1991

In 1991, the University of Iowa had a shooting. It was my senior year of high school, after I had decided I would attend UI the following fall. I remember the sites of the killings creeped me out back then--I never liked Van Allen Hall in particular, and was more than happy to successfully avoid entering Jessup until 2005.

I still don't like Van Allen Hall (but have been stuck in classes in it all year), and whenever I walk on the T. Ann Cleary Walkway, I remember why it got its name. Most of the students now don't know about the Gang Lu shootings. It was horrible, but it has been mostly forgotten. Other than a small plaque and wreath that nobody pays attention to, there's not much left to remember it by.

I don't think Virginia Tech's horrific incident today will be forgotten by that campus in the decades to come. The scale of it is just too big. My heart breaks for the victims, their families, witnesses, and the rest of the university community.

Posted by Jenelle at April 16, 2007 09:20 PM | TrackBack