"What's most wounding to society? In many people's minds, that would be the injury or destruction of young life." To help children cope and ease their own anxiety, parents should reclaim their roles as safeguards and assure children that they are loved and protected, said Wishon, who as an educator in Colorado in 1999 had several student teachers at Columbine High School. "Reel them back in emotionally," he said.

"People are shook into the recognition that we have connections here, joyful or tragic," said Echterling. One way to deal with that is to reach out to "foul-weather friends" for comfort. Acts of charity or kindness can also help relieve the stress and reduce hopelessness, he said. "Anytime I see acts of violence like this, I think we need at least 10 doses of compassionate acts of kindness to counter that," Echterling said.

"It's the same type of scenario we saw in Afghanistan as the Taliban were consolidating control," says J. Peter Pham, an Africa expert at James Madison University. "I have a great sense of deja vu."

"There is no surprise this is a hot topic right now," she said, alluding to recent battles over immigration reform.

Through her research, (Laura) Zarrugh was able to identify why certain people from Latin American cultures moved to historically white Harrisonburg by identifying and interviewing the first immigrants. ...

"I am sort of lucky because I am in a natural laboratory situation where the population is new enough and not so large (that you can’t study it)," she said.

Wesli Spencer, a 22- year-old junior at James Madison University, was at home in West Virginia last summer when Katrina swamped New Orleans. Like everyone else who watched the misery on television, he was dumbfounded by the lame response—and figured there had to be something students like him could do to help the people whose lives had been upended. "I can't really explain what it felt like to see so many black faces trapped and unable to get help," he says. ... "There was no way to enjoy the things we normally could knowing so many people who looked like us had suffered so much and were still suffering with no end in sight."

"This will last a lot longer than a party night," (Jeff) Turner said.

Said (Emily) Braun: "The relationships you form here will last a lot longer than the ones you form at a party."

“It’s important to have candidates in a race instead of having a candidate run unopposed,” said Anthony Eksterowicz, a professor of political science at James Madison University. “Even if you have a weak candidate that isn’t going to make it, it’s better” to have someone. He said challengers give people the incentive to vote and become part of the political process.

Students also want a restaurant-type atmosphere, said Clete Myers, dining director at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., which ranked sixth in the Princeton Review survey. The school modeled its Tortilla Fresca cafe after the Baja Fresh chain and its Madison Bread Company after the Panera sandwich chain.

JMU student body president Wesli Spencer of Virginia Beach appreciates that chefs are attentive to vegetarians like himself. "I find I eat healthier at school than I do when visiting home," he wrote in an e-mail.

His rise to the status of spiritual superpower and instantly recognized celebrity has resulted from an unfaltering, consistent message, says Sallie King, professor of religion and philosophy at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

"You have to keep saying the same thing over time to get people to notice," King said. "And the Dalai Lama's stuck with the same message no matter how difficult it was over these decades."