Virginia Tech leaders to meet with April 16th victims’ families Sunday

Virginia Tech’s top officials will meet families of those who died April 16, 2007, only once, on Sunday afternoon, despite concerns by families there would not be enough time for questions.

The university had agreed to open-ended sessions with victims and families as part of a settlement this summer. But Tech has refused repeated requests by families of the dead to schedule additional days or to let them sit in with the injured and their families when they are briefed Saturday.

The meeting for families of the deceased is set to start Sunday at 2 p.m. in Blacksburg. That’s three hours later in the day than the Saturday session for the wounded, and families say it puts pressure on those who live far away and must return to work Monday.

Several families of the deceased fear the late start means questions and discussion will be cut short.

“We’ve had all these deadlines jammed down our throats. From the very beginning we had deadlines jammed down our throats,“ said Marian Hammaren, whose only daughter, Caitlin, a 19-year-old sophomore, was killed in Norris Hall. She said she’s not sure if she will make the more than 8-hour drive to Blacksburg from upstate New York.

“Just answer our questions,“ she said. “If I’m just going to meet two people who are going to say, ‘I’m not going to say this, we can’t say that,‘ then don’t waste my time. Have some consideration.“

Tech believes the meeting will allow enough time for all questions to be asked and concerns aired, a spokesman said. The families will meet with members of Tech’s policy group, which includes President Charles W. Steger and other top officials who handled the university’s response to the shootings.

“There is no ending time specified for the meeting,“ Larry Hincker, Tech spokesman, said when asked about the family concerns. “We will stay as long as necessary.“

Joseph Samaha, whose 18-year daughter, Reema, died April 16, said he hoped the policy-group members aren’t trying to hide anything.

“All parties agreed to an open process,“ he said. “The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is what I expect.“

Tech, meanwhile, has refused a request by the widow of victim Juan Ramon Ortiz Ortiz, who lives in Puerto Rico, to let her listen by telephone.

Liselle Vega said she spoke to Steger’s chief of staff, Kim O’Rourke, and told her, “I thought it was not fair because they know it is hard and expensive for me to be there and that was the only way I could be at the meeting.“

She said Tech offered to arrange a teleconference with her at a later date with Steger.

Victims and their families have had a series of briefings from police about the shootings by gunman Seung-Hui Cho that killed 32 students and staff members and eventually will meet Gov. Timothy M. Kaine under terms of the settlement.

Samaha said the governor’s office and police officials have been helpful arranging the briefings and meetings.

Asked if the governor was concerned about how Virginia Tech is handling this weekend’s meeting, spokesman Gordon Hickey said Kaine “is looking forward to that and hearing their accounts about how the meetings went.“

Hincker said the university selected the weekend dates because that was preferred by most families whom Steger wrote in a Sept. 15 letter, asking them to make a choice by Sept. 24.

Late last month, 17 families signed a letter asking Tech to offer additional dates to meet the policy group and other top officials.

The letter was dated Sept. 29, but Tech received only an e-mail copy Oct. 2, Hincker said. He said most who signed that letter did not responded to Steger’s Sept. 15 letter.

“We do not need the added pressure of timelines,“ Samaha said. “We do need discussion and compromise to move forward, not edicts.“

Tech’s response to the letter from the 17 families was a memo asking them to say by Oct. 9 whether they would attend and advising them of its plans to offer a light lunch and to update them at 2 p.m. about changes made on campus since the massacre.

“It’s nice that they’re looking forward, but I don’t have any more children to send to college. . . . I have questions,“ Hammaren said.

“It is highly painful for us to be on that campus and in that town. I have two years of the most fantastic memories, when Caitlin was there. And, of course, the last memory we have is bringing her home in a box.“