2008 Woodie Awards
V-Tech gathering provides much needed dose of hope
Paul Richards, Daily Pennsylvanian via U-WIRE
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: News
Originally published: 4/19/07 at 4:10 PM EST
Last update: 4/19/07 at 5:50 PM EST
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What started as a somber gathering after a tragic massacre ended with Virginia Tech students erupting into cheer, a much-needed dose of hope and pride for a beleaguered university.
Virginia Tech held a memorial convocation service Tuesday afternoon at the university's basketball arena, one day after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history occurred on campus. Students, family and friends gathered at the arena and the football stadium, where the event was also broadcast.
The line to get into the service stretched for well more than a mile, and the eerily silent crowd packed the arena to capacity.
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush were present at the memorial service, and the president addressed the grieving crowd.
"It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering," Bush said, adding that he hoped the Tech community was aware of the support they were receiving from all across the country.
Other speakers included Tech President Charles Steger and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.
English professor Nikki Giovanni offered perhaps the most moving speech, ending with a cadence of, "We will prevail, we will prevail, we will prevail! We are Virginia Tech!"
As if at another Saturday afternoon football game, the crowd cheered along with her in solidarity, offering a standing ovation and taking up the "Let's go Hokies!" chant.
"At first, I was like, is this appropriate?" junior Katie Behm said of the cheering. "And then I was like, yeah, it's appropriate. It's just showing everybody that we're not going to fall down with this."
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