Even before anybody had any evidence that Cho Seung-Hui, the shooter at Virginia Tech, was "mentally ill", the talking heads on TV were making hay with the idea that students should be watching fellow classmates for "signs" of mental illness. Considering that it is estimated that 20% of the students (and god only knows how many faculty members)at Virginia Tech knowingly suffer from depression, you can imagine a little shiver of shame and fear ran down their spines. They probably felt terrified someone might find out they were being treated for depression, post traumatic syndrome, bi-polar illeness, or schitzophernia.

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Not all people diagonosed as mentally ill commit crimes. Cho Seung-Hui, whether he was diagnosed and treated or not, was obviously a very sick individual, but his symptoms of rage and pre-occupation with killing were well known by alert faculty members who tried to address his problems.

One commentator on MSNBC kept urging kids to be on the lookout for any strange behaviors their classmates may be exhibiting, including lack of friends, anger towards authorities or parents, writings that expressed violent feelings, and threats or grievances.

Hmmm..look on any MY Space website,and you will see what could be considered normal well-adjusted kids expressing and demonstrating language, ideas, and behaviors that appear quite bizarre and even troublesome to most adults. Will these kids now be suspected by frightened classmates as a potential deadly threat? Will anyone who takes medication be treated differently because of the rash of school massacres?

Fear has always made us suspicious of our fellow citizens, of those who are not seemingly happy and successful. The lone kid pissed off at society for a number of reason who sits slumped in the last row of a classroom with his hoodie pulled up, will now probably be watched much more carefully by his or her peers. Reporting or referring people who seem to be in distress, is not on the surface a bad idea. In some cases it could save lives, but it would seem more dialogue about mental illness and antisocial bnehavior might help students differentiate between a mass murderer and the girl in the seat next to him who takes anti-depressant or antipsychotic drugs but has never shown any sign of being violent.

You would think, considering all the clues as to Chou's possible desire to do harm, someone very high up on Virginia Tech's mental health team should have insisted he be in therapy or leave school. The stalking of two girls that inolved local police, combined with his constant dwelling on killing in fiction stories, was about as obvious as a red cape in a bullring Privacy issues should never take precendent over student safety. Attending college while causing disruptive incidents is not a right.

I wonder what the laws are about recent criminal (police involved) behaviors and student expulsions? Dies anyone know?

Perhaps it's time we took a look at the rules that protect our college age children from harm, rather than expecting our kids to be spying on their friends wondering if maybe they are really monsters. After all, they have studying to do. Professional staff members deserves much more training on the issues of campus security and fear.