Julie - University of the Free State

Students bring campus
shooting closer to UFS
The shooting at the Virginia Tech (VT) in the United States in which at
least 33 people died, became for Kovsie students more than a mere
news item that shocked the world. At the time sixteen students from
Virginia Tech were studying at the Main Campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein
on an exchange programme of six months.
They were devastated because of the loss of their friends who were
killed when an armed man opened fire on a hostel and classroom on
the Blacksburg Campus of Virginia Tech.
Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean: Faculty of
Natural and Agricultural Sciences, said: “We mourn
the senseless loss of life. This also marks a very tragic
chapter in the history of higer education. As academics
we are connected in making the most of human potential
and pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge making this
incidents more difficult for us to understand.
“To you, our Hokie visitors, our students, our friends, we
want to extend our deepest sorrow and support. Words fail to
encompass a calamity of such magnitude. It is hard to imagine
your pain and anguish. At this state, we can offer our attention,
our consideration and our sympathy.”
No students of the UFS were studying at Virginia Tech at the
time of the shooting. Virginia Tech students stayed in Bloemfontein
until the end of the June examinations.
Arrangements were made for the VT students to receive pastoral
and psychological counseling. Everything possible was done to bring
them in touch with their friends on the Blacksburg Campus.
Centenary News
July 2007 • Bult
27