The Virginia Tech Panel and the Families

*32% say yes, at least one family member should be on there.
*30% say they shouldn't be on the panel, but they should be consulted
*30% say that having family members on the panel would hurt its objectivity
*9% say it's a tough call

In other words, our readers appear to be almost evenly split on this issue, although 62% say that family members should have SOME role, either on the panel or consulted.  Even among the 29% who said that having family members on the panel would hurt its objectivity, my guess is that many wouldn't mind if the families were consulted.  Which is exactly what Gov. Kaine has decided to do:

Responding to concerns raised at a meeting last weekend, Gov. Tim Kaine has offered a plan to give families of the Virginia Tech shooting victims greater access to an eight-member panel investigating the campus killings.

Kaine has designated a member of his handpicked panel to serve as a liaison to relatives of the 32 students and professors who were killed by a lone gunman April 16. And he has asked the panel's chairman to meet with family members to discuss issues it will address in a report to the governor later this summer.

Will Gov. Kaine's plan be sufficient to satisfy concerns from family members?  Maybe, although according to the Roanoke Times, "some family members raised questions Friday about whether Kaine's plan will make it harder for them to communicate with the panel."  In other words, we'll see.  Personally, I'd lean towards putting one representative from the familes on the panel, as well as holding regular meetings with all the families and generally keeping them well informed.  But I also understand the need to maintain the panel's objectivity.  In other words, it truly IS a "tough call,"  but I'd lean towards MORE family involvement rather than LESS, all else being equal.

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