April 16th: Family of Jarrett Lane reacts to survey about Virginia Tech president

More details are released in the April 16th shootings at Virginia Tech.

Some victims’ families want president Charles Steger and Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum to step down.

As we’ve reported, the university made an archive of documents available to the families last week.  Portions of that archive were later posted for all to see by Vrginia Tech’s newspaper the Collegiate Times.

It includes e-mails from Seung-Hui Cho’s professors.

A survey by our newpaper partner, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, found that 16 families of the 32 students and faculty murdered at Virginia Tech say president Charles Steger should step down.  Five want him to remain president.  One wouldn’t say either way.  Three families couldn’t be reached.  And seven did not respond.

One of the seven is Tracey Lane, of Narrows, who tells WSLS that a day doesn’t go by that she doesn’t think of her son, Jarrett.

Tracey Lane says, “This time of year doesn’t help.  Jarrett loved Christmas not so much because of all the presents, but because the true meaning of what Christmas meant.“
 
Lane says she believes that her son would still be alive today if the university had been quicker to notify students of the first shooting at West Ambler Johnston Hall.  She agrees with families who support Steger’s resignation, but doesn’t think Steger will leave given that Tech’s Board of Visitors supports him.

The Board tells WSLS in a statement that, “The Board passed a resolution of support of president Steger in June 2007, and he continues to have the full and confident support of this Board.“

Lane didn’t respond to the survey, instead she’s focused on changing policy.  She wants the so-called “gun show loophole” to be closed.

“I want to know that anybody who has a gun has a legal right to have that gun,“ says Lane.

And she wants reforms made to the Commonwealth’s mental health laws.

“I think we’ve had a blind eye or a deaf ear toward mental illness in Virginia for too long and more awareness needs to be brought out for mental health issues,“ added Lane.

Lane says families have brought up those issues during private meetings with Governor Kaine.

Kaine’s office tells WSLS that the Governor has listened to their concerns, and is considering what actions, if any, he will take.

Lane hopes the meetings’ outcome will prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.  The Governor’s meetings with the family members are part of the settlement agreement.

Kaine met with families twice in November, and additional meetings will be scheduled before the end of his term in January 2010.