Prior to his shooting rampage at Virginia Tech Monday, Cho Seung-Hui was a creative writing student who had earlier been referred to the university's counseling center because of the disturbing content of his work. In the aftermath of the shooting, experts are suggesting that college students who turn in dark, tortured soul-searching fiction will most likely be sent to a counselor or interviewed by the police. Kimberly Lacey, Wayne State University graduate teaching instructor, wrote in a blog about the tenuous position creative writing teachers are now in because of Cho. "So, when does the personal essay/creative writing invite intervention? As the instructor - one who is presumably not properly trained in either crisis management or psychology - when and how do we question the individual? Writing is cathartic to some, tedious to most, and in this situation, perhaps it was a forecast," Lacey wrote.

In an editorial, the newspaper stated that it believes viable steps need to be taken to ensure that young people who have aged out of the foster care system have greater access either to college or training programs to help give them the necessary skills to make them self-sufficient. According to a 2006 Wayne State University study, only 25 percent of former foster youths reported attending college or receiving advanced training upon leaving the foster care system, compared to the national average of 67 percent of young adults, ages 18-24.

Michigan's Big 3 universities - Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan - have emergency response plans in place in case a tragedy like Monday's Virginia Tech massacre ever occurred on their campuses. WSU uses a variety of methods to get emergency information to students and staff, ranging from email and notices on its Web site. Trained staff and campus police coordinate the emergency information. No Michigan universities use simultaneous cell phone messaging, but Wayne State was already studying ways to use them even before the Virginia shootings, said Francine Wunder, director of corporate and public affairs. "I think that needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis," said Wunder. "But something like this would probably lead to a lockdown, an active shooter that's still at large." The story mentioned that WSU has 203 acres and 100 buildings.

Dr. Robert Frank, executive vice dean for Wayne State University's School of Medicine, was interviewed in a followup story to the Virginia Tech shootings focusing on the differences between students who are depressed or deadly, and the responsibility of universities in taking action. According to Frank, universities are still trying to separate students who are potential killers from students who are merely depressed. School officials have to be very careful when deciding to take action. Therapists are bound by patient confidentiality rules. However, they are obligated to report imminent threats. "Everyone would err on the side of breaking confidentiality if we think there is a credible threat. We ask the question: Can your keeping this confidence be potentially harmful to the student or harmful to students around the student?" Frank said. "We have a lot of families who entrust us to have their children, even though they're adult children."

Michigan's gun laws are much stricter than Virginia, according to data compiled by the National Rifle Association. First, Michigan residents have to get a permit from their local police or sheriff\'s department. And some of those municipalities OK permits -- after background checks -- only on certain days of the week. Michigan requires permits to buy handguns and fingerprints from those who apply. People who want a handgun have to score at least a 70 percent on a pistol safety questionnaire. In Virginia, a court can request a safety test when someone applies for a concealed pistol license permit, but it is not required. Virginia law forbids handguns on elementary, middle and high school grounds during school hours, while Michigan adds college dormitories and classrooms to the list. Beyond the gun laws, most universities have policies limiting or prohibiting guns on campus. \"Guns are not permitted on campus, anywhere, even with a permit,\" said Francine Wunder, director of corporate and public affairs at Wayne State University.

Paula Wood, dean of Wayne State University's College of Education, is quoted in a story about the decline in public confidence in the state\'s education system. A growing number of parents has turned away from traditional public schools, according to a poll released Tuesday. A combined 12 percent of parents said they now home-school or send their children to charters, compared to 3 percent in a March 2005 poll. Wood says that Michigan's public schools have been improving over the last four years, with more meeting federal goals.

Wayne State University is noted in a story about Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute researchers' findings that an antibiotic typically prescribed for Alzheimer's patients could be effective in eventually treating certain types of cancers. In addition, new scientific findings were released that could lead to better treatment and therapies for cancer patients suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma, a form of cancer. The Karmanos Cancer Institute has a long history of mesothelioma education and treatment. In 2004, the Institute joined with Wayne State University's Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine to create the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos Related Cancers. It addresses the need for early diagnosis and aggressive treatment for those afflicted with asbestos-related diseases.

Robin Boyle, chair of Wayne State University's Geography and Urban Planning Department, takes a "very optimistic view" about school closures saying that they are actually an asset. Empty schools can represent opportunity if there are willing and able developers. "When schools close, we get relatively large pieces of real estate that become available, if they are for sale," Boyle says.

Wayne State University was mentioned in a story about how the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) aborted its plans to buy and lease offices in Detroit's New Center area. Former DPS CEO Kenneth Burnley sold the former Schools Center Building and four other properties to WSU for $9 million.

