I 1'.

Stump, Shannon
TCSPY 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 9
Academic Council Meeting
Location: Solitude Room. The Inn
(

From: Smith, Sandra

Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 2:54 PM
To: Hincker, Larry; Byers, Ralph; Weaver, Jim; Redican, Kerry; Heidbreder, Kay; Benson,
Richard; Davis, Jack; Gerhardt Schurig; Hitchingham, Eileen; Niles, Jerome; Kelly, Mike;
Chang, Lay Nam; Quisenberry, Sharron; Sorensen, Richard; Blythe, Erv; Fenwick, Brad; Ford,
David; DePauw, Karen; Dooley, John; Flanagan, Elizabeth; Hikes, Zenobia; Hyaft, James;
McNamee, Mark; O'Rourke, Kim; Shelton, M. Dwight; Smoot, Ray; Tom Tillar
Evans, Susan; White, Deidre; Smith, Carmela; Smith, Patricia; Oliver, Emily; Jones, Denise;
Martin, Cynthia; Morgan, Joyce; Norman, Sheila; Perkins, Linda; Quarterman, Peggy;
Roberson, Elizabeth; Stearns, Diane; Donna Sanzenbach; Dottie Kirkland; Feuerbach, Nancy;
Hayes, Angela; Council, Keohi; Kingrea, Terry; Nora Lucas; Pettry, Pam; Price, Linda; Fleet,
Shirley; Snider, Connie; Stump, Shannon; Williams, Gail S.; Wright, Teresa
Subject: This Week's Academic Council Meeting Changed to May 9

To Members of the President's Academic Council:

Due to scheduling issues beyond our control, it has become necessary to move the Academic
Council Meeting from May 10 to Wednesday, May 9, 9:30-10:30 a.m. at The lnn in Solitude room.

Please let me know if you will be attending or the name of your representative.

Thank you.

Sandy

Sandra W. Smith
Administrative Assistant to the President Virginia Tech (0131) Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
5401231-6231
ssmith@vt.edu

H
 hut:,

THs INN.qr VIncINIA TEcH

nNp SrsLToN CoNTnRENcE Curvrsn

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The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center

901 Prices Fork Road - virginia Tech Mail Code: 0104 Blacksburg, vA2406L
Telephone: (540) 231-8000 www.theinnawirginiatech.com Facsimile: (540) 231-0146
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Why we won't leam from Virginia Tech: The problem with hindsight
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Why we won't leam from Virginia Tech: The problem with hindsight bias
By Dave Smith Subscribe Now
Lead Street.l$UnaEdL]sellinal Instructor

I
Today's Top Stor
In the days fottowing the mass kiltings on the c€mpus of Virginia Tech, a broad anay of experts waxed eloquently
that lhey could
have prevented the-tragedy. lt was a clearly preventable and easily'predllable incidentl An obviously violent
and insane young Thursday,I
get away? Obviously he
man and a homicide re-port-ed two trours earlier, wtlat else could it mean? Sinca when do murderets try lo .,1 lltan smuggles-q
rr,ould retum and murd;r dozens ot sludents and professors on the campus...so obvious because we ktow il happened.
.we know
the ending of this story. ..: Eli-lp-diu rrCo-ol
search for bidoe

tt,s that certainty, thal k',owirg, that changes things, kills ambiguity, doubt and probability ot any other ending.to this series of a itrairsdq$glfl
events. lt's knoiring what nnally happenea, that changes our memory of 6vsnts. lt's a phenomenon that erieds us constantly, neaqs!sls-atreo
continuously and unconsciousty; it's invisible. a Eedgsslweeps
olrno oeooe

This phenomenon has a name: hindsight bias. lt's also kno\,vn as 'creeping determinism' to bettar descdbe its relentless and | 9tllq[ese_giCs
unoerceived affect lt's lhe direcl result of knowing the ending of a story or event that was totally ambiguous when it began. lt tums
out hindsight is not only 2ol20: ii is also a false eye charl oftho pastl All of Today's New!

