Honoring the Va. Tech Students, the MySpace Way

Most of the time, DFNG (Dispatches From the Next Generation) posts will pop here only a few times a month. But after Nicole Norfleet sent in her timely post about Twitter, she sent us this even more timely post about the murders at Virginia Tech. We thought it needed to be shared now.

By Nicole, University of North Carolina:

Lauren McCain and I have the same zodiac sign. We are the same age. We are originally both from the same town, Hampton, VA. We both had class at 9:00 in the morning on Monday. The difference between me and her is that Lauren was one of the unfortunate students who was killed on the campus of Virginia Tech. The professor killed alongside her used to teach at my school.

There are other things I could tell you about Lauren. She someday would have liked to have had children, and her brother, Joe, was her hero.

How did I know all of this? I visited her MySpace page.

Whether you think this is creepy or not I don't care. While everyone donned maroon and orange on Friday in remembrance of the 32 victims of the Virginia Tech massacre, I decided to learn more about their lives. Looking at the Facebook and MySpace pages of the deceased is almost like walking through somebody's old childhood room. There are pictures. There are quotes and silly statements that they found amusing as well as a list of their favorite activities and interests. More unique to a personal social-networking page is the wall where a visitor can view comments left by friends. Lauren's was especially eerie:

April 16, 2007 10:44 AM - Please call me ASAP. I'm worried about you with all the news I heard this morning.

April 16, 2007 1:24 PM - Call your parents ASAP.

April 16, 2007 7:44 PM - Hey lil' Cuz. Give us a call and let us no that you are all right. We are worried about you.

April 17, 2007 11:56 AM - Oh Lauren please call someone. We are so worried about you. We miss you so much.

April 17, 2007 4:20 PM - Lauren I love you and I'll miss you, you were such a great role model. Hope your family is okay. We all know you're in a better place now...

The guilt I feel is unbelievable for something I had no part in. During the time I was falling asleep in class, she was brutally murdered. The grief I feel must not be unusual; within days hoards of college students erected their own monuments in the form of Facebook groups which they dedicated to those who died. The last time I checked one of the largest of the groups numbered more than 300,000. Members post memories of the deceased or condolences to the families on the groups' walls. Many people also changed their profile pictures to black ribbons with the Virginia Tech emblem.

While the world mourns the loss of those slaughtered at Virginia Tech, UNC is still grieving the passing of Jason Kendall Ray, the student who died from being hit by a SUV in New Jersey during March Madness. Jason played our school mascot Ramseses for three years along with being involved in a myriad of different activities. I hope friends and family of those who passed last week will make their loved ones' Facebook pages public like Jason's so more students and well-wishers can learn more about the short but full lives they led.

(Photo of Lauren McCain from her MySpace page.)