For those who don't know, there was recently a shooting at Northern Illinois University.

For those of us here at Tech, it has been like re-watching a nightmare that we prayed nobody else should ever have to face. To all the husky nation, know that all the hokie nation is behind you. We are here if you need us. It is terrible and we never wanted to be able to say this to any other person, but we know how you feel. Please stay strong, and know that we are always thinking of you.

I don't know anybody there, but here are a few tips I have for them, or anyone going through a similar situation; please pass them on if you know someone!

- In all likelihood, you are in shock. I never understood what that meant until April 16th, and I'm sure it is different for everybody. One thing that the counselors here told us is that it is normal to have a hard time focusing, concentrating, or even "thinking in a straight line." So, for all those students, know that you have not "suddenly become stupid," you are in shock, and it will come back with time. Which leads us to tip two...

- Be good to yourself, and to each other. An event like the 14th can rip apart any community, so just be calm and gentle with each other. Friends may say harsh things. They are suffering, too. Do your best to be patient and kind to others, and give yourself your comforts, too. If you recharge with people, stay around people. If you need to be alone, don't deny yourself that time. You need to be in good shape to help those around you.

- Accept that healing will take a different amount of time for different people, but that it could be a very long time. It has been nearly a year now since the shootings at Tech, and I am very far from healed, just for a reference.

- The press has probably already been all over your school. They can be annoying, and they can be callous, but they can also be very kind. Just don't let them pressure you. You may be asked to interview. If you think that will help you heal, go for it, but do not feel pushed into it. The world will understand your silence just fine.

- Similarly, I don't know how your school will handle it. Ours immediately responded with some very nice--and very pointless--PR stunts. They were unifying, but they were also empty motions. Just be ready for this, and don't expect your school to 'spring into action'.

- My roommate adds this point, with which I strongly agree: If you feel like none of this applies to you, that's probably normal, too. It will hit you in its own way, it will change you in its own way. It is all very specific to who you are, so nobody really knows what to expect or recommend. Just do the best you can, and know that we are rooting for you, and are here if you want to talk. Honestly, please note me.

Now, onto a somewhat more serious note...
- It is alright to be frustrated. I am very upset myself right now, a year later, because I feel that my friends died in vain. I am enraged that the murder of 32 people here did not cause the world to take the actions necessary to prevent the deaths at your school. They have done next to nothing here to prevent another such attack, and it upsets me when people speak about it as though crazy people with guns are just a natural disaster--an unstoppable fact of life. This is NOT TRUE. If you want to know what can be done to protect yourselves and others in the future, then I recommend looking into concealed carry. I am personally pushing for those who have gone through the proper training and background checks to be licensed to carry concealed guns on campus for their defense, and for my own. This is a hard truth for a lot of people to accept, but a big sign disallowing guns on campuses says only "Hey, here are a bunch of disarmed people for you to attack," to murderers, rapists, and thieves. The research is out there proving that concealed carrying saves lives, so if you consider yourself to be open-minded and you want to do something productive from these two horrible situations, there is something for you.

So ends my rant. Huskies, I am thinking of you all. I will not forget.

FRIENDS:


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