CSN holds moment of silence for Oregon shooting victims

Fighting back tears, Cindy Shroba lowered her head as she contemplated the terror endured last week at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, where a gunman stormed into a classroom and executed nine inside.

"I don't want our students to be scared," Shroba said after addressing a crowd of 400 students, faculty and staff that gathered inside a lobby at the College of Southern Nevada's Charleston campus to commemorate those killed.

The shooting hit close to home for Shroba, a biology professor who spent 12 years teaching at Umpqua before leaving in 2007 for a job at CSN.

CSN's three campuses joined other community colleges around the country in holding a moment of silence Thursday to show solidarity and support for Umpqua exactly one week after the mass shooting. The American Association of Community Colleges coordinated the effort, asking schools to pause at 11 a.m. to honor the Oregon victims.

Thursday's CSN event was especially meaningful for Shroba, whose eyes welled as she talked about the brutal attack. She said she hopes the shooting will drive efforts to bolster campus safety initiatives and tighten gun laws.

And Shroba's reaction affected others.

"It really strikes a chord with me," said Valerie Wagner, 33, an environmental science student who attended the event. "It makes me realize how connected we are and gives me a sense of empathy and awareness to see (Shroba) so distraught."

CSN President Michael Richards called the gathering "an opportunity to remind ourselves that we're all together."

"(Umpqua has) just gone through a horrifying experience that could happen anywhere," Richards said. "We thought this was a terrific expression of support and solidarity."

Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Find her on Twitter: @la__ley.