Virginia Tech report not accurately reported in media
Re: “Va. revises Virginia Tech shootings report,” Dec. 5
The Virginia Tech community and all the families and victims of the April 16, 2007 tragedy hurt deeply with the appearance of each new story about the violence that struck our campus more than two and a half years ago.
The Examiner recently published an article about the release of the amended report produced by the state panel charged with investigating the tragedy. Unfortunately, there were revisions that led to insinuations and implications reported in the media that are not correct. The amended report states that “at least two Policy Group members” notified family members of the West Ambler Johnston Hall shootings that preceded the shootings in Norris Hall. This is not correct. The two staffers who did mention the shootings to family members in advance were not decision-makers in the response to the initial shootings. In one case, a mother on her way to work called to wake up her son for class, as was her practice. During the course of their brief conversation, she mentioned that there had been a shooting on campus. She instructed her son to go to class that morning, which he did. The other staffer received a phone call from the university while she was leaving her children with her mother. During the course of their conversation, she said she had to leave quickly because there had been a shooting on campus. Clearly, these two conversations do not comprise any effort by university staff or Policy Group officials to notify their own families of danger in advance of notifying the campus community. Reports that the president’s office was locked on the morning of April 16 are also not correct. A person with an office down the hall directed that his office be locked, but the president’s office was not locked nor was it ordered to be locked. The 2007 tragedy, with its wrenching loss of life due to one deranged young man, continues to sear the hearts of all who were touched by that terrible day. We will never stop asking why Cho did what he did, or what we can do to make sure it never happens again. As we do so, our university will continue to be committed to full transparency of the facts that lead us to understanding.
Mark Owczarski
Director of News & Information
Virginia Tech
Contracting reforms in D.C. are long overdue
Re: “D.C. Council takes aim at contractors,” Dec. 3
How many contracting messes will it take before the District gets the message that greater transparency and procurement reform is urgently needed to ensure that city contracts are awarded to responsible companies? The Housing Authority deal is not the only example. Hawk One, the city’s former security contractor, collapsed in October, forcing the District to deploy police officers to our schools and leaving taxpayers with the bill. Hawk One still owes paychecks to approximately 750 security officers, many of whom have been scrambling to pay the rent and keep their utilities on. The best way to protect the District is for the Council to start requiring performance bonds in its contracts, making sure that it doesn’t incur higher costs if the contractor defaults on its obligations. The Council should also require that contractors post payment bonds that ensure their employees can recover unpaid wages and benefits. Another essential step for meaningful procurement reform that will prevent the waste of precious tax dollars on irresponsible contractors is ensuring that the Council is provided with a meaningful opportunity to review service contracts, and that all contractors and subcontractors are properly vetted.
Jaime Contreras
32BJ District director
Service Employees International Union
Victimization attitude now trumps fact and reason
Re: “Baltimore’s mayor is no victim,” Dec. 3
Kudos to Mr. Gregory Kane for his candor. His message rings loud and clear: “The law is for EVERYBODY! And, please stop this victimization, especially if you are found guilty.” I would not be surprised one iota if certain folks think of Mr. Kane as “Uncle Tom” or having sold his soul to the devil. It is a sad historic fact that for centuries, African Americans have been subjected to humiliating and despicable treatment, which only the most ignorant and bigoted would deny. I am sure Mr. Kane has heard the mantra “the man is out to get us” zillions of times. But the “victimization” attitude is so prevalent that political correctness now yields to fact and reason. I was terminated as an adjunct professor after I tried to discipline a group of irrational, disobedient and disrespectful African American females who disrupted everybody else’s efforts to study and gain knowledge. Even though the majority of my students – black, white, Latino and Asian – wrote a petition to the school management, I was the scapegoat to political correctness.
George Primov
Manassas
