Stephen F. Austin State University

Professors at Stephen F. Austin State University are prepared to answer some of the questions that have arisen since Monday's mass murder at Virginia Tech.

A public forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday in Liberal Arts North, Room 102, according to criminal justice faculty member George Franks.

Franks and other criminal justice faculty members including Karren Price and John Boyd will lead a presentation and answer questions from those in attendance.

"This is in response to the phone calls and concerns we've received from our students since Monday," Franks said. "They want to talk about what happened, and we're prepared to do that."
Franks said he has discussed the shootings in his classes, and students have raised questions that he is unable to answer.

"It's too soon for us to have all of the answers," he said. 'But what we can do is talk about it and all the issues related to it."

Franks said counselors will be available at Thursday's forum, and police officers will be present to create a sense of security.

According to information provided by Dr. Lauren Scharff, SFA psychology professor, a survey conducted by researchers T.A. Huston and Michele DiPietro after 9/11 revealed that students found it helpful whenever faculty tried to acknowledge the tragedy in some way (one minute of silence, a short or long discussion, mentioning counseling services, etc.) "The results indicate that from a students' perspective, it is best to do something," the survey concluded. "(Students) appreciated when an instructor responded in a unique and humane way."

SFA faculty members are also available to answer questions from the media on the following topics

The loss of lives at Virginia Tech has stirred emotions that counselors are comparing to those experienced after 9/11. How can people deal with the trauma and grief?
Contact: Human Services faculty (counseling) Bob Choate -- office: 468-1147 / cell: 564-9757

In the wake of the America's worst massacre, administrators at Virginia Tech face challenging questions as their policies and reactions are scrutinized. How do public administrators handle these types of situations?
Contact: Political science faculty
Dr. Heather Wyatt-Nichol -- office: 468-1309
(Note: She received her PhD at Virginia Commonwealth and is knowledgeable about that part of the country)

Although little is known about the Virginia Tech gunmen, previous campus shootings reveal some commonalities among those who perpetrate such crimes. What is the psychological profile of those who commit mass murder, and are there ever "warning signs?" Can a campus ever be "prepared" for something like this, and is there anything that students can do to protect themselves against a crime of this nature?
Contacts: Criminal justice faculty
George Franks - 468- 2061 office/ 554-8626 cell Karren Price -- 468-2685 office John Boyd -- 468-2176 office

What are the many different aspects of crisis communication that must be considered at a time like this?
Contact: Communications faculty
Jim Towns - 468-1084