Josh McCown and Barry Stokes of the Detroit Lions will be instructors at an Offense-Defense Football Camp to be held June 24-28 at Wayne State University. Registration deadline is May 1. A phone number is provided.

As Michigan reels from an eroding industrial job base, parents are getting the message: their children\'s success depends more than ever on higher education. Fifty-nine percent of Michigan parents said everyone should get a degree, compared to 54 percent in 2005, according to a Detroit News/Channel 7 poll of 600 people released Tuesday. Less certain is whether parents will ensure their children get a higher education. More than half said they\'d encourage their kids to go to college, but leave the choice up to them. Just 37 percent say their children will definitely attend. \"The desire is there, but not the commitment,\" said pollster Ed Sarpolus of EPIC-MRA.

Wayne State University urban planning graduate students will give their final presentation tonight on how to redevelop two Lansing-based General Motors auto plants that have been shut down. This presentation is part of their final project for their degrees.

In light of the tragedy on the campus of Virginia Tech University, several local media outlets ran stories about safety measures and security issues at Michigan-based colleges and universities. Law enforcement and university officials at the state's higher education institutions agreed that they can\'t guarantee such tragedies will not occur on their campuses. But college officials say they work hard to prevent incidents like the mass shootings Monday at Virginia Tech and would work harder to deal with one if it did happen. Campus police officials said Monday they try to identify people in distress before tragedy occurs. \"We constantly tell students to let us know when you see a situation where a person is in distress or needs help,\" said Anthony Holt, chief of the Wayne State University police department. Once identified, those people are referred to crisis experts. \"If we deem you a threat to yourself or a threat to others,\" he said, \"we\'ll immediately do an intervention.\" In the Detroit News article, Holt said his 42 officers are trained to respond to various scenarios, ranging from bomb threats to barricaded gunmen. WWJ reporter Vickie Thomas interviewed students at WSU this morning about their views regarding campus security.

Recycle Detroit and several partner organizations are teaming up to host an Earth Day Observance at Cass Park on April 21. The day's events will conclude with speeches from Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid at WSU's Keast Commons, a green space located off of Williams Mall near the Student Center. Other activities include a 5K run that will occur at noon from WSU's Gullen Mall.

Classes were cancelled at four Rochester area schools yesterday after a bomb threat was called in. Wayne State University was noted as one of several entities that assisted Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard when they combed the schools. Classes resumed today.

Reporter Rod Meloni visited the dispatch center of Wayne State's police department and reviewed the university's security measures that are in place. In a story that aired during the 6 p.m. newscast, Meloni pointed out that all police agencies throughout Michigan may be contacted by WSU's dispatch center if necessary. WSU sergeant George Cool demonstrated the "Lock-Down" device that, if activated, will lock 85 percent of the buildings on campus barring anyone from entering. Due to fire code regulations, occupants of the building may exit. WSU Police Chief Tony Holt said that in an emergency situation, the entire campus community may be contacted through the campus watch system, university-wide e-mail distribution and the Dean of Students Office. Officers also will cruise the streets to secure the campus. A graphic was shown during the 11 p.m. newscast listing the major security measures employed in a crisis situation.

A story on the Virginia Tech tragedy mentions that Thomas R. Mynsberge, owner of Critical Incident Management, Inc., a school security consulting company in Bay City, trains campus police forces at several colleges and universities, including Wayne State University. The training is designed to prepare them for scenarios like Monday's Virginia Tech tragedy. Mynsberge believes more colleges will invest in emergency planning in the wake of the shooting.

An article that focuses on "Earth Week" at Wayne State, April 2-6, includes comments by professor Robin Boyle, chair of the Geography and Urban Planning Department, and Ralph Kummler, dean of the College of Engineering. Boyle talked about how his native country, Scotland, is transitioning from coal-generated power to wind and wave-power generation. Kummler related that he was picked as the college of engineering's representative on a campuswide Earth Day task force when he first came here as a faculty member in 1970.

A brief article about a school security firm in Bay City called Critical Incident Management mentions that the group trains campus police forces at Wayne State, Saginaw Valley State and Delta College for scenarios such as the one that occurred at Virginia Tech Monday.

This article relates a few of the comments made by Grady Burnett, head of online sales and operations for Google's Ann Arbor office, during an April 10 speech organized by the WSU School of Business Administration. Burnett talked to students, faculty and visitors at the evening lecture. The cutline with a photo that accompanies the write-up mentions that Burnett "gave a talk about the search engine's history at Wayne State University."