Our family have great love for Virginia Tech. My son Kris graduated from Tech 4 years ago. My heart felt ver heavy when I watched the news on MSNBC I broke down and cried when I was reading the Victims' profile. These are the elits of our next generation. I imagine myself as a mother, spending years to groom my child into an upright, productive person, sending them to a elite school like Virgina Tech to be a leader in their future society, but to lost him/her to someone who was so brainless as to take away lives of people he did not even know. It is just heart wrenching. I felt as if I had lost one of my own. I would pray for the parents who have to go through this horrific experience.

Watching the convocation on my computer in NC where I teach, I was most moved by the words of our very own Hokie poet Nikki Giovanni and the chant of GO HOKIES GO! that followed. My heart goes out to all in Blacksburg and all the other friends, parents, alums watching, in shock, but now also in pride that the Hokie spirit is eternal!

I was awe struck by today's convocation. It was solemn and sad, yet it ended with hope. Nikki Giovanni was the shot of uplifting emotion that the Hokie Nation needed. It will be a long road to recovery and there will be reminders of 4/16/07 as we move forward, but the process has begun.

Jeff Scattergood
Class of 1999 - Virginia Tech

A school is a place where your supposed to feel safe. When you send your kids to college, some of your biggest fears are that their going to party or get in trouble with grades. You never think you have to worry about your children getting gunned down, you shouldn't have to worry about that. My heart really goes out to the whole community and the victims families.

I watched with great sadness. This could have happened at any campus across the United States. My daughter attends college here in Minnesota and I immediately sent a text saying I love you! I pray for the families whose lives have been forever changed by this event. May God be with all of you.

What is remarkable is that every five years or so the entire student population replaces itslef, yet the students that I have seen on the television share the same values and love of the campus, indeed that intangible "Hokie Pride", that I first experienced 15 years ago.

What happened yesterday was not Virginia Tech. What you are seeing today and what you will see in the coming weeks and years, through the words and generous actions of the students, faculty, staff, family members and Blacksburg residents, that my friend, that is Virginia Tech.

On my way home from my job at the University of Arizona, I first hear the shocking news on the radio. I was sorry to hear that a community/campus like Virginia Tech has experienced such a tragedy and senseless crime. I wish to send prayers, heartfelt sadness and my condolences to the families of the Virginia Tech students and their community during their moment of grief. God Bless!

As a graduate of Virginia Tech '96 and proud Hokie I was horrified over this heinous act. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims first and foremost. But for those who don't know this university you have to understand the level of school spirit and solidarity at Tech is beyond anything I have ever experienced. It's a truly beautiful campus with an incredible sense of community - one of the finest universities in America. We, as a united group of students, faculty and alumni, will continue to mourn those lost, we will never forget, but we will grow stronger and closer through this tragedy. Let's go HOKIES!!

This is a tragedy that has shocked us all accross the US. I feel a great deal of sadness for all the students, faculty, staff and residents of this community that have been rocked by this horrible event. My prayers are with you all. Stay strong and continue to support each other. Nothing should break your incredible spirit and drive.

One thing I think someone neglected to mention today, is that because of the tragedy that occurred yesterday, we have all become a part of the Hokie Nation. Because of family and friends I have always been a Hokie at heart, and always will be. So let the the students of Virginia Tech lead us all by example....I ask everyone to show your support for the Hokies to wear your orange and maroon tomorrow (4/18/07)! GO HOKIES!

As a big supporter of Va Tech and a season ticket holder for football; this has become very personal. I live about a hundred miles away but make the trip 20 times a year for different events. Biased maybe; but there really is a Hokie family. Traveling to road games and/or bowl games the bond shared between people just because of a sweatshirt or car magnet is phenomenal. I am saddened that people can blame the school for this. I live in the same town as Liberty University. This is a private school that is gated. This could have just as easily happened there. Part of our freedom here in America demands that we also be vulnerable to a certain extent. The school did the best that they could with what was transpiring and with the information that they had. It should be a crime to sue a school for this horrific incident. There are millions of people out there that are strange in their ways that people may suspect of being capable of this type of heinous act but 99% of them will never break a law. Meanwhile there are also millions of people that seem very respectable, friendly, compassionate and gentle that could change in an instant and do such a crime. Not knowing if bi-polar is something the shooter has ever been diagnosed as having I hate to introduce it, but this is common amongst acts of insanity. Bi-polar has very little to do with warning signs, how you were raised, what music you listen to or what you watch on TV. It is a chemical imbalance that can produce itself without warning. We have to pay great honor to those lost and pray endlessly for those affected, but we must also learn something from this that may prevent this from happening again . . . perhaps that there is actually very little that we can do to prevent these things from happening again and concentrate on educating people on what to do while they are in progress.

