Virginia Tech says it is closing all academic buildings to reporters and cameras beginning on Monday, and asks journalists who want to talk with students, faculty members, and others to “be respectful of their deep emotions, concerns, and trauma in this extremely difficult time.”
In a notice on the university’s Web site, Virginia Tech also thanks reporters “for your coverage during the past week, telling the stories of our friends and loved ones, sharing in our mourning, and helping us all begin the process of healing.”
The university also says it will mark the one-week anniversary of the tragedy at 9:45 Monday morning by releasing 32 white balloons from the Drillfield, in the middle of the campus, while a bell tolls 32 times. “A release of 1,000 orange and maroon balloons signifying Hokie unity and spirit will immediately follow,” the university says. —Lawrence Biemiller