Uncertainty and ambiguity are lhe constant companions of our conscious processes, whether we are watching a movie or Discuss The Net
responding to a crime-in-progress. Who's ihe good guy and who's the bad guy? Vviat twist will lhe plot take and how will the story I
end? ..1 Policeone Nev

Have you noticed that watching a thnller is never as scary or exclting the second time you watcft it... you know the ending! Our Uq&lo4mg
conscious mind deals with movies and real life the same way: by using the past (our memory) and predicting the future. The thing
lhat makes a movie scary is imposing unexpected (or in some cases expected) events on the audience. In real life, we try to predicl News from Cops
events based on pasl events, which is still the besl way to guess what will happen I
-) Monlana state Ar
drunk Crive.t - Jul
Novel or unfamiliar circumstances force us to use associated memories, as close to the present context as possible to make -r lowa qly to buy I
prediclions. Unfamiliar situations create greater anxiety and more likelihood of enor. Therefore, our @nscious mind searches for the qelg-- June 18, 2
familiar, sometimes finding lhe right aclion, sometimes the wrong one. -l ShdsBateqs.un
helps..Pslie pi$
2007
Stitl we generate a plan. Plans a|e called 'remembered fulures'and we ah ays joke about having a plan so we have something to
abandon in a cdsisl Plans otten fail us since we are merely predicting and cannot know what will happen. After an event has
passed, it's easy to see what we st ould have seen c€ming. Hindsight bias mskes the siould seem so obvious, when, in fact, it was l ore News from Cc
notl Whether you?e the officer whose decision is being reviewBd or the one doing the reviewing, understanding the phenomenon ol
seeping deteminism is essenlial to undarstand what occuned,'and to leam trom the svsnt. l$ sub,m!t. [ers-

One potice aclion certain to be reviewed is a shooting. Assume you rBspond to a disturbance call and end up shooting subjecl A. I
Oflicer Down
You will immediately write or verbally reporl your interpretation ot what occuned.
-| ohra. g.fflc€f Cie!

Sergeant Stephen I
Horvever, something has happened to your memory of the event In comparison to your having scfuart experienced the event.
You've forgotten or reinterpreted all of the amblgulties you faced at the scene; creating a smooth flow-of-events that seem to lFranklin County, Of
inevitably lead to the shooting. -) Pori Bane Polic

Oavld Richard - 08/

That is ho , you wlll probabty write your report as if all of the cues and all ot the signs pointed to ard a shooting and you were lPort Bane, Louisian
inexorably led to that end. You'lltoryet the ambiguity created by Eubiects B, C, D and E, and their actions. You'll forget your
Spraia! Assol-d

httpy'/www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/calibre-pres sl articlesl 129 83 47 I 8t9t2007

 Page 2 ot' 4
Droblem wlth hrndslght blas
why we won't leam trom vlrgmla I ech: lhe

-) ascided

a Spscial Agent Kiml

as y6u walked into what was shortly to become
concemswithdepartmentalpoliciesCertaindoubtswitlbe.JorsoTen:dglbiaboulyourb-ackupandhow-concemedyoursupeMsor
going rnrouPlt
is with time spent on catts anO arr tne oitrJ irroughts 0a10612007
-y9-uj InTd the re@lleclion ot lhe expenence
crime scsne. A' hings not reEvanl ro i;; nnar o-utcoire tiirr be d-ropped from lwest Spinglield. M
All..offsgr D-pJllns-
Havingservedonshootingrevia^,boafds.|eimete||youoneofthefirstquesuonsesked:.cou|dtheofflcerhaveavoidedthe
-r.yil'i-"i could ha\€l'This question assumes 8 timeline or
plot-line
shooting?. The coneo
t-r'r"
"""pecl nat a linear equabon with a modest set of $s:ronnimrotnl
ror me seffiiiiriiltiiri]i,ioir"iiti
"n"y"r," ""tr"-i"r'1, unc"rrainty. tite is
simirar ro watchins a mouie
variiltes. ano sini'pty changing x will lead to Y with certainty'
I
Featured column
and
particutatly actions involving human interaclion streelwise administtators
This ignores the dynamic nature ot the real \r,,orld, t?t two But iustitying
investioators intuitivety to, rr" oi o.iiilng -runaons and knofl-thai shootings, like the leng.o'
O"r"tit'inism
, boards. rhEy a6rve. as a feedback_mechanism for
;H;ffi;;;i#;-;'#;;';"; "ojr"t ;r,#,-;;;"1;!
"ti"-J o"nri or
teviewed in the coirtext of the organizational environment'
musl be'eviei
organizationat leaming. fhe Oecisionsl;O-aaions ot oiicers
n* ,o groror';;ffi;!1i;; ;6 ;Gen potiry anO supervision, training and the sreet or expedation
I
ffi
Does rhe department
and ability?