I'm just so very, very sorry.

YOU ARE VA TECH!!! I am so so sorry for your loss...of your friends, professors, innocence....all Americans are joined with you in sorrow...stand proud VA Tech!! You Shall Prevail!!

I am proud of all Virginia Tech alumni and students there now. I am a 97' grad and I lived in West AJ and had classes in Norris Hall. For those who blame the school, remember this person was a student, and when he walked out West AJ, he looked exactly as the other thousands of students going to class looked. NO ONE could tell he was the the shooter in the first incident. I feel for my school and my Va Tech family so much. I feel for the students. I believe we are all searching for and expect to have "control" over life's events and we get angry when the control is lost. We must all realize that we can do all the planning we want, but in the end we have very little control.

My heart is with All HOKIES.

I have never felt so proud of MY HOKIES. I am a '05 alum of this wonderful school and have two brothers who currently attend, one a senior and one a freshmen. I was extremely moved by the convocation today and feel that Virginia Tech is going to rise up from this stronger than anyone can imagine.

I am outraged by the negative comments from the media, and others. Its so easy to point fingers but I feel that we need to focus on what a great job the administration and police force did. I feel that whether a lock down would have been enacted or not there would have been the same outcome. If not in Norris Hall, on the drill field, in another dorm.

Finally, this idea about sending text messages to cell phone is also a flawed idea. My brother who lives on the first floor of Pritchard and Myself who lived on the 6th floor of West AJ did not have cellphone service inside the dorm.

We need to stand by our Hokies and give them the most positive feedback we can.

Go Hokies!

I am so proud to be a Hokie today. The images coming out of the campus today - replacing the tragic scenes from yesterday - THESE will be our legacy.

Strength in community. GO HOKIES!

We as parents are so very very saddened of the loss of lifes of such wonderful children. Tech students will come back strong as they have what it takes to survive and go on to be great leaders.

To the victims, families, students there just aren't any words that do justice to the magnitude of this situation or adequately voice how we feel for you losses.

To the VT administration, I'm not laying blame here but the question I have that sticks out in my mind, is how a student made it through 3.5 years in this prestigous school if the reports are remotely accurate? I just don't understand how a student who doesn't speak, participate in class etc can make it that far unless there is no such thing as passing or failing in today's schools.
I just don't see how someone this troubled tied up a spot at a wonderful school like VT for so long.

Again, I'm not laying blame but just have questions. I grew up 45 miles from Blacksburg and it's just unimagineable that something like this could happen. A very sad day. :(

TO the Students, Facuilty and Staff,
I am so sorry for this difficult time. Please stand strong, lean on each other and lean on God. May God keep all of you.
HOKIES for ever!!!!!!!!!!

I have always been proud to be a Hokie, but this unspeakable tragedy has shown the world what the students and faculty at Virgina Tech are made of. The students who have given first hand accounts and interviews are remarkable - they have conducted themselves with dignity and class in the face of a media firestorm. This is a tragic accident that could not have been prevented, do not let the media turn this into a political statement or blame game. Lets continue to show the world that we do not blame the police force or the administration, rather we are concentrating on healing as a community and reaching out to the victim's families & friends. Go Hokies!

To the VA Tech students, parents, friends, loved ones, Columbine survivors, Amish survivors, faculty, police, fire dept, emt's, population of VA, and anybody else I have missed that can relate to the horiific tragedy.

We the people, who are from NH and the rest of the heart driven people of the United States are feeling and experiencing your pain. We want you to know that the entire country stands together with you. It is beyond belief that we Americans (ethnic origin has no bearing)cannot send our children to school and have them come home safe every single day.
The VA Tech community, your show of caring, community and solidarity was and is powerful for the rest of us to deal with tragedy in our own lives. I so wish you did not have to go through this and I pray for all of you to live long healthy lives in every way.

The United States send it's deepest and most heartfelt condolences, we are with you.

I am so very sorry. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims and to everyone that had to witness this horrible tragedy.

I am not from your area or anything, but I wanted to send my regards to everyone in this horrible tragedy. My prayers are with you all and your families. Stay strong....!!

This is really a sad tragedy. I watched news shocked and tears burst out with heartfelt sadness.
I send prayers, and condolences to the families of victims and their community.

My thoughts and prayers to all those who were unfortunate. I am just overwelhmed my such monstrosity. I feel very very sad for the families of the victims. May God help you through this. As a mother of three, I feel the sorrow of mothers who lost their children like this and still can't believe how something like this could this even happen here in the U.S. We should focus more on the security of our future! May God Bless us and deliver us from evil!