2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty members dig deeper into the Virginia Tech shootings
Benjamin Pomerance
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: News
Originally published: 4/19/07 at 4:19 PM EST
Last update: 4/19/07 at 4:19 PM EST
- Page 1 of 3 next >
As images and stories of Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech saturated the news, one thought continued to burn into Plattsburgh State history professor Jeff Hornibrook's mind:
What if it was me?
The event was a tragedy, Hornibrook knew. The entire situation was too horrible for him to think about without feeling ill. Yet it was the stories of the professors who died at the hands of a suicidal gunman, the people who were standing at the front of the classrooms like human bull's-eyes when the shooter stormed through the doors, whose faces have haunted Hornibrook the most.
What if it was me?
One story in particular stood out for the PSUC Modern East Asian History specialist. It was the tale of a Virginia Tech professor who barricaded the classroom door with his own body, trying to protect his students while the gunman pounded away at the blocked door. The professor ultimately was killed. Now, Hornibrook finds himself trying to imagine life in that professor's shoes, desperate to know how he would react if a maniacal shooter threatened the lives of his students. Would he heroically block the door, risking his own life to save his pupils, or would he try to save his own skin and return home to his family?
What if it were me?
"It's hard for me to think in these terms," Hornibrook said. "I've never been forced to do so before. Now, I try to imagine what I would have decided in the ten seconds or less that this professor had to decide."
As a history professor, Hornibrook said he often studies violence. He spends hours reading about riots, torture, guerrilla warfare. In all of these cases, Hornibrook said, he can put himself in the shoes of the perpetrators of some of history's most vicious acts.
This case, Hornibrook said, is different.
"I can't do it," Hornibrook said. "I just can't put myself in the killer's shoes. This is a breed of violence beyond anything we've seen or studied before."
The Virginia Tech shootings have baffled many PSUC faculty members. For PSUC Honors Center Director David Mowry, Monday's killing of 32 Virginia Tech students and teachers attempts to undermine the fundamental principles of a college's existence.
What if it was me?
The event was a tragedy, Hornibrook knew. The entire situation was too horrible for him to think about without feeling ill. Yet it was the stories of the professors who died at the hands of a suicidal gunman, the people who were standing at the front of the classrooms like human bull's-eyes when the shooter stormed through the doors, whose faces have haunted Hornibrook the most.
What if it was me?
One story in particular stood out for the PSUC Modern East Asian History specialist. It was the tale of a Virginia Tech professor who barricaded the classroom door with his own body, trying to protect his students while the gunman pounded away at the blocked door. The professor ultimately was killed. Now, Hornibrook finds himself trying to imagine life in that professor's shoes, desperate to know how he would react if a maniacal shooter threatened the lives of his students. Would he heroically block the door, risking his own life to save his pupils, or would he try to save his own skin and return home to his family?
What if it were me?
"It's hard for me to think in these terms," Hornibrook said. "I've never been forced to do so before. Now, I try to imagine what I would have decided in the ten seconds or less that this professor had to decide."
As a history professor, Hornibrook said he often studies violence. He spends hours reading about riots, torture, guerrilla warfare. In all of these cases, Hornibrook said, he can put himself in the shoes of the perpetrators of some of history's most vicious acts.
This case, Hornibrook said, is different.
"I can't do it," Hornibrook said. "I just can't put myself in the killer's shoes. This is a breed of violence beyond anything we've seen or studied before."
The Virginia Tech shootings have baffled many PSUC faculty members. For PSUC Honors Center Director David Mowry, Monday's killing of 32 Virginia Tech students and teachers attempts to undermine the fundamental principles of a college's existence.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Brian McDonald
Brian McDonald
posted 4/19/07 @ 9:39 PM EST
I do appreciate how expert opinion has been solicited in what may brew into a witch hunt for anyone who meets enough points on a "Cho criteria test".
However, I find that too much media regarding this has scapegoated broad groups of people. (Continued…)
Post a Comment