This same problem exists in case studies of ofiicers kitted. Did

!,\€ leam the rioht tesson trom the review? lt's so easy to iudge and -
find flaws. Especially *,tr"n*. rno* tltr!-"-no oiitte srory ano trink we have folund the one vatiabl€ io account lor the tailing ol an
tail to take inlo
--
;;;ii;;;";Gii ilsume ro oie is'to raiD. rtrese siigte variaue analyses leave us teamingdisabled' since weproblem' he failed' ..)Pl Fiell Repgrt
might hav; saved his llte No
account the entire context ot ttre sltuation. rne oflic€r did x, and we teac6 Y, whicfi ne[ltrrlwllltglj
we're okayl Pad.?

perhaps . . . we must try to recreate the context of lhe incident to include the ambiguities and parspectives faced by the ofiicer' This
panicipant or an inwstigator. Does the organizalion
i"-#"i vo, rult oo ir y'ou are invoveJin a hlgh profile incjdent,.eithar as a present? whai was known and unknown by the ofticer
Draclice what it preacnes ano reacnesi vvhat-environmental variables were
ipon amvinEf Vunt were the human variabtes in terms of numbet, aclions, etc ?

Maybe this is a good time to retrack the virginia Tech shootings. wtlat
predic{oE v,,ould anyone have to expecl a shooling two
young men dO lve have in this country that
hours after a double homicide that looked li-ke an enraged lover? Ho , many disturbed
police officers on campuses all over this nation The
stalk without killing? The real lesson here is thal we have so many unarmei
leaming point is to arm them, but lhat witl not recognized thanks to hindsight bias'

Experts will all ctaim they could ha\€ easity predicited this tragedy that the
police failed by not closing a-campus the size of a city,
health experls will
anil mosty btaming will 6e the tocus ot the riental energies of the peopla reMarring lhis tenible eventl Mental
(as \r'le if iave some magical
claim to h;ve easit been abte to see this villain's sympaoms and stopped him long betore he struck
movie.
porin to Oefain toffs we think might be a threat bisea on thair isolation trom others.) lt reminds us of lhe science fiction
'Minodty we only had
Rapott, wiere people are anesled and convicled because they lvould have committed a crime in the future.lf
more liws. hore sensitivity classes, more counselors...jusl nol more law enforcement ollicers with guns.

Here's the lesson: On your calls, remember, all people are ambiguous. problematic: they must be attended to at some level You
do
guard and your
not kno , the ending of the next call and nothing can be assumed about anything that would cause you to lei your
awareness dorn. When you sit down to write ihe story of the incident you iust exPerienced, you musl account for creeping
your mind atd
determinism. Remember, your memory will have eliminated the ambiguity and uncertainty. You need to recreate it in
in your report. Review each decision you made along the way.

Ask yoursell what other choices were available and what the context of the Situation told you aboul the consequences of any one
deci;ion. V$at ted you lo anticipate that consequence for that action, and why would you seek or svoid it? Rec€ll ihe aciions of all
the aciors (good and bad) and record them as you par"e,vad them the tirsl time, withoul clear knowledge of who is good, bad or
simpty a wiiress. This m;ntal naiveG may help t|ainers, investigatoB and administralors analyze incidents more effectively. lt could
maie leaming more dramslic tor students and organizalions. This mental approach allows for adjusting iraining and policies that
may adverseiy affect the pertormance of our personnel, lt sbo exptains why decisions were made which ofien appear irrational in
hindslght.

