Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Regarding Marc Fisher's Jan. 13 Metro column, "At Va. Tech, Near Silence for a Student's Anguished Cry":

How many times do Virginia Tech officials have to deal with a threat of suicide by a student before they realize that communication within the university is seriously deficient?

Doesn't management comprehend that police departments are not equipped to provide counseling or to deal effectively with threats of suicide before a tragedy is actually occurring? Why has Virginia Tech not followed Cornell University's lead in communicating with the parents of apparently troubled students and investigating prolonged absences from class?

Virginia Tech has had more than eight months since a mentally ill student killed 32 people and himself on campus to put in place safeguards that might have prevented this latest tragedy, but apparently little has been done.

The university still doesn't seem to know what is going on with disturbed students, and its failures are characterized by buck-passing and legalisms. Virginia Tech needs leadership that can do more than produce winning athletic teams.

DALTON A. GRIFFITH

Reston