bLog jAm

A few days have passed now, NIU has moved away from the front page (sort of) and I have had a chance to collect my thoughts for some time now. I thought I would share my experience for those of you interested, actually there is not much to tell.

Thursday 2-14-2008

Thursday was a day unlike any other day at work. The morning came and went, uneventful. After lunch was also going to be fairly standard. Oddly enough I had just completed a disc copy job for a NIU police officer and he came an got them probably around 2:45PM. He thanked me and left, and I’m sure a few minutes later he was on his way responding to a shots fired call. I was sitting at my desk when I overheard someone (I don’t remember who) said to lock the doors and don’t leave there are reports of a gunman on campus. My initial reactions were nonplussed, I just thought it was some idiot waving a pistol around. Then the email came. We were essentially stuck in our building not having any idea of whats going on. We started combing the Internet for more information, and gradually the news started breaking online. Dennis tried calling my cell phone, it rang but was dead. In fact, during this time no cell phones worked. I used my office phone to call him back. Then I made some more phone calls, Trisha was in North Aurora and unaware of the situation. I called my folks, and used instant messenger with Dave. The reports rolled in, the number of injured kept rising. The rumor mill started, “I heard it was up to 15 now.” Etc Etc.

My coworkers and some customers were all huddled around the live video from CBS. We could hear the sirens blaring, the helicopters overhead for the next hour plus. Finally, the NIU web site said all clear and to go home. So we all did. It was chaos trying to leave, because everyone else was trying to at the same time. I still didn’t comprehend the magnitude of the situation. In the car I started getting text messages from Swifty asking if it was my school. I called him, I don’t remember what was said. I called Scotty as well and he called me back. Eventually I made my way to the Dulceaks in time to see the press conference. Holy crap this thing is national. Unbelievable. You can follow in real time on my Twitter page.

When I finally get home, I flip on the TV and the laptop to find out more. I start feeling helpless as most probably did. Jay my boss calls me around 9PM I think. He gives me the lowdown, where he was etc. We’re going to stream the press conferences tomorrow, can I come in. No problem! Here’s my chance to do something useful. I had a hard time sleeping that night.

Friday 2-15-2008

I arrived on campus at 7:30 AM expecting to run into all sorts of activity. It was strangely quiet, except for the dozens of satellite trucks parked all around my building and the helicopter overhead. I grabbed my gear and went Altgeld. At that moment I had flashbacks to my days at CLTV, prepping for a news conference. Only this time, I’m doing it for the University. The stress levels were starting to rise. It was a surreal moment, sitting there scrunched behind the head photographer for NBC. I was frantically trying to get the stream to work. Sitting there pounding on my laptop, talking on my cell phone, getting tapped on the shoulder asking when I was ready, while other photogs were jockeying all around me for space. I finally had this thing up and running 5 minutes before it was to start. Ah, CLTV days all over again for sure! The press conference started, and here I am, the nation is focused on this room and here’s little ole me sitting in the midst of the throng with my laptop. That was a new thing for me. You see these types of things all the time on TV, but here I was on the inside looking out. Weird.

Pat, Jim, Ed and I went to lunch not long after it was over. We’re sitting there in Shelley’s eating, the large screen TV showing CNN is a live shot not far from where we were. Bizarro man. Driving through campus was strange and sad, signs, flowers and memorials were everywhere. On our way back, Jay calls and says the next conference with the Governor is soon. So, another hurry up and wait. The press gathers once again, although not as frenzied this time. So, now here I am in the same room with the Gov. Rod, and he’s shaking Jay’s hand as he climbs the steps. Since he’s using a cane right now who knows what Rod was thinking. Heh. Funny moment in a time of great sadness. This time its much shorter with fewer questions. When I came home later that day, I was exhausted, but felt good that I was able to pull it off.

I wish I was not blogging about this right now. The future at NIU seems so uncertain, dark. It will take a long time to recover. Why did this have to happen here? These things don’t happen to us, they happen somewhere else. Why? The response from across the nation has been a moving one. There is hope for this country, even though things have been lets just say not great. To the innocent students whose lives were cut short by that bastard, I am truly sorry. You will all live on in our collective memories. Your families and friends have my deepest sympathies, it is an extremely painful loss. To the ones who survived, you will recover, there is hope. This can only make you stronger as a person.

For myself personally, I know this is an odd thing to say. I have only been there a short while, and have considered myself sort of an outsider to the NIU family. I’m the new guy. Mentally I did not get myself in too deep and consider myself much of a Huskie. I didn’t go to school there, I am not familiar with many aspects of NIU still. But after this week, I am a Huskie. We are all NIU Huskies.