THE bserver OThe Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Marys VOLUME 41 : ISSUE 119 TUESDAY, APRIL 17. 2007 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Campus reacts to Virginia Tech massacre ND students directly affected by More than 30 victims shootings through ties to VT killed in United States' deadliest mass shooting By AARON STEINER News Writer Associated Press BLACKSBURG, Va. — A gun­ Virginia Tech is more than 500 miles from Notre man massacred 32 people at Dame, but the effects of what reports call the dead­ Virginia Tech in the deadliest liest shooting rampage in U.S. history have been felt shooting rampage in modern here on campus. U.S. history Monday, cutting A lone gunman shot and killed more than 30 peo­ down his victims in two attacks ple and injured dozens more on the Blacksburg, Va„ two hours apart before the uni­ campus before committing suicide Monday, accord­ versity could grasp what was ing to Associated Press reports. Officials told AP that happening and warn students. the gunman killed two people in a dormitory approx­ The bloodbath ended with the imately two hours before staging a separate attack gunman committing suicide, on a classroom building. bringing the death toll to 33 and Nearly 30 people were estimated to have been stamping the campus in the pic­ injured, according to area hospital officials, CNN turesque Blue Ridge Mountains reported. with unspeakable tragedy, per­ The Notre Dame community is saddened by the haps forever. tragedy. Assistant Vice President of News and Investigators gave no motive Information Dennis Brown said Monday. for the attack. The gunman’s “Our prayers go out to any people affected,” name was not immediately Brown said. released, and it was not known Notre Dame will hold a memorial Mass for the vic­ Above, officials whether he was a student. tims tonight at 10 at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. “Today the university was Brown noted that members of the administration evacuate victims struck with a tragedy that we know people at Virginia Tech and said the University consider of monumental propor­ sends its support and prayers. from building. tions,” Virginia Tech President Students reported hearing the news through vari­ Charles Steger said. “The uni­ ous sources throughout the day Monday, with some A t left, versity is shocked and indeed hearing from friends and family directly tied to horrified.” Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech But he was also faced with dif­ Graduate student Patrick LaFratta, a 2005 Virginia students react ficult questions about the uni­ Tech alumnus who said one of his friends had died in versity’s handling of the emer­ the shootings, said he had been in contact with to tragedy. gency and whether it did friends from the school throughout the day by phone enough to warn students and and online. ♦ protect them after the first LaFratta said he first heard the news of the shoot- burst of gunfire. Some students see SHOOTING/page 8 AP PHOTOS see MASSACRE/page 3 Law students show discontent Ca m p u s L ife Co u n c il Several voice strong Task forces finish criticism of school's administration, classes up year's initiatives By KEN FOWLER 0 Chairs give updates on progress as News Writer leadership terms draw near to close Notre Dame’s recent six-spot drop in the US News and World Heather Rakoczy, direc­ Report Law School rankings has By KATHLEEN tor of the Gender Relations highlighted feelings of discontent M cD o n n e l l Center (GRC), m et w ith the among Law School students for News Writer task force members reasons ranging from ordinary to “because we [committee overarching. Members of the Campus members] wanted to make While many have questioned the Life Council (CLC) spent sure that our efforts would leadership of Dean Patricia their meeting Monday be complementary to the O’Hara, the dean said she under­ wrapping up initiatives the Center’s current efforts,” stands why a conversation about group’s task forces began Andrichik said. the future of the Law School would at the start of the year. Since current and future be taking place after the release of Unlike other bodies in GRC programming through the rankings, which knocked Notre VANESSA GEMPIS/The Observer student government, the groups like Men Against Dame from 22 to 28 — the pro­ Notre Dame Law School, above, dropped six spots in a recent national CLC did n o t u n d e rg o Violence aim to confront ranking. Many students have expressed discontent with the administration. gram’s largest drop since 2000. administrative turnover on the