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This is a sad day for Virginia Tech. A close friend works in Norris Hall a floor above the classrooms--finally by mid-afternoon we learned she was "carried out" but is OK. The shooter had chained the doors shut--can you imagine the terror? She said some in their building had to step over victims. Her husband waited several agonizing hours before he could talk to her.
I lived in Blacksburg for fifteen years, received my Masters' from Tech and taught in the College of Arts and Sciences for six years. My mom still lives in Blacksburg and heard the sirens that are usually used for weather emergencies. Virginia Tech IS Blacksburg--it's a huge campus in a very small town. The campus and local police are far more competent and professional than you might expect for the setting. The area is well-patrolled, with emergency call boxes in many, many locations. I always felt safe leaving campus any time, day or night.
This could happen anywhere--the workplace, a shopping mall, a crowded street. It doesn't help to jump to conclusions about what "should've happened," what the University "should've done." Every campus will re-evaluate their emergency plans, as well they should but let's withold criticism until we get the whole story.
