West Virginia University has experts in sociology, terrorism and public school safety who can comment in the wake of todays (Monday, April 16) shootings at Virginia Tech.

As many as 31, including the gunman, have been reported killed in the deadliest campus shooting rampage in U.S. history. The shootings reportedly began around 7:15 a.m. in a coed dormitory on the Blacksburg campus and ended two hours later in an engineering building.

WVU s experts:

  • Dr. Jim Nolan , a sociologist and former Philadelphia area police officer who also went on to track hate crimes for the FBI before joining academia. He can talk about guns and gun violence associated with such large-scale shootings. Nolan can be reached at jim.nolan@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-5801, ext. 3210.
  • Dr. Dan Della-Giustina , an internationally known expert in public safety who can discuss security issues and concerns in large, public entities like colleges and universities. Della-Giustina began drafting safety plans for public schools several years before the Columbine shootings in 1999. Della-Giustina can be reached at daniel.della-giustina@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-2742, ext. 3749.
  • Dr. Larry Nichols , interim chair of the Division of Sociology and Anthropology. Nicholsareas of expertise include suicide and terrorism, and he can talk about the Virginia Tech shootings in the context of those issues. Nichols can be reached at larry.nichols@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-5801, ext. 3206.
  • Dr Ryan Finkenbine , a forensic psychiatrist in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry whose article,Adolescents Who Carry Weapons to School: A Review of Casesappeared in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of School Violence. He can be reached at rfinkenbine@hsc.wvu.edu or 304-293-5139.