Officers entering every sltuation are weighing agency and supervlsory issues, liability issues, safeiy issues and peer and observer
pressures, knoiing thit this may Ae a completely novel and unique incidenl wlth risks they've never seen before. Police work is a
beticate balancing-of risk factors, and the ehect of creeping determinism is to make the resuli seem predetermined, imminenl and
avoidable. Unfortunately, lite isn'l so cut and dried.

Alt decisiorc coniain risk. In law entorcement we make decbions attempting to mftigate or @ntrol those risks. Training, policies and
experience alt help or hinder us in any given situation. All of our life in the present. The now ls novel and uncertain to some degree,
yel we still try to create certainty.

Untortunately, certainty only exists in the past, in our memoties. In critical incidents the key is to understand wiat may have led lo
the office/s decision-makin-g under the stress of the incident and leam from that. We should revere their sacritice and be willing to
examine everything thal 'r\€ighs on their decision making. This shoutd include agency factoB that might need coneclion. Humans
en, organizations Cn and mamory often interferes with the identification ol the root causes of those mistakes. Fslse certainty that
someliing was obviously going to happen hinders our leaming. We cannot live in a free gociety and eliminate risks of violence like
we saw in Virginia. HoweGr, the pseudo-predictability of thls event by all the talking heads and the facl that they know the ending of
these events illl prevent society and law enforcement trom leaming the real and imPorlant lessons ot this event.

By understanding hindsight bias we can attempt lo creaie the context and ambiguity ot thls ctisis that we are analyzing We will then
be able to more effectively identity factors that lead to the decisions and subsaquent actions. In doing this, we leam more,
organizations adapt quicker and officers receive betier training, policies and supeMsion, This ultimately gives us greater

http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/calibre-pre ssl arncles/ 12983 47 I 8t9t2007

 Page 3 ot 4
Whywewon'tlearnfromVirginiaTech:Theproblemwithhindsightbias

Drediciau|ityincrisesandimprovesouroddsofwinn|ngh|gh'isksitualiong.

More on the VA Te€fi Active Shooter lncident

Reterences:
-
qI^EVE^RY^DAY THINGS New York Basic Books'
Donatd A. Ndman,Ph.D. (198E)' THE PSYCHoLOGY
Fisdlo||'8.(1975).H|NDS|GHT.ioies]eii._r-riiiriecrorowc<jiiirrlowr-eoeeoNJUDGMENTUNDER
Porcsltion and Psrlormsncs' 1' 288-299'
or e*p"iti"il] e-iviit;99-1' !"'31
-v;;,8;;;;:^;;;,Jou."r
UNCERTAINTY.
ph.a ti ses). s'a,iiiEiirN'o ioiiseFErY. N6.v tirunswick rransac'tion Publishers'

pfovidsd trao to su'om law onforcement professionals'

The catibre Pre3s streel suMval Ne$Fllne i8 a u€ekly l]3ining^s-news'lelt6f q$tom-witten training articles
pubtished by pdiceon".-r, r," t"*!iin" i*l
rainarea in ldes and has diafibuted needy l.ooo
readership
.t2 yeaB. Authors have inaudfi'ir" of ni n"Uon'" bading ttain€;a; law enf;rcamer administrators and
over th€
spans from pafol ofi*o O top go*nlii"niom&ii-fror a slzes.;To sub3ctlbe, visit \r!"./w.calibEoress com
"gencies

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'nt$@ment
d Pdicaone
ftr,mbet ot fulid,,{,na to pg a a rnpn, lii compng bdow aD m&]f,argts'rc,tr/.tr,a i'ld * neas"attty .Flfied tha ofinioos
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 Pa-ee I of 2

Hincker, Larry

From: Govemors Update Mailing List[govupdate@govemor.virginia.gov]

Sent: Saturday, Apnl21,2007 4:07 pM
To: GovemorsUpdate mailing list
Subrect Govemo/s News Release

COMMONWEALTH OF WRGINIA
Offrce of the Governor
Timothy M. Kaine T1OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Govcrnor April2l,2007
Cotrtact: Kevin Hatl
Phone: (804)22*A60
Cell Phone: (804) 3919406
Internet: www.governor.virginia.gey

GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES FINAL TWO

APPOINTMENTS TO VIRGINIA ]ECH REVIEW PANEL
- TriData Corporation to provide research, support services _

RICHMOND - Govemor_Timothy M. Kaine today annsunsed two additional appointments to

the
independent panel that will evaluate circumstancessurrounding tUonauy;t t ug"dy at virginia Tech.
The Honorable Diane M. Stricktand served as ajudge of the 23rd Judicial
Circuit Court in
Roanoke County and the cities ofRoanoke and Salem beiw; 1989 and 2003. prior
to that, she served
two years as a Generat Disbict-Court judge- After 15 years on the bench, Judge
Strickland now works
for The McGammon Group, a legding mediation and arbitation firm. Retentf, she co-chaired
a two-
year study by the Boyd-Graves Conference on issues sunounding involuntary
mental commitment.

Carroll Ann Ellis is Director of the Fairfax County Police Deparment's Victim Services
Divisio& and frequently provides comm'nities with trainiirg and technical assistance on the impact
ot
members. Ellis serves as a faculty."rLr at tne igtjs National e.ua"1nv"'tr,.
-n9rrycia9-91family
National Victim Assistance Academy, and Northern Virginia community college.

. - .*Itsystems
judicial
is important that this independent review include a look at the ways our public
safety and
address the challenges of individuals with mental health issues, and Judge
Strickland's
?pe19199 and insights in this area will be extemely valuable," Governor Kaine said. ,,in uaaiii*,
carroll Ellis has been a pioneer
crime victims and witnesses, andin.the .development of services desigrred to meet the specific needs of
that is another key perspective thai mustbe included in this ieview."

Judge strickland and]vls. Ellis_complete al

gight-perpon review panel led by rerired Virginia
state Police Superintendent Gerald Meseengilt. othi panel r"*u.rc p.l"uiously
announcea in-ctuae
former u.s. Homeland Security anl rennsytvania Governor iom Ridge, former state
l::t"gry
Council ofHigher Education for Virginia director Coraon Devies, r"ti."a rsl
Nltional Center for the
'Analysis of Violent Crime administator Roger L. I)epue, notea ciritd and adolescent psychiarrist or.
Aradhana A. "Bela" Sood, and Dr. Marcus L. Martin, assistant dean for the Schoof
oiMedicine at

4/21t2007 c 0,11 4
 Page2 ot'Z

ttre University of Virginia.

In additio4 Governor Kaine announccd today that Tr.lDrtr Coraoretion of Arlingon, Va., will
provide research and staff support for thc indcpcodd rwicn' pancl. TriData is one of the nation's
leading managqlpnf consrlting finns, ed specializcs in providing analysis in the areas of emergency
preparedness aDd €,o€rgeocy rcsponse, irclding asscsws oathe response to Hurricane Isabel and
the Columbinc High School shooting.

Information on ths timc and loccion oftb rwicwpmcl's meetings wil be forthcoming. It is
anticipued the grop will produce initial rcconncodrtioos by this fall.

###

4Dtn0a7
 Page 1 of 3

Hincker, Larry

From: SPencer, Nonine BaileY

Sent: SaturdaY, APril 21,2007 10:42PM
To: Hincker, Larry; Owczarski, Mark
SubJect RE: Attn: Dr. Norrine Bailey Spencer

Larry and Mark,

Ed and I slipped away to Pennsylvania last night to attend a memorial service today of a life-long fricnd
of mine with whom we often vacationed. Manv tears have been shed this week for nrecious
iost people.

I would prefer not to respond on yield until after May I (as we always do) on the numbers.

However, in terms of people who have written" I am overwhelmed with the number of people who have
confirmed that their decision to enroll here was confirmed by the spirit and community the,v saw. Some
are on post-it notes with their response form and others are eloquent notes and some are e-maiis in
response to our electronic Hokie neu's sent just yester&y. There are fewer than five that said thev could
not send their student until we could guarantee their safety, have a new presidenVpolice chief/etc. and
two of these were intemational. There are also, alas, some crank notes about how we admitted a
---fill
in the blank--instead of their son and daughter and a few threats which I have forwarded to wendell. If
you would like me to do something on the very positive response in notes, I will do so when I rerum
Tuesday from a conference here in Baltimore tomorrow through Monday night. (lt is hard not to be
there Monday but David thought I should be here with professional collelgues, to shorv e go on and
meet my commitnents here. Sigh.)

