Much can change in one year. In 365 days, I have graduated high school, confronted my fears of public speaking and switched my major twice. But much can also stay the same. In 365 days, the hurt of a tragedy is as powerful as the day it happened.

One year ago, on April 16, 2007, a gunman tore across the Virginia Tech campus. Gun in hand and a few hours at his disposal, he stole 33 lives, including his own.

As a Blacksburg resident for 15 years and someone who knew some of the victims, the events are especially haunting. Waking up Wednesday morning one year later, I couldn’t help but see my Virginia Tech sweatshirt differently.

I remembered scrolling through the list of victims and seeing the ones I recognized for the first time.

I remembered the incredible candlelight vigil this University held on the Quad and the unity of everyone regardless of their university affiliation.

We were all Hokies.

But most of all, I remember the promise, never again.

Never again would a student have to jump out of a classroom window to save their life. Never again would a killer be loose on campus while unaware professors continued to teach. Never again would we allow a day on campus to turn into a massacre.

We have failed on our promise. On February 14, a graduate student from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, opened fire in a Northern Illinois University lecture hall killing five people. Less than two weeks later, Virginia’s Ferrum College was on lock down after a murderous threat was discovered.

This University has taken steps in the right direction by implementing an emergency text message system that alerts students of emergencies. However, as the violent events after Virginia Tech illustrate, there is more to be done.

The emergency text messaging system must spread to all campuses and evacuation and lockdown plans must be perfected. And most importantly, people should feel welcome and appreciated enough at their universities to not feel driven to such a despicable act of devastation.

Measures to achieve this can include an interactive mandatory program that students must attend every year to discuss ways of maintaining diverse personal involvement on such a large campus or university-sponsored intergroup volunteer opportunities that better the community and allow people to interact with one another.

Once the candles from the vigils have blown out, what are we left with one year later? Five people from Northern Illinois University.

Thirty-three people from Virginia Tech. More than numbers, these are caps and gowns left empty at universities where they should have felt secure. We have not forgotten them.

Because though much changes in a year, some things remain the same.

Dana Al-Qadi is a freshman in LAS.