WRTC Professor Jay Varner Receives Letter from President Obama

Letter from President Obama to WRTC professor Jay Varner

Published in The Breeze
March 3, 2016

Written by Joanna McNeilly

Two days after Alison Parker passed away after being a victim of a shooting during a live television interview, one professor sat down and wrote a letter to state representatives as well as President Barack Obama on the issue of gun violence in the U.S. 

“I felt totally helpless and thought about what I could do as one person over the issue,” Jay Varner, an English and writing, rhetoric and technical communication professor, said. “And the only thing I know how to do efficiently is how to write and communicate.”

In his letter, Varner expresses his sadness about Parker’s death and the disappointment he feels that nothing has been done to eliminate the amount of shootings in this country.READ MORE