Counselors: Don't give in to fear

WARREN -- Local high school guidance counselors said they wouldn't discourage students from attending Virginia Tech to pursue a college education, despite its being the site of the largest mass homicide on any U.S. college campus.
If that's where a student planned to go to school and it offers the program they want, they shouldn't give up that dream, said Michele Senediak, a counselor at Warren G. Harding High School.
"Do exactly what you had planned. You can't be afraid of what might happen," she said.
Mary Ann Bauer, a fellow counselor at Harding, offered similar advice.
"You can't let fear destroy your life," Bauer said.
If a student did his homework on Virginia Tech and really wanted to attend, she would encourage him to go, she said.
"I don't think fear should keep anyone from seeking higher education," she said.
"That could happen anywhere," said Vickie Janik, a counselor at McKinley High School in Niles.
College campuses are open and it's very difficult to restrict access, she said. Her advice to students who go to school anywhere is to be aware of their surroundings and what is happening around you. Students shouldn't change their plans because of the shootings, she said.