News / Education
Virginia Tech Report Criticizes University for Massacre
A report from Congress of the Virginia Tech massacre criticizes the school's administration. The report, devised by an eight member panel which included Gov. Timothy Kaine, concluded that Virginia Tech could have prevented the attack in various ways. The panel took four months to research the necessary factors to build the report.
"Warning the students, faculty and staff might have made a difference. ... So the earlier and clearer the warning, the more chance an individual had of surviving," said the report. It concluded while alerts might have helped students and faculty to protect themselves or alert authorities of suspicious activity, a lockdown of the 131 buildings on campus was not feasible. It would've taken 400-500 officers to accomplish the lockdown when only 14 of the school's 41 officers are available at 8am on campus.
Gunman Seung-Hui Cho was also a student with an ID card to access campus buildings and the ability to get the same e-mails the rest of the student body. He could have gained access to a dormitory or begun shooting people in the open, the report said.
The report also states that Virginia Tech should've handled Cho better since they knew his psychological background. He had demonstrated many instances of mental instability yet the university did not intervene properly. The university counseling center stated in 2005 that Cho was referred for treatment after exhibiting frequent bizarre behavior and suicidal tendencies.
The parents of the victims generally asked the same question, which was highlighted in the report: Why didn't the school cancel classes right after the first two shootings?
The report did not suggest that Virginia Tech President Charles Steger or campus police Chief Wendell Flinchum should resign.
