5,000 Virginia Tech students to graduate after shooting rampage

About five thousand Virginia Tech students are set to graduate in the US today, less than a month after gunman Seung-Hui Cho shot 32 students and faculty members before turning the gun on himself.

As many as 30,000 people are expected for the Blacksburg ceremony for the graduating seniors, graduate students and dozens of students earning associate or advanced degrees.

Retired Army General John Abizaid – who once oversaw Operation Iraqi Freedom - is the featured speaker.

While some families may feel unsettled returning to a campus where there has been so much pain, officials say they should feel safe.

Bags will be checked, but guests will not pass through metal detectors or undergo more intrusive security measures.

The screening is essentially what Virginia Tech does for a typical home football game.