In terms of the numbers, we made offers to yield 5000 freshman (same sizr as last year); and as of
Friday we are just where we were last 4/20 (about60% of the class is in); these numbers are nor rcliable
thoug} until it is "over" with the National Response Date of May L Too many things can intervene---
the illness ofaprocessing staffperson, an unanticipated tagedy, to whit, etc. I am iuppy to sharc this
data with. David, Dwight pj
lou- but not the press. I have asked our IT person to start tiicking the
cancellations starting 4/15 from this year, 2006, and 2005.

I ary happy to discuss anytime you call (cell 357-0068) so that you feel informed about,what I am
seeing. Godspeed to you both. I would not wish this past week on anyone but so admire your conducr
and hope you too are receiving these e-mails of zupport from colleagues. I am going to rry,-to stan
responding in some way to what is now over 800 of them.

Norrine

From: Hincker, Larry

Sent Sat 2007-04-21 18:08
To: Owczarski, Mark; Spencer, Norrine Bailery
Subject RE: Attn: Dr. Norrine Bailey Spencer

Why can't we respond that we will have no idea until after May 1 of any class profile. This story is not yet
here.

Larry Hincker

1/22t2007
 Pase 2 ol 3

Associate Vice President

University Relations
Virginia Tech
314 Buruss Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540 231 5396
hinc,ke_r@vtcdu

ryWginiaTedr
From: Owczarski, Mark
Sentr Saturday, Aprll 21, 2007 4:19 PM
To: Spencer, Nonine Balley
Ce Hincker, Larry
SubJect RE: Attn: Dr. Nonine BailEy Spenaer

Nonine-

\Mat will help at this point will be for your to prepare talking points and trend lines on responses /
bedback from those students we've admitted and awafing yield.

ls there an impact? More people coming hatwe expected? Less? The same?

Depending on he trends you are seeing, we may have a wonderful story.

Can you prepare, ASAP a 1-2 page brief on what you are seeing in admissions so that we can advise
how to respond?

Don't know how to advise because we don't know what,s going on with your shop. . . . .

Many thanks

Mark

From: Spencer, Nonine Balley

Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 1:08 PM
To: Owczarski, Mark
SubJect FW: Attr: Dr. Norrine Bailery Spencer

Please advise.

Norrine Bailey Spencer, Ph.D.

Associate Provost and Director of Undergraduate Admissions
201 Bumrs Hall
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA2406l
540231-6267
s40231-3242 FAX

Frcm: W Admissions (vtadmiss)

4D2t2007
 Page 3 of3

Sent Friday, April 20, 2007 1:04 PM

To: Spencer, Nonine Bailey
SubJectr FW: Attn: Dr. Nonine Bailey Spener

Hello Dr. Spencer. This one was addressed to you.

- Erik

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Mrginia Tech
201 Bunuss Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: (540)231-6267
Fax (540) 23t-3242

Frcm: Nina Lentini [mailto:lentini.nina@gmall.om]

Scnt ThuMay, April 19, 2007 8:45 AM
To: vtadmiss@rt edu
Subfect Attn: Dr. Nonlne Bailey Spencer

Dear Dr. Spencer,

I'm the editor of Mark"tg D-4y,

11 online publication that is read by thousands of marketing
professionals every day. Until last fall, I was a media director at Connecticut College, where I-
lad been employed for seven years. In facg the son of one of my former colleagues-was lost in
Monday's tragedy there.

I know you are in the middle of yield season and I can't imagine how difficult this situation must
be for you on several levels.

I haven't s-egn lour story told elsewhere, and I'd like to speak witb you about how you are
handling this. Is there room in your schedule for a lS-minute phone conversation?

In any case, Dr. Spencer, I extend my deepest sympathy.

