Safety First?

Yesterday, I was going to post something about the Virginia Tech tragedies, something related to education, something like "We education professionals have always been at risk - this tragedy could happen anywhere" or something like "What could have so profoundly affected this young man that he had to act in such a ferocious, powerful, permanent way?"

Today, I hear the spin and pop of our media: clamoring for first-person accounts from student witnesses, attempting "analysis" that only reinforces the racial and class divides in our country, setting up an ugly clash between pro- and anti-gun groups. As if the Second Amendment has anything to do with the current state of violence in our country.

Our college president sent a message to the entire college community, a good move, I think, although his focus on safety seems wrong to me: a human being can't be kept "safe" from incidents like these.

Century Colleagues,

It is with great sadness that we extend our sympathies to the students, staff, and families at Virginia Tech. We share in their grief and distress over the senseless shooting deaths of 32 students yesterday.

As our thoughts turn to the safety and security of our own campus, I want to reassure you of our commitment to keeping the Century campus safe and secure. The College has policies and procedures in place designed to prevent such tragedies, and our public safety staff remain in a state of heightened awareness and vigilance. We will continue to monitor what is learned from the incident at Virginia Tech, and we will use that knowledge to improve our own response plans and campus security.

Please contact Mark Holper, Director of Public Safety, or Ron Anderson should you have concerns about the safety of any member of our campus community. This terrible loss reminds us all of the value and the need for supporting each other as a community.

Larry Litecky
President