Three UW-Madison professors and nine students on campus were not harmed during a shooting spree Monday at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's Blacksburg campus.
The rampage is being called the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, leaving at least 33 people dead and 30 wounded as of press time.
The UW-Madison professors and students were on the Virginia Tech campus Monday doing research for power electrics, according to a local Channel 27 news report.
UW-Madison electrical engineering professor Tom Lipo told Channel 27 that the students were in a building close to the engineering building during the shooting.
""When the announcement was made about the deaths,"" Lipo said, ""you could hear a pin drop in the room.""
The first of two shootings, according to CNN, occurred around 7:15 a.m. and left two dead in one of the largest residence halls on campus.
The remaining 30 people were killed when the shooter open fired in a classroom in the engineering science and mechanics building a few hours later.
The shooter then killed himself and still has not been identified, due to the extent of his wounds, according to news sources.
Rebecca Buxton, a Virginia Tech senior, told The Daily Cardinal she received an e-mail informing students of the first shooting. She said she was in contact with friends throughout the day, and talked to many people she had not recently heard from.
""I can't express enough how wonderful everyone has been today,"" she said, adding that the incident was devastatingly widespread. ""With that group of casualties, everyone is going to know someone who passed away.""
UW-Madison Police Department Sgt. Mike Newton said incidents like this have prompted police in the past to develop new tactics that are aggressive but safe, to deal with violent situations.
""In 1999, after the Columbine shootings, law enforcement re-evaluated the way they respond to incidents like this,"" he said.
Since Columbine, the UWPD developed a rapid deployment strategy it last practiced in November 2006, to apprehend a shooter themselves instead of relying on a SWAT team, he said. It will be practiced again in July.
Newton said UWPD has formulated ""evacuation procedures with a large majority of the buildings on campus,"" but added the eventual goal is to have formal lockdown procedures for all campus buildings.
UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam said there is also annual collaboration between police, faculty and staff, representatives from University Housing and UW-Madison administration to form a response management plan.
In addition to annual trainings, Berquam said, the group meets periodically to practice tactics in simulations.
Berquam added the dean's office, house fellows and University Health Services counselors are available to help students deal with the incident.
""Our hearts go out to folks at Virginia Tech,"" she said, calling the shootings ""horrific.""
A candlelight vigil was held on Library Mall Monday evening by St. Paul's University Catholic Center to pray for the Virginia Tech victims.
—Marie Joanis contributed to this report.
