Four Months Later, How Safe is VA Tech?

Four months have passed since a student went on a shooting rampage and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech. As the fall semester begins, safety is on the minds of parents and students alike. CBN News examined campus security and what's being done to protect students as they head back to class. Dino and Lalani McCann's home will soon be a little less crowded. That's because they're sending not one - but two daughters off to college this fall. Zipporah, 19, graduated from high school as a shining track star - something that's paid off through a full scholarship at Virginia Military Institute. And 18-year-old Rebekah has chosen to attend Virginia Tech - the scene of this country's deadliest school shooting. She'll be staying in the very same dorm where the first two shootings took place. "I was scared at first." Rebekah said. "But it could have happened anywhere." Still, she said not going to the school never entered her mind. "I knew I was going to go," she said. "It's a great school." Zipporah applauded her sister's decision. "When she told me she was still going to go, I was like 'Good for you, do it,'" Zipporah said. In light of what happened at Virginia Tech, a lot of parents are worried. But not Dino. "I don't really have any fear in all honesty," he said. "I'm not worried about it. "I remember when it happened I called my daughter at home," Dino recalled. "I said 'Honey you know what's going on?' And she said 'Yes, I've seen it'. I said 'Well how are you feeling about that? Are you fearful; you anxious, you still want to do this?' She said 'Absolutely, I'm not scared. I want to move forward.'" But Lalani briefly pondered her daughter's decision. "I can't say that I didn't have some concerns," she said. "Of course, it was a real shock for me to see what was happening on the television when it was actually happening. In my heart I felt like my daughter wasn't going to choose another place because I felt like she was pretty set on where she as going to go and this wasn't going to change her." The Virginia Tech massacre impacted colleges and universities nationwide with many having since made campus security a top priority. "We've looked at the lessons learned from Virginia Tech and went back and looked at our protocol and our procedures and how we protect our students, faculty and staff and see if there's anything we can do better based on the lessons learned," Rudolph Burwell, assistant chief of campus police at Norfolk, Virginia's Old Dominion University, said. Virginia Tech officials turned down CBN News' request for an interview, but in a letter to parents of new students, administrators outlined several new security policies. For instance, all dorms will be locked 24 hours a day, accessible only to student residents with an electronic pass. Students can register for the new emergency notification system and older door locks will be replaced with exit bars that cannot be chained from the inside which happened during the shootings. Like Virginia Tech, many universities now use emergency text messaging systems that can alert students via cell phones and email. "They started something new this year. Whenever there's a problem, they send out text messages to give you a warning if anything's going to happen like another threat like what happened earlier this year at Virginia Tech, so that we can be safe," one Old Dominion freshman said. Despite the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech, school officials say enrollment is up and students are moving in and moving forward. "I feel safe here after that happened especially because I'm pretty sure that everything around here is going to be locked down all the time and they have like new safety measures and everything. So I'm not worried at all," Va Tech freshman Loren Shanks said. Another freshman, Dylan Pearson, felt likewise. "I feel totally comfortable, safer than ever," Dylan said. "It's no big deal, it could happen anywhere. I have a feeling it's going to be safe." Dylan's mother said, "I feel like the security here is going to be a lot better than other places because of what happened." CBN News was there when Rebekah arrived on campus. "I'm excited about being here," she said. "I feel safe in the dorm even though what happened." "Praise the Lord. She's here. We got her all here in one piece," said Rebekah's mother. Dino said he's pleased with the upgrades the university has made and how overall security has been handled. "I know they've put a lot of thought into it and a lot of effort," he said. "I think they've thought out the processes." But some parents are so concerned they're using the popular Web site Facebook.com to inspect and screen their kids' incoming college roommates. Experts offer the following tips to ease the fears of parents and students. - Communicate. It is important that you address your college student's concerns and invite questions. - Keep perspective. That is, reinforce that violent acts like the Virginia Tech shooting are rare. - Be encouraging. Encourage your children to continue working toward their goals. - Be proactive. Do things like going over the schools' safety and security procedures with your teen. The McCann's offer another bit of advice -- something they take to heart every day. "I always remind myself of Psalm 91," Dino said. "It talks about 'He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.' Here's the key: it says 'No harm will come to you' and so I believe that for both my kids, that no harm is going to come to them because they're dwelling under the shadow of God." "He is their protection. He is their shield," he said. "I can be at home at rest and at peace I can go to work. The Lord's going to watch out for them."