Plans for Virginia Tech's Norris Hall announced (Wizbang)

I never thought the building should be razed. From AP-

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech classroom wing where a student gunman killed 30 people and himself and wounded two dozen others last spring will be turned into a place to study peace, the school announced Thursday.
Having vowed never again to use Norris Hall for general classes, school officials said the rooms will house the new Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.

"It was an opportunity for something new and different and hopeful to emerge," said provost Mark McNamee, who headed a campus task force that reviewed proposals for the use of Norris Hall.

Besides the peace center, the second-floor classrooms where Seung-Hui Cho killed 30 of his 32 victims will host an interactive learning space.

After the April 16 killings, ideas for the future of the three-story gray stone building ranged from restoring classes as usual to turning the building into a memorial or razing it.

Don't make fun of what the hall is going to be used for. I'd love to live in a world where there was no war and violence. It is an ideal, but not realistic. If anything let the Hall stand as a monument to a horrible tragedy that I pray never happens again.

I still believe the hall should be renamed in honor of Professor Liviu Librescu whose actions saved many of his students. That would bring closure so far as to the Hall's future.

As for the news of how state of Virginia and VA Tech deal with any compensation to the victims families and the threat of a lawsuit, I'll blog about that tomorrow.

Comments (7)

Si pacem vis, para bellu... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by Francis W. Porretto | December 20, 2007 9:41 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

Francis W. Porretto

Si pacem vis, para bellum.

(And by the way, the Parabellum 9mm round is a good choice for a personal defense handgun.)

Posted on December 20, 2007 21:41

To make a proper tribute to... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by Azygos | December 20, 2007 10:17 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

Azygos:

To make a proper tribute to those who were killed may I suggest they erect an indoor shooting range and teach the students how to protect themselves. And teach self ddefense classes also.

Posted on December 20, 2007 22:17

Might i suggest that instea... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Spurwing Plover | December 21, 2007 12:51 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

Spurwing Plover:

Might i suggest that instead of having one of theor dumb GUNS FOR GOODS programs might i suggest they hold trade in your liberal wusietard demacratic pansie for a real man

Posted on December 21, 2007 00:51

It's obviously just too hor... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Jim Addison | December 21, 2007 1:23 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

Jim Addison:

It's obviously just too horrible to ever have classes in the building again. In fact, isn't just too horrible to ever have classes on campus again?

Maybe they should level the whole darned place and plant a Peace Orchard.

Posted on December 21, 2007 01:23

"...said the rooms will ... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by Oyster | December 21, 2007 7:58 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Oyster:

"...said the rooms will house the new Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention."

Where they will no doubt reinforce the idea that "a gun free zone is a safe zone".

Posted on December 21, 2007 07:58

I still believe the h... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by HughS | December 21, 2007 8:02 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

HughS:

I still believe the hall should be renamed in honor of Professor Liviu Librescu whose actions saved many of his students.

I like that idea, but also belive that classes should resume in that wing of the building.

But please don't turn over the sight to something called Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Instead, perhaps they should make it the first site on campus that allows concealed carry permit holders.

Posted on December 21, 2007 08:02

Perhaps the "interactive" p... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by Chris in VA | December 21, 2007 12:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Chris in VA:

Perhaps the "interactive" portion of the new, kindler, gentler, warmer-and-fuzzier scholastic environment will be an activity called "duck and cower" as opposed to, say, "ready, aim, fire!"

Oh well, at least "feelings" will have been assuaged, which it the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of "higher" (and lower, all pun intended!) edjumikayshun nowadays.

Gun control means a nice, tight grouping.

Good grief, Charlie Brown!

Posted on December 21, 2007 12:29