Spring Issue 2007
From the Director
Grieving a Campus Tragedy
How do We Support our Students' Private Grief and Healing?
One of the presentations at the AACC convention was “No Campus is a Safe Haven; Preparing for and Recovering from Acts of Violence.” The presenters had no way of knowing that the next day a young man would take 33 lives, including his own, on a college campus.
As leaders, we spend a lot of time talking about differences. One of those differences is how we heal. There is no one right way, and, as one of the presenters pointed out, our own style may not meet the needs of others.
Our challenge is to make sure that individuals get the help they need, while respecting their choices – including the choice to grieve privately. It is a challenge I hope most of us will never face.
If you'd like to share your thoughts on this, please email me at Barbara.viniar@cornell.edu.
Barbara Viniar, Ed.D.
Executive Director
