Editorial: NIU-- we're thinking of you
Friday, February 15, 2008; 12:00 AM
The campus shootings at Northern Illinois University, hit close to home for us all, bringing up traumatic feelings that many of us had tried to suppress since last April.

Yesterday's events are a painful reality that we are all being forced to deal with.

Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and family and friends of all students affected by the shootings at NIU. Their pain is all too familiar to us.

As students on the Virginia Tech campus, we obviously feel a connection to the tragedy in Illinois.

Not only is it important that we reach out to those at NIU, but we must also reach out to one another.

In the coming days, feelings of pain, grief and anger will likely surface.

It is important for us to take care of each other and be understanding of each other's reactions.

Even the most seemingly insignificant events can trigger memories in each of us of that fateful day.

Another school shooting, granted hundreds of miles away, brings back these memories more than ever.

Students experiencing grief should go to the Cook Counseling Center and receive the help they need in dealing with emotions.

We need to look out for one another, especially, when it comes to drinking.

This weekend, watch your alcohol intake and watch how much your friends consume. Incidents that bring back these feelings can act as a trigger.

As we sit and watch our television screens in horror, we can't help but remember what our campus was like less than a year ago. It's hard to really even talk about, or put it into words.

More so than anything else, we ask students to take care of themselves and take advantage of all the available resources on our campus to grieve properly.

Hopefully NIU students will find the strength to come together in the face of tragedy, as we did on April 16 and like we continue to do as we go on with our lives day to day.

The editorial board is composed of Amie Steele, Joe Kendall, Saira Haider, Laurel Colella and Sara Mitchell.

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Posted by: Ashley at 2/15/08 Although I hate to agree with some of the comments, this is a dreadfully written editorial piece. "We need to look out for one another, especially, when it comes to drinking." Badly written, and the point just doesn't follow. Come on, CT, given what we all experienced last year and the way schools around the nation reached out to us, the very least we could do is offer coherent, sincere condolences to NIU. Flag Abuse
Posted by: MAM at 2/15/08 Very well said brit! Regardless of your opinions of the CT and it's news coverage, this is about supporting another college communtity in the way that so many supported VT. As a VT alum, I understand exactly what the NIU family member said below--It's really sad that some can't rise above criticism of the editorial board at this time. Flag Abuse
Posted by: brit. at 2/15/08 To the students at NIU, I am so sorry for what happened on your campus. To the people posting on this board...There is a link at the bottom of the page for contacting the CT: http://www.collegiatetimes.com/cms/site/contact.php it says you can contact the editor at publiceditor@collegiatetimes.com I'm sure that is a more appropriate way of expressing your editorial comments. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Mike M. at 2/15/08 I'll probably catch hell for this, but when are people going to learn? Rabid dogs are rare, but you don't prevent more rabid dog attacks through "No Rabies Allowed" policies. When are we as a nation going to stand up and take responsibility for our own safety? Mass shootings continue, and every one is in a "gun free zone". What tripe. How stupid are we, that we believe these policies will stop a homicidal madman? The only thing that will stop them is fighting back. And spare me the drivel about "that will just get more people hurt." Think about that for a while. Examine why you would rather rely on hope that the police get there in time instead of having a chance to defend yourself. Is your life worth so little that you are content to entrust it to someone else? As we see again at NIU, these things happen fast. By the time the police get there, it's over. But there's one recent example where things turned out differently. In the Colorado church, an armed citizen (NOT a paid guard, NOT a police officer, just a woman with a concealed handgun permit who volunteered to keep an eye out for trouble) stopped the killer cold. Every one of these incidents was stopped by a bullet. You can wait for the killer to get tired and kill himself, you can wait for the police to get there, or you can have the means to protect yourself strapped to your side. When the killer has you in his sights, which would you rather have? THAT is the question you should ponder. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Darlene N at 2/15/08 I am a family member of a student at NIU. This comment board does not show Virginia Tech to be as wonderful as I know they are. I agree with the gentleman that tells everyone to focus on the content of this article that makes many people not feel so alone at this time. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Engrish at 2/15/08 I would think this is precisely the kind of occasion when the editorial board would want to rise above its usual efforts and produce its best work, not some of its worst. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Jason T at 2/15/08 Engrish, I agree that published material is always open to criticism, but let's consider that there is a hierarchy of various types of criticism. I'll be the first to acknowledge that critiquing grammar and usage falls pretty low on my priority list as long as it doesn't hinder the conveyance of the authors' point, despite my obsessive grammarian tendencies. How about focusing on the content of the article instead? Flag Abuse
Posted by: get over it for today at 2/15/08 And while it is very well known that the CT consistently publishes editorials lacking accurate facts, good journalistic writing, etc. this just isn't the editorial to criticize. They're reaching out to people to offer their condolences and help. Criticize away on the others, but today can't you just take it for what is?! Flag Abuse
Posted by: Engrish at 2/15/08 I'm sorry but the editorial board of a publication is generally regarded as being the most experienced and capable part of the staff. If you choose to publish your writing in a public forum - especially as the editorial board of a newspaper – criticism is fair game. Yes, they work every day but who doesn't? The 'A for effort' and 'you can't criticize if you can't do better' arguments are absurd. Besides, most professional journalists and editorial writers are accustomed to writing on a deadline and somehow manage to write well. This editorial board doesn't simply write things "as they come" most of the time. The recent editorial about gun control had no urgent timeline yet was obviously not researched and was devoid of facts or intelligent arguments. I guess they have the same software that I do. No matter what I do every time I hit the Enter key I get a new paragraph. That these five people cannot write better is sad, but they aren't any worse than those who filled their shoes when I was a student at Tech. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at 2/15/08 It probably has more to do with the software than their writing style too. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at 2/15/08 All the editorial board is trying to do is show their sensitivity to those at NIU. The CT comes out four days a week and they work every school day. They obviously write editorials as they come...cut them some slack unless you think you could do better. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Engrish at 2/15/08 Me, too. I was surprised when alternating lines didn't rhyme. I guess this is what happens when the CT editorial board has to react to something in a hurry and doesn't have several days to craft their latest masterpiece. Flag Abuse
Posted by: English 101 at 2/15/08 Yeah - thought it was a poem at first. About what we've come to expect from the CT editorial board. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Engrish at 2/15/08 Holy crap! 18 sentences, 15 paragraphs. Flag Abuse






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