Several students thinking how close they came

I was sitting at a computer in the basement of the computer science building, finishing up a project.

I had my headphones on, so I didn't hear most of the commotion, but suddenly a professor burst in and asked if everyone was OK.

Not knowing the situation, I paid it no attention, until she told us to look at the school's Web site.

There, I saw the bright yellow message that said "Campus Alert." I, like almost all the other students on campus, recognized it immediately from the similar alert we got just before finals last semester.

Immediately, I reached for my phone, only to find that there was no service. The students in the building were told we could not leave until the situation was clear. For about an hour, we waited and talked among ourselves. I think we all knew how nervous everyone was. Every few minutes, one of us would look down at his or her phone and curse.

As soon as the "all clear" was given, I made a b-line back to my dorm. Still, the networks were busy and I could not make any calls. All I could do was stare at the voice messages that piled up on my phone that I couldn't check or return.

Once I reached my dorm, I sprinted upstairs to my room. Everyone on my floor was crowded into one room, the TV on the news station. Some kids looked more shaken than others; again everyone was staring at their phones.

A couple of people are angry; a lot of people are scared.

I talked with a friend who lives across campus. She and I both said we had a class in Cole this morning.

I had a meeting after my class today. I stayed after because I wanted to finish a project. Had I not stayed, I would have walked past Cole right at the time of the shooting.

Everyone is thinking about how close they came. Everyone has stories like that.