Something to listen for

The recent shootings and death of 32 (33 including the gunman) is, with out a doubt, extremely disturbing for anyone who goes to school and perhaps even knows someone who has come from S.Korea or knows a foreigner who is staying here (as the gunman was Identified as a S. Korean).

In order to be extremely careful here, I wouldn't want to interject politics or any of the sort... and honestly neither should anyone else because we really don't know why the gunman did what he did. Therefore it would be my hope that neither you, me, nor the press prematurely assign blame on any one thing or any one person. What I mean is that it would easy to say that:

• (b/c he's South Korean) video games played a roll (as Jack Johnson would have us believe) or that,
  
• having a gun or coming from somewhere without guns to somewhere guns and going nuts with it had anything to do with murders.
• Or that perhaps his girlfriend had anything to influence him or totally enrage him.
  

We just don't know. It should make us students more aware of the people on our campus. A shrewed look, evil eye, or degrading remark has an impact on the people around us so we should be doubly cautious with our own words and actions... don't you agree?

So for today I would suggest everyone in our higher education system to smile at somebody, give somebody a compliment, or generally try to be nice today... do it either in respect to the people from Virgina Tech. or for yourself.

~J out