Aaron McClung was just on the Virginia Tech campus yesterday.

McClung, president of the Richmond-area Virginia Tech alumni association, was in Blacksburg for a mini-reunion with classmates. Now, he's fielding phone calls from worried alumni looking for information about the shootings.

"I've spoken with a couple people in Blacksburg, and apparently no one's leaving their dorm or home. You can't get around," he said. "I'm sure people are just very, very scared right now."

McClung, who graduated in 2000 with a degree in political science, said he never felt unsafe at the university.

"The atmosphere is so pleasant and comfortable, the thought of this happening would never cross your mind," he said. "But you have 25,000 students on campus. This could happen anywhere."

Michael Eck, a 1998 Virginia Tech graduate, heard about the shooting when his father called this morning.

"He said, 'You might want to tune into the news. There's been a shooting at Tech,'" Eck said. "My immediate reaction was, 'Oh, no, not again. You've got to be kidding me.'"

He has been glued to the TV since 10:45 a.m.

Today's massacre marks the second shooting in the area in less than a year. In August, prosecutors say, William C. Morva escaped from jail and shot and killed an unarmed hospital guard and a Montgomery County deputy who was taking part in a massive manhunt for Morva. He has been charged in the deaths but has not been tried.

Eck said he never felt unsafe at the university, where he studied communications.

"Tech was always a very safe, enjoyable, peaceful place to live. And certainly that is the case to this very day," he said. "It's just been a very unfortunate and mystifying as to why we've had these two incidents in such a short time period."

Eck didn't live in the West Ambler Johnston dorm, but he had many friends who did. He said it's one of the larger dorms on campus, and it's where most of the Marching Virginians, Tech's marching band, live.

The alumni are working to set up a vigil in the Richmond area for this week.

"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to everyone on the campus of Virginia Tech, especially to the families and friends of the victims, as well as to the family and friends of the shooter in this incident, because I'm sure they're having a difficult time processing this," Eck said.