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NARR: About two hundred students gathered on Collage walk on the Columbia Campus and lit candles in memory of the victims at Virginia Tech. The pattering rain did not discourage people-walking-by from joining the vigil.
ACT: (11 sec) We gather in this time of national moarning to pay tribute to the students, faculty members and others who so tragically lost their lives at Virginia Tech.
NARR: Students here shared one thing in common as they congregate hundreds of miles away from where crime occurred - they fear for their own safety. Natalie Torrez is a fourth year engineering student at Columbia, she says the shooting happened at her own back yard.
ACT (23 sec) The Shooter lived about 20 minutes from my home. He was part of the Korian community and I am half Korean. I know my parents and my friends in the area are devastated to hear this kind of news. They have been getting weird looks from the other people in the area. My parents feel ostersised already.
Daniel Okin is the president of the under graduate Engineering students council, he says students are concerned about their safety.
ACT (13 sec ) Daniel Okin: Where this happened it is something that happened very close to home for all students because it could have happened anywhere.
NARR: James McShane is the Vice-President for Public Safety at Columbia. He says his office has adjusted to the growing security concerns.
ACT (17 sec ) We have introduced a couple of new initiatives this week to try to help students feel a little more safe. We replaced the student aids whom we had working in the on-campus resident halls during the day time, we have replaced them with uniformed security officers. I think most students would fell safe when they see the uniformed person there. Having said that, I am happy to say that this campus is a very safe place. One of the safest campuses in the country.
NARR: At the vigil Okin said students should not let their guard down.
ACT: (11sec) Personally, it had made me a little conscious of my surroundings. But as an elective representative it has made me very conscious of ways to insure ways to insure that this does not happen at Columbia.
NARR: For now uniformed security officers will remain on guard until the end of the academic year.
Henok Fente, Columbia Radio News.