Exactly one week after Cho Seung-Hui gunned down 32 people and then took his own life, the campus organised a morning of remembrance ceremonies before resuming a full schedule of classes.

About 50 people turned up for a small moment of recollection and silence outside West Ambler Johnston Hall, the dormitory where Cho slaughtered his first two victims. A group of drummers and brass musicians first played "America The Beautiful", then the old Civil War tune "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", as the mourners formed a procession towards Norris Hall, the teaching building where most of the violence took place two hours later.

There, an antique brass bell rang out once for every person who died. University officials released 33 white balloons followed by 1,000 more in maroon and orange, the colours of Virginia Tech and its sports teams.

"Let's go Hokies!" the crowd chanted, echoing the cheers heard thousands of times at university sports games. Students and campus ministers then placed 33 flags at the War Memorial Chapel, to the strains of "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles.

Limestone memorial stones have already been set up on the main campus lawn, including one for the gunman. Yesterday, a letter left at Cho's stone read: "Cho, you greatly underestimated our strength, courage and compassion. You have broken our hearts, but you have not broken our spirits. We are stronger and prouder than ever. I have never been more proud to be a Hokie. Love, in the end, will always prevail. Erin J."

The campus appeared to be almost full despite university authorities giving students the option of skipping the rest of the year without being penalised. Several students said they were apprehensive about returning but felt it was the right thing to do.

"I still feel safe. I always have," Claire Guzinski, a resident of West Ambler Johnston Hall, told the Associated Press. "I just think, stuff happens. It's still in the middle of nowhere, a rural area. What are the chances of it happening twice?"

Another student, David Patton, admitted that things could never be the same again at Blacksburg, where the campus is based. "I don't know how it's going to feel," the 19-year-old first-year student, who was friends with two of the victims, said.

Police are examining Cho's computer to see what clues they can unearth about the planning of the attack. They have not definitively concluded that he was the only person involved, although ballistics evidence has shown that the same weapon was used in both locations.

Former roommates described Cho as methodical and deliberate, recalling that he appeared to research women who he was later accused of stalking.

The online auction site eBay issued a statement confirming that Cho bought empty ammunition clips and a gun holster through one of its sellers, although it denied reports that he also bought live ammunition, which eBay does not allow to be traded.

In Washington, a Senate committee began hearings on the question of university campus safety in the wake of the shootings. Committee members made clear, however, that they would not be tackling gun control.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech's Student Government Association issued a statement on Sunday asking the news media to respect the privacy of students and leave campus. The press, in particular the camera crews, have become increasingly unpopular with students.