During "the fall of 2005...a colleague had alerted her to Cho's disturbing writings and disruptive behavior. In her book," Roy explains that she decided "to tutor him privately," and "found a student...who was almost always unresponsive."

To get Cho some help, Roy "contacted four different departments on campus, including the counseling center and university police." She was told that "requiring a student to seek counseling" was "against Virginia Tech policy...unless it's an emergency," which "administrators...did not indicate it was." And, "because Cho was over 21 at the time, his parents were never notified about his problems." Later, "a special state panel convened after the" April 2007 "shootings concluded the school had misinterpreted privacy laws."

Since the shootings, "Virginia Tech has" added "additional counselors" and established "a risk assessment team to handle troubled students."