NinaLentini

Nina Lentini
Marketing Dai ly editor/reporter
nita@lnediapostralo
unaluMediaPsst&gm
860-705-1737
AIM = sreganina
Skype = nina9153
Linkedln

"Celebrating the Silver Annivelsary of my Rolodex, lgg} - 2007"

4/22/2007
 l,/i(a7

April21,2007

Our Universitl' has been visited by a tragedy of monumental, unforeseeable, and

unimagilable proportions. Our sorrow i5 limidss5. Our hearts ache for the families of
those lost innocents. Indeed, they are our family. We reach out and pray for our students

and colleagues still recovering and we pray for a speedy return to the campus.

There will be time for the world to leam from this honific event but as a University we
must not be defined by this event. As so eloquently delivered at the convocation, "we
will prevail."

It is important that we understand and embrace not only the griel but also the iimitless
questioning and anger of so many involved. If we are not to be defrned by April 16u',

2007, we musq with sincerity, accept analysis; we must leam -we must let the world

learn - from our experiences so that understanding becomes wisdom, and from wisdom
we will rebuild.

We fully expect Governor Kaine's and President Bush's commission and our own

internal comprehensive review and the reviews, discussions and analyses from many
professionals around the world that certainly will follow, to yield answers to benefit
Virginia Tech and sociefy at large.

It is premature for early-stage guessing. The quest for answers must come from a
thoughtful analysis olso many aspects of our tragedy whether it.will be the role of
:-: , zLi-- (.,.
emergency response, -b.mergency communications, mental healtti- lnternal protocols for

sharing information, priuacy lawsistudent counseling - the list goes on we ask thar our
colleagues in the University refrain from public discussion until we have all the facts.

while this is taking place, we focus now on our snrdents, and indeed on ourseives. the

faculty, adminisuators and staff. We have a noble vocation and sacred trust for those we
were responsible to serve.

c 0,11 5
Our responsibilities are manifested in doing what we do best. We are a university. We

are Virginia Tech. We are immersed in a special sphere of American society - the sphere

of leaming, discovery and engagemenl These are morc than mere words. This is what
defines us. This is what drives our spirit. This is what drives our quest for knowiedge --
'knowledge for knowledge sake,
knowledge to rmderstand ounelves and the world around
us, knowledge to improve our own well-being, and knowledge to improve every facet of
life on the planet.

Virginia Tech ranks among the nation(great academies. April 16tr cannot change that. It
is important tbat we tell the world our story. Inded if there is sns thing that sets us

apart from other large American miversities, it is our sense of family. Last week proved

that. Over the years people have told us, we act and feel much smaller than our large
nunbers would otherwise reveal. Call it a Hokie Spirit - cdl it a deep sense of caring -
call it a love for each other.

We have seen the woild respond to or:r spirit with cormtless expressions - large and small
*- a worldwide moment of silence at noon April 206 or an imFromptu student memorial
of 32 - and now 33 - Hokie Stones on the Drillfield. Donning the orange and maroon in
all corners of the globe begins to memoralize the legacy of our lost friends and students.

with these and so many other exprcssions, we not only leave a legacy; we start fresh

today, because we are Virginia Tech.

Larry Hincker
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 EMERGENCY RESPONSE RESOURCE GROUP MEETING
Aprll23,2007

1. Updates from KeY Areas '

a. Counseljru Services - FlYnn

,/
b. Prorrost: Hanna
,/
c. Facilitied- Elvey
'/
d. Parkirynd Transportation - Mouras

e. Human ReFources - WoodariJ

-/
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f. I nformatiqlTechnology - Lilly/Pollard
-/
g. Universi$ Develgrment -Theodoe
(no gifrfee)it-,/
h. Student Services - Rick Johnson.
,/
i. UUSA- Steele
(Sfafus otgl6rt)
j. University Re-lations -Trulove
(Sfafus offrfe media)

k. University RePF-Wanda Dean

l. Others

2. Relocation of white boards; preservation of Hokie Stones

3. Timeline

4. Other lssues
 VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSIruTE
AND STATE I'NIVERSITY
PROJECT

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