"A Resilient Institution"

Yes. My alma mater experienced a shooting yesterday.

Amy Bishop, biology professor at UAH (redubbed UAHuntsville), had recently been denied her appeal for tenure. Yesterday, upon learning this, Bishop entered the Shelby Center at 4:00 PM during a biology faculty meeting and shot six people--three dead, two wounded critically, and one currently in stable condition--, five of whom being faculty and the other staff. Shortly after the shooting, the campus was under a lockdown, the police arrived admirably promptly, and Bishop was apprehended. Her husband has also been detained.

Among the dead:
Dr. Maria Ragland Davis, my first biology professor
Dr. Adriel Johnson
Dr. G.K. Podila

Among the wounded:
Dr. Joseph Leahy - critical
Dr. Luis Rogelio Cruz-Vera - stable
Ms. Stephanie Monticciolo - critical

For more information, please visit these sites:
WHNT
NY Times
Yahoo!
And a recent, disconcerting addition here, at NPR

Barring the late emergency system, I am proud of the way UAH and the city of Huntsville effectively handled the issue. The police were prompt, there wasn't absolute chaos on campus, and the way the community is coping comforts me a bit. Many people are relieved that the shooter was not a student, but the very fact that it was an esteemed professor actually makes it worse for me. A professor is someone who is supposed to have his/her head on straight; one who has taken the leadership or mentor position is supposed to guide people through their education and at least respect his/her colleagues--not gun them down when tenure is unattainable at this point in time. Not only is it frightening and horrible for the college community, but it's also indescribable for Bishop's family--not only did she wreck the lives of the victims, but her actions have also negatively affected her children and those close to her.

There isn't any use asking why this happened, or if the administrative system is at all to blame (which will inevitably crop up, as it so often does). We need to pick up the pieces, to quietly, yet strongly, let people realize once again that UAH is a good university. A strong university. A university that will not let tragedy drag it down, that possesses a united campus in this time of darkness, and that will carry on and improve because of what has happened.

Though I do not often agree with the new administration, I do appreciate and esteem President David Williams's words:

"UAHuntsville is a resilient institution. We will face this tragedy together, [we] will learn from this experience, and we will emerge with strength and confidence."

UAH is no longer my home, and it is no longer an active part of my life. But, I will be there for my university, as it was always there for me. I don't care if there's an ocean separating us.