Wednesday, April 18, 2007

VA Tech Tragedy

The tragedy at Virginia Tech this week has been very difficult for many people around the country and around the world. Please pray for those who lost their lives, for their families, and for the whole University community.

At UK, I have received three emails so far from the Administration. I keep reading the news and I have cried a few times over the sadness of this inexplicable event.

It has also caused me (as I'm sure it has for everyone else) to contemplate the safety of a university like VA Tech, UK, or any other school. Such sprawling campuses that overlap with the surrounding communities are difficult to keep an eye on at all times. The media seems to want to blame the university for not doing something to prevent this tragedy, but it sounds like the University did everything they could with what information they had.

Working in a very public area like I do, in a very open, Land Grant institution with a mission to serve the entire state makes it impossible to limit access to the university. It's scary, but you can't live your life in fear, otherwise we wouldn't leave our houses in the morning.

Chris and I were just talking the other day (Sunday I think, even before this week's events) about the general risks of life. We were talking about just doing new things: going to college, moving to a new city without knowing anyone, starting a new job/career, basically just putting yourself out there each and every day. Just leaving the house can be a risk.

I am pleased to see glimmers of positive thoughts coming out of the VA Tech community. Professors and students saying that life must go on, that they must grieve, but that they will continue on as time passes. The Student Government President at UK sent a message to the university community this afternoon. In it he echoed those same thoughts with a few words from Scripture: "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

Again, please pray for those who lost their lives this week, for their families, and for the entire VA Tech community.

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