University Business - May 2007 - (Page 10)

EDITOR’S NOTE No Easy Answers in Virginia Tragedy WAS TRAVELING LAST MONTH WHEN WORD came of the horriﬁc shooting deaths at Virginia Tech. From my hotel I watched numerous news reports on the shootings, trying to make sense of a senseless situation. Instead, I saw talking heads ﬁeld all manner of theories about why Cho Seung-Hui committed the most brutal massacre on a college campus in U.S. history. around and taunted” because of his manner and ethnicity. He Several stations repeated unfounded rumors that he was rarely spoke in class, and his writings were ﬁlled with hateobsessed with the young woman who became his ﬁrst victim, ful and violent images. The notes he left behind are screeds and a jealous rage was the trigger. In fact there appears to be against women, religion, and those of privilege. no link at all between the two. Sadly, if the rash of threats and hoaxes that sprang up on There were experts who espoused that Cho must have college and high school campuses in the days following the “trained” for his rampage with violent video games. But au- attack are any indication, there are many young people who thorities found no games among his befeel the same way. longings, and his former roommates claim Drug treatments have improved in rethey never saw him play video games. cent years to the point that there are now Warnings might have Another report targeted the inﬂuence many more students on campus than in of a Korean gangster ﬁlm, Oldboy, based changed things had the past that have psychiatric problems. on similarities of some photos of the killer “Many are functioning very well with to scenes from the ﬁlm. the help of medication and counseling. But they been acted on. Still another source put forth the theokeep in mind that the number of counry that Cho was a “mind-controlled assasselors in college counseling has dwindled sin,” brainwashed by drugs. Cho may or may not have been even as more people go to college and a higher percentage of on antidepressants at the time of the shootings. them have some type of emotional or mental problem,” says One expert speculated that the gunman may have had a Lori Sudderth, director of Quinnipiac University’s (Conn.) tumor in the frontal lobe of his brain that controls impulses. criminal justice program. This was based on her examination of brain scans from 31 “The tragedy in Virginia may prompt universities to rekillers, 20 of whom had damage in that area. think their security procedures, but I also hope it prompts And there was Richard Roberts, president of Oral Roberts college communities to rethink the resources they devote to University (Okla.), who said that based on what he knew, he mental health services,” Sudderth says. “Students and faculty had no doubt that Cho’s actions were “satanic in origin.” need to know the signs and symptoms of violent oﬀenders Whether any of these theories actually played a part in the before they reach the breaking point.” tragedy may never be known. What is known is just as frustrating. Frustrating because, as has come to light, there were many warning signs that might have changed things had they been acted on. Write to Tim Goral at tgoral@universitybusiness.com. No one would deny that Cho Seung-Hui was an extremely troubled young man. Former classmates say he was isolated Learn about Campus Security initiatives in the aftermath of and didn’t seek or accept oﬀers of friendship. He was “pushed Virginia Tech at www.universitybusiness.com/security. I 10 | May 2007 universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com/security http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2007

Contents
College Index
Advisory Board
Company Index
Editor's Note
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Marketing
Human Resources
Financial Aid
Community Colleges
The Innocents Abroad
The Big Business of Research
What’s New in A/V
The Kids Are All Right
Designing a Unified Campus
Business Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - May 2007