As an NIU alumnus I can tell you honestly that in the 4 years I attended school there I never felt unsafe on campus. Not once. When I heard the news yesterday I was shocked, absolutely bewildered. Out of all the schools in the nation where such an incident could occur, why Northern? At the moment the police have no good answer and I don't either. The best guess I can wager is that this is a dark time we're going through, a disturbing alignment in the spiritual realm that is causing people to go out of their freaking heads. The best word I can use to describe this tragedy—senseless. Absolutely senseless and without reason. Words that will repeated again and again in years to come, not to describe this one isolated event, but our entire decade.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims. I hope that some day you'll have an answer.