Editorial for April 19, 2007 edition:


A tragic lesson

The blame game has begun. Some point to lax security, lax gun laws or lack of communication as reasons for Monday’s massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech.
The person responsible for the spree is Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student from South Korea. He killed 32 students and teachers before turning the gun on himself.
As the madman on the rampage, he deserves most of the blame. But Virginia Tech is not without fault.
Published reports have described Seung-Hui as a loner who rarely made attempts to socialize with his peers, questionable behavior for a grown man.
Seung-Hui’s problems obviously started long before Monday, and probably long before he enrolled at Virginia Tech.
But perhaps Virginia Tech would have known he was a threat had they administered a psychological evaluation when he came to the school, and then asked Seung-Hui to get help, or by paying closer attention to disturbing creative writing essays he had written in English class.
A Time magazine article from May 2006 reported that roughly 1,100 college students commit suicide each year, making it the second leading cause of death among that group. In an effort to prevent suicide on campus, and decrease liability for colleges, several schools now require students to undergo psychological evaluations.
The University of Illinois, for instance, requires students who reveal suicidal thoughts to go to counseling if they want to remain in school.
And Cornell University each year urges about 100 students to take voluntary medical leaves so they can take a break from the stress of an Ivy League education, or get professional help should they need it.
In the coming months, Virginia Tech and other colleges should make counseling mandatory for students who show signs of distress. If they refuse, they should be expelled.
It could mean the difference between taking a break and taking a life. ••

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