larger issue of objecti­ “I can appreciate that for stu­ April 1, so former student fication, the Conduct dents it’s very unsettling when dents after the rankings were ings was in its selectivity rating. body president Lizzi Awareness committee there’s a drop in the rankings,” released, O’Hara said the Law For the 2006 incoming class, the Shappell and vice presi­ decided to use its O’Hara said. “And so it’s not at all School administration would fully Law School’s acceptance rate dent Bill Andrichik still resources in another venue — it’s very understandable that evaluate the reason for the drop. jumped to over 21 percent. But, lead the meetings. — hall staff training. students would be upset by that However, she stressed that the O’Hara said, an analysis of other Andrichik, the Conduct DuLac does include a decline and that there be a certain schools in places Nos. 20 to 30 fin­ school’s numbers showed similar Awareness task force number of rules on amount of conversation and dia­ ished with unusually close overall jumps in acceptance rates around chair, explained how his pornography, and training logue going on within the Law rankings, indicating the separation the country, minimizing whatever committee proposes to hall staff should help con­ School community as a result of between 20th and 30th is minimal. effect it would have had on Notre address the issues of front that issue, Andrichik that.” One area in which Notre Dame’s pornography and objectifi­ In an e-mail to Law School stu- base score dropped for the rank­ see LAW/page 4 cation on campus. see CLC/page 3 page 2 The Observer ♦ PAGE 2 Tuesday, April 17, 2007 I n s id e Co lu m n Question of the Day:what other mascot would be appropriate for A/D? What if...? I don’t know how much you have been following the developments from the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech on Monday. Personally, 1 really Jared Zenk Pat Kennedy Corey Arvin Jimmy Wilson Justine Duffy Caitlin McKinney haven’t been, at least not as much sophomore sophomore sophomore sophomore freshman junior as I probably Dillon Morrisey Morrisey Alumni Lyons Welsh Family should. John Tierney The television in my room is not “A priest. “A can of Natty “Ghost riders.' ‘The Lagoon “A squirrel.' “According to News Wire glued to CNN and Maybe Father Light.” Creature. ” Kaleidoscope I don’t really Editor know all that Hesburgh. ” McDaniels, a much about what gremlin." happened. But I know that at least 32 people died Monday, and at least 28 people are injured. I know that Monday’s tragedy was the largest mass shoot­ ing in United States history. It was the largest mass shooting in the history of the United States. I’m not going to be that guy who sits here lecturing about how our values and morals as a society have I n B r ie f gone downhill, and how this shoot­ ing is just more evidence that socie­ ty needs to refocus religiously, as I There will be cholesterol heard some television pundits say screenings today from 7:30 to yesterday afternoon. 10 a.m. in 234 Grace Hall. No I’m not going to speculate on what appointment is necessary. compelled the gunman to do what he did, or on what could have been Bethany McLean, a sen io r done to stop this tragedy from hap­ editor and writer for Fortune pening. magazine and the co-author of But, I am going to pose a couple of “The Smartest Guys in the questions. What if this happened Room: The Amazing Rise and here? What if — instead of at Scandalous Fall of Enron,” will Virginia Tech — this happened at speak tonight at 7 in the Jordan Notre Dame? Auditorium of Mendoza about Could you imagine the panic that the lessons learned from the family and friends would be feeling, Enron scandal. while they wait to see if you are alive? Could you imagine the panic Notre Dame women’s softball that you would be feeling while you will play a doubleheader against try desperately to find your friends, Western Michigan today at 3 to see if they are still alive? What p.m. at Ivy Field. Admission is would you have done if you could free. have done something to stop some­ thing like this? Notre Dame baseball w ill I can’t really give you any play Toledo today at 6:05 p.m. TIM SULLIVAN/The Observer at Frank Eck Stadium. answers. I can’t really answer those Junior Eileen Wilkie picks up windmills after a day-long windmill farm event on questions myself. South Quad to promote alternative energy awareness. The entire situation seems so dis­ Notre Dame women’s softball tant to where I am, sitting in my will play Ball State Wednesday dorm room, listening to the song at 5 p.m. at Ivy Field.