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Virginia Tech History Resources: We Remember : April 16th, 2007

This guide details resources intended to help those doing research on the history of Virginia Tech, including the use of Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, and related resources.

We Remember : April 16th, 2007

On April 16, 2007, 32 professors and students were killed and dozens of others injured by an active shooter at Virginia Tech. The following resources provide more information about the event and its aftermath, including the university's Remembrance ceremonies and the government's review of the university's actions during the event. The University Archives also maintains the Virginia Tech April 16, 2007, Condolence Archives and related collections with items received by the university to memorialize and mourn those lost. 

We continue to remember the 32 victims:

Ross A. Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian R. Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee

Liviu Librescu
G.V. Loganathan
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain
Daniel Patrick O'Neil
Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole Regina White

Mental Health Resources

Addressing difficult topics can be stressful and cause anxiety, difficulty concentrating, sleep loss, and even concerns about safety. If you or a loved one needs help, there are many resources!

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text MHA to 741741

  • 24/7 Cook Counseling Hotline for VT students - 540-231-6557

  • NRVCS Raft Crisis Hotline - 540-961-8400

  • Just need to talk? Mental Health America of VA Warm Line - 1-866-400-MHAV (6428) 

  • Visit https://well-being.vt.edu/ for student resources and https://hokiewellness.vt.edu/ for employees.

  • Additional Emergency Services information available from the Cook Counseling Center at https://ucc.vt.edu/.

Comprehensive resources

Collections

Collections at Virginia Tech

SCUA also has a collection of emails with Steger related to April 16th, which are unprocessed. Please contact SCUA for more information.

Collections at the Library of Virginia (https://www.lva.virginia.gov/)

Digital Collections and Online Exhibits

Publications

About Special Collections and University Archives

Virginia Tech's Land Acknowledgement & Labor Recognition

Virginia Tech acknowledges that we live and work on the Tutelo / Monacan People’s homeland, and we recognize their continued relationships with their lands and waterways. We further acknowledge that the Morrill Land-Grant College Act (1862) enabled the commonwealth of Virginia to finance and found Virginia Tech through the forced removal of Native Nations from their lands in western territories. We understand that honoring Native Peoples without explicit material commitments falls short of our institutional responsibilities. Through sustained, transparent, and meaningful engagement with the Tutelo / Monacan Peoples, and other Native Nations, we commit to changing the trajectory of Virginia Tech's history by increasing Indigenous student, staff, and faculty recruitment and retention, diversifying course offerings, and meeting the growing needs of all Virginia tribes and supporting their sovereignty.

Virginia Tech acknowledges that its Blacksburg campus sits partly on land that was previously the site of the Smithfield and Solitude Plantations, owned by members of the Preston family. Between the 1770s and the 1860s, the Prestons and other local White families that owned parcels of what became Virginia Tech also owned hundreds of enslaved people. We acknowledge that enslaved Black people generated wealth that financed the predecessor institution to Virginia Tech, the Preston and Olin Institute, and they also worked on construction of its building. Not until 1953, however, was the first Black student permitted to enroll. Through InclusiveVT, the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (that I may serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence, we commit to advancing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.

Full and short version of the acknowledgement can be found on InclusiveVT's website.