Our thoughts go out to Virginia Tech.

Our thoughts go out to Virginia Tech. All of us here are quite saddened by the shooting at Virginia Tech. I dont know what to say. Today, President Susan Hockfield sent this message out to the MIT community: From: Susan Hockfield Subject: Tragedy at Virginia Tech Date: April 17, 2007 To: [emailprotected] Reply-To: [emailprotected] To Members of the MIT Community: Yesterdays tragic events at Virginia Tech have shocked and saddened all of us. We offer MITs condolences to the students, faculty, and staff of Virginia Tech and to their families. We invite all members of the MIT community to an interfaith ceremony of healing and reflection, organized by the Institutes chaplains, tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, April 18, at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel. We anticipate that in the days to come members of the community will organize additional opportunities to gather in remembrance. At the same time, we encourage those with connections to the Virginia Tech community and those who find themselves particularly disturbed by yesterdays events to contact the many individuals and offices at the Institute who can offer support, including the Mental Health service in MIT Medical and the housemasters and tutors in the residence system. In the wake of the events at Virginia Tech, many have asked about our preparations in the event of an emergency at MIT. The Institute maintains comprehensive emergency preparedness plans, which are assessed and updated regularly. We are fortunate to be able to rely on the professionalism and expertise of our colleagues in the MIT Police, the Environment, Health, and Safety Office, the Department of Facilities, the Medical Department, and the Housing Office. All of these key operational areas have comprehensive and tested action plans in place, which they would implement in the event of an emergency. Our thoughts will be with the Virginia Tech community during the days of mourning ahead. Sincerely, Susan Hockfield