Campus and were searching the buildings shortly before noon University spokes woman Mischelle Amador she declined to say where the note was found and said its contents were nonspecific the University of Oklahoma scare started with a report that someone had been spotted carry ing a suspicious object on Cam pus but the danger ended up to be unfounded from the associated press