Virginia Tech to re-open part of Norris Hall’s 2nd floor on April 10th

Virginia Tech plans to re-open part of the second floor of Norris Hall on April 10th.

The building was the site of the mass-murders by Seung-Hui-Cho on April 16th, 2007.

The university says the west wing will become open to the public at 2:00 p.m., following remarks by President Charles Steger, Provost Mark McNamee, professor Ishwar Puri (head of the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics), and Jerzy Nowak (founding director of the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention).

According to a news release from Virginia Tech, the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention will occupy the six new rooms and laboratories located on the west wing of the second floor.  Tech says those spaces include:

• The Global Technology Center (a state of the art video teleconferencing center)
• Meeting and administrative space for the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention
• A gathering space for student team projects
• The IDEAS Undergraduate Learning Center (where engineering students can work with other students or teaching assistants to go over material covered in classes or labs)
• A biomechanics laboratory
• The Biomechanics Cluster Research Center

Tours of the west wing of Norris Hall will begin at 2:30 p.m., and the event is open to the public Tech says.

“When we began considering what the future would hold for this section of Norris Hall, we wanted to, first and foremost, honor and respect the memories of those we lost and those who loved them, and honor and respect those who survived the tragedy,“ said McNamee, in the release. “What has emerged, I hope, has done that, and will promote student-centered transformative learning, discovery, and engagement,“ he added.

“Through the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, we hope to develop transdisciplinary programs that target prevention of violence through research, education and engagement,“ said Nowak, in the release. “Relocation to Norris Hall has a symbolic character to the families and friends of the victims, to the survivors, Virginia Tech, the Blacksburg community, and the world.“

“We look forward to opening of Global Technology Center,“ added Nowak. “This facility, equipped with the latest in hardware and software, is designed to enhance collaboration and communication at a distance. It will serve both the center and Engineering Science and Mechanics, it will further expand the notion of community, foster development of transdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students, and facilitate transformative learning,“ Nowak concluded.

“The complete reoccupation of Norris Hall will mark another important milestone on our road to recovery,“ said Puri, in the release. “My colleagues and I will reenter the building with humility in our hearts and resolve in our minds. We will remember the fallen, some of who sacrificed themselves to protect others on April 16. We will rededicate ourselves to our mission as we work to mentor and provide the best human resources for our society in these challenging times.

“This project has also enriched all of us, since it has encouraged our community that was deeply struck with pain and shock to work together as one,“ Puri added. “Together, we have recreated an afflicted space to make it once again suitable for teaching, research, and service. Thus, I hope that the impact of our activities in Norris Hall will fully honor the legacies of the fallen. We know that we have that special objective to remember as a guiding principle.“

Tech says the decision to re-open the west wing of Norris Hall’s second floor came out of the university’s task force on the future of Norris Hall.