Opinion

National tragedy hits home

Amidst the conversation, remember the lives lost at VT

By Matthew Conyers

Posted on April 19, 2007, at 12:00 a.m.

Cycling, music and girls.

More than four years ago, those were Peter Chudzik’s primary interests when we talked.

For better or worse, that’s what we discussed on a daily basis during our three years together on the Manchester High School cross-country team. As runners on one of the top cross-country programs in Connecticut, Chudzik and I traveled across New England and out West in hopes of pursuing long-distance glory. During those stretches together, we formed not only the bond of teammates but of friends.

Like any high school relationship, though, life changes quickly. Over the past four years, I haven’t talked with Pete as much – at best, we chat maybe 20 times a year. When we do meet, it is often in the summer or at a large gathering and the dialogue is minimal.

Still, none of that mattered two days ago. For the first time in a long time, all I wanted to talk about was cycling, music and girls.

On Monday, Chudzik was sound asleep in his bed, while the worst shooting in U.S. history occurred less than 15 minutes away.

As Chudzik slept, his roommate managed to escape one of the classrooms in Norris Hall that shooter Cho Seung Hui opened fire on during his horrific killing spree. Chudzik’s roommate, who we will not name here, was one of two class members to walk out of that classroom alive.

While all this went on more than 2,000 miles away, I began receiving instant messages from various teammates from that same cross-country squad. What was being said was short and to the point – had anyone talked to Pete. By the time word had officially spun back to us on AOL Instant Messenger that Pete was fine – as fine as could be expected – more than 15 minutes had passed. While those 15 minutes ticked away, I thought of a lot of things. Nevertheless, the one immovable thought I couldn’t rid myself of was Chudzik’s family and what they must be going through.

Now, two days since the shooting, it is this thought that remains constant in my mind.

As debates continue to rage over who is to blame or if the media is overdoing its coverage, I just have to ask, why?

For many this bloody massacre has served as an opportunity to get up on a soapbox and preach their politics. Whether it is about gun control or school safety, several groups and people have and will continue to use this event as a springboard for other discussions. They will attempt to dive into the psyche of the American citizen. They will attempt to blame the university for not acting soon enough. In addition, they will analyze the steps needed to protect students from future attacks. It will still be debated, scrutinized and in the end, overdone.

In this paper, there are columns discussing the event in regards to gun violence and how the media presented the subject. For the next month, this is how it will be, no matter how pointless and wrong it all truly is.

I will not pretend to understand what those involved are going through, nor will I begin to offer advice or wisdom. I cannot begin to fathom the ramifications of what has happened and I would be ignorant and obtuse if I tried. But what I do know is that this is not about the right to carry guns to school or slow reaction time. This is about family and those affected.

In the coming weeks, the families of the lost will begin to bury their loved ones and put the event behind them as best they can. Ultimately, time will have no effect on how quickly those families will be able to recover – if they ever do. Nevertheless, what those families and departed deserve is for the rest of us to shut up. This is not a time for petty debates on media coverage. By involving ourselves in those discussions, we are only ignoring what we should be doing and that is praying and thinking of those far worse off than us. There will be a time for those questions and breakdowns, just like everything else, but this is not it. Let those thoughts and opinions be paused for just a few days if you can. Rest assured the topic will still be there when you get back, student forum members and talking heads.

After all, this is a time for grief and remembrance. If anything can be understood about all this, it’s that the families and those involved deserve that.

Matthew Conyers is a fourth-year journalism major.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 19th, 2007, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.