Chris Mintz.

That is the name of the student at Umpqua Community College who was shot five times in his attempt to save others from a gunman who went on a shooting rampage on the school’s campus.  During the aftermath of the horrific shooting at the College, participants on social media have called for the widespread recognition of Mintz while stressing the importance of not popularizing the shooter.

The shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Christopher Harper Mercer, and the father of one of the victims said that during the shooting, Mercer intentionally targeted Christians.  While it is unclear why he targeted the college specifically, it was reported that he went into at least two different classrooms.

A total of ten people were killed during the incident, with seven others reported as injured. The father of one of the victims stated that the gunman went into the classroom, and said (to the professor) “I’ve been waiting to do this for years” and then shot the professor point blank.  Other reports say that he ordered “Christians” to stand up and then would shoot them when they emerged.

The gunman was reported dead earlier Thursday.

Chris Mintz is a 30-year-old military veteran and student of Umpqua Community College.  According to claims, he attempted to block the door to prevent the gunman from coming into the classroom, and was shot three times.  He then looked up at the gunman and stated “It’s my son’s birthday today”, to which he was shot at least two more times.  While it is still unknown exactly how many times he was shot, it is reported that both of his legs are broken.  He remains in stable condition at Mercy Medical Center.

President Barack Obama released a statement after the incident in which he indirectly pushed for stricter gun control laws, stating, “Somehow this has become routine,” he said. “The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We’ve become numb to this.”

This incident is just one of the many that continue to seem more and more common in the United States.

In situations like this, it is important to publicize not the gunman, but the heroes like Chris Mintz.

*Quotes recorded from CNN.com*

SUNY OSWEGO – On Tuesday evening, the Student Association called their fourth meeting of the Senate to order. The quorum to start the meeting was met, and following the approval of the meetings agenda and minutes, the meetings was well under way.

Emily Cole, President of PRSSA was the first and only guest to the Senate for the evening. The organization was requesting funds to help with the costs of the tee shirts they will be purchasing from “Zink” for Com Week in April. PRSSA stated that they tie-dying event held that week will be free for students. Although they do have funds in their budget, they do not wish to use all of it as they need to purchase the supplies for the tie-dying. The requested funds from SA to help with the tee shirts. They feel this is a great and fun way for them to promote SUNY Oswego’s School of Communication. Two senators volunteered to write the bill which will be proposed and voted on at a later date.

In Executive Reports, SA President Emily Nassir gave her first official report seeing as she was in a conference last week in Boston. Nassir revealed that the legislation for her first project as President “SA Assembly” has been laid out. SA Assembly will give organizations on campus a better opportunity to effectively communicate with SA, through monthly meeting where concerns and questions can be expressed. The legislation will be looked over and reviewed several times prior to voting by the Senate which will determine whether the bill passes or not. Nassir also stated that she is open to any suggestions or changes. Nassir also shared minor details of a new project she is working on with Auxiliary Services. The plan is to make student food favorites from the dining halls available in the express markets on campus. This project is just in the beginning stages and Nassir will provide more information as the project evolves. Nassir also discussed the use of the discount cards available to students on campus. The cards have expired, but are currently being renewed. Due to expenses, they will not be purchasing the cards, but instead the discount app. There are several store in town that work with the school to provide discounts to students. To finish off her report, Nassir proposed that funds be moved to the contingency account due to the lack of funds currently there. This allows SA to help the organizations on campus with their funds. By majority vote, all senators approved and the funds will be moved to the account.

Vice President Shelby Gallaro gave a short and brief executive report sharing the success of the town hall meeting and workshop that were both held last week. Gallaro said that the town hall meeting was informative and shared that SUNY Oswego is working on creating a common space in Sweatman gym, There is space that is not being used which can be a potential common are including but not limited to pool tables and a dance area. The workshop in which Gallaro and Senators attended was a great leadership and teambuilding experience.

Matthew Peters, Director of Finance concluded the meetings executive reports. Peters reminded senators that the budget for clubs and organizations opens on February 29th. Clubs and organizations can submit their budgets for next year and SA will begin reviewing them shortly after the date budgeting opens. Peters wanted to clarify a previous statement made about the ticket prices of OzFest. In the previous meeting Peters suggested that prices be reduced anywhere from $10 to $20 per ticket, however this was not an official statement revealing the price of the ticket. Peters was merely expressing his opinion, and stated Tuesday night that ticket prices will be determined by the overall cost of the event as well as how much funding they receive from the school. Peters closed his executive report by stating that SA does not currently know who the performer(s) will be, but hopes to know by the end of next week.

Following Executive Reports was Committee Reports. Finance Committee shared that the bill for the ASL Organization on campus has been written. They are currently working with the National Broadcast Society to reduce the amount of funds requested. The Men’s Rugby team is waiting for a response from the Women’s Rugby team to see if they will be willing to help fund the tournament hosted on campus in the spring. The Involvement Committee shared that the “Miss-a-Meal” date for this semester has been chosen. April 14th, students will be able to donate their meal to help veterans in the community. The committee is also working on making posters to be placed on bulletin boards in campus that will encourage students to vote yes for the mandatory student service fee. The poster will include some of the reasons why students are encouraged to vote yes especially since the service fee is what allows student shuttle services to run, fund SAVAC and also funds WNYO and WTOP on campus. These are just a few of the many things that the student service fee fund, which is why it is extremely important that the fee be kept mandatory.

In Hall Council Reports Oneida shared that their night in Hollywood event was a great success. All students who attended really enjoyed the program and had a great time. Johnson hall will be making a constitution committee which will serve to make sure that all rules of the hall’s constitution are being followed during their hall council meetings. Finally, Waterbury is in the process of re electing E-Board Member.

There were no special orders, therefore the meeting moved to the only general order for the evening. The National Association of Black Students Accountants requested funding for promotional materials, travel and lodging and guest speakers. The budget presented at the meeting included funding to help them sustain their new organization through promotions such as flyers to be placed around campus and a new banner to represent their organization. Funding for their events will be voted on at a later date because they are currently finding other ways to help with funding. The budget for the promotional materials was voted on and approved by general consent.

The meeting was adjourned following the passing of the only bill of the evening. SA holds their weekly meetings of the Senate Tuesday nights at 6pm, in Lanigan 106. Each meeting is open to the public. All students and organizations are encouraged to attend to express any concerns they may have.