I’m a college student, and rather out of world events, but all the American flags around here (upstate NY) have been at half mast for a week, and I have no idea why. I’ve asked around, and no one else around here seems to know either. What’s up?
Hmmm, haven’t noticed myself. I’m going to have to start paying more attention. Wasn’t there a police officer killed down in NY City earlier this week ? I believe when a police officer is killed in the line of duty state and sometimes federal flags fly at half staff.
There was a college student hit and killed by a bus last week on Cornell campus. Have no idea if that is the connection, or if a college student being run over by a bus ranks for flag-lowering or not. Is it flags all over or just those on your campus?
It’s everywhere around here. And it’s been over a week, I think. Very few people rate that. Nobody around here seems to know either.
It wasn’t at Cornell, it was at Duke! I should know, I go to Cornell, and was visiting Duke the day it happened, so THERE. And if flags flew at half mast everytime a college student died, flags would fly at half mast a lot.
I sold my soul to Satan for a dollar. I got it in the mail.
It WAS at Cornell. Perhaps a Duke student was also struck by a bus on or near that day.
On March 16 (Dragon Day) a Cornell junior was hit by a TCAT bus near the corner of Wait and Thurston Ave.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicles/3.23.00/bus_accident.html
I went by the local NY State Trooper quarters today and sure enough they were flying at half staff. No, I can’t believe it was a college student. Cop, fireman, state or federal official killed in the line of duty most likely but I still haven’t found out which.
Looking into this a bit, I found that only the President and Governors can declare the flag to be at half mast. A college or town, or even the Attorney General is not technically allowed to have the flags under it’s jurisdiction lowered. The one at the college (RPI) is still at half mast, but the one in front of the post office isn’t. I’m not sure if the P.O. falls under the Governor’s flag-lowering reach, or if the school is slow to catch on. Nobody around here has any idea. At least it’s not just me.