The Impact News

Issue date: 5/5/07 Section: News

Students pay tribute to the those fallen at the Virginia Tech shooting.

On Monday, April 16, 2007, 33 young men and women were brutally shot by a fellow student on their schools' campus.

It is the deadliest shooting in modern U.S history.

On Tuesday, April 17, 2007, Mercy College held a vigil in honor of the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy at the Dobbs Ferry and Bronx campuses. Vigils at other campuses soon followed.

The first vigil, which was held in the lobby of Main Hall in Dobbs Ferry, had a large turnout of nearly 150 students and faculty- a fact that did not surprise President Louise Feroe.

"People needed a chance to share their feelings over this horrible experience," Feroe told The Impact.

"All of us are here today because of our empathy," she told the crowd.

Feroe also reminded those gathered that gathered that having control over every aspect of our lives is just an illusion, a fact not lost on students.

"I feel like this could have happened at any university," Sebastian Polanco, a Mercy freshman said.

The vigil, according to Feroe, was also important because this incident affects all college communities. "We are alongside Virginia Tech. We, along with every college across the nation, are in the same learning community."

Arusyak Simsercak, a graduate student who has been following the story said, "It is my responsibility to be here."

"I think it is important to show respect for those who have been affected by yesterday's tragedy," senior student Lindsay Levasseur stated.

While Feroe warned the vigil attendees not to take another person's grievances for granted, students took another important lesson away.

"It reminds me that the possibility is there. Safety shouldn't be taken for granted," Levasseur said.

"It was surprising that it happened again in an educational institution where it's supposed to be safe," Simsercak said.

"It's a shame that such an occurrence can happen at a university, of all things," Polanco stated.

Later that evening, Provost Michael Sperling and Security Director Pete DiCaro joined Feroe in addressing student residents. The president urged students to ask any type of question that loomed on their minds.

Students commented that they felt the Virginia Tech shooting was not properly handled by security and administration. Some voiced that they felt the campus should have shut itself down after it was discovered that the first victims were shot.

DiCaro stated that he did not want to critique the performance of Virginia Tech, but stated that such a situation would be handled differently if it occurred at Mercy.

Sperling assured students that administration would be listening if students came to them with concerns about the behavior of a student and urged open dialogue between faculty, administration and students.

In a message to the university, Feroe stated that Mercy has begun to review its emergency plan and ability to protect all the members of the community. She told students that communication between faculty, students and security on the campus is essential in times of a crisis, and administration will discuss what are the most efficient methods for Mercy College.

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