For some students, like political theory and constitutional democracy freshman Khushi Gooroochurn, Monday is too soon.

“Honestly, I think it’s probably the worst decision that the University could have made,” Gooroochurn said. “To go back exactly a week after … so soon after it happened is pretty baffling to me. I think the actions that are being taken by the university are insensitive, and frankly, very disappointing, especially when they are claiming to care so much about our mental health (and) well being.”

Gooroochurn pointed to the fact that there are students at MSU who have survived multiple school shootings. The idea of returning to in-person classes, she said,  makes her fearful.

“I would be fine if we decided to resume classes online (and) I’d understand the need to finish out the semester,” Gooroochurn said. “But at the same time, this is a traumatic event … that’s taken a place that we felt safe — a place many of us called home — and shattered it completely. To expect us to return to the (same) academic rigor before the shooting, I think, is insensitive.”

International relations sophomore Vivienne Francois said resuming classes will strengthen her sense of community.

“I’m really excited for (classes to resume),” Francois said. “I know some people are trying to get them to go online asynchronously, and it stresses me out, because I like to see my peers and talk to them.”

Francois pointed out that during lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some experienced worsening mental health as a result of isolation. Though it seems daunting, she said, interacting with peers and being around friends may make the Spartan community stronger.

Journalism sophomore Satvik Shubham said he thinks going back to in-person classes might bring things "back to normal."

“The longer you linger around the incident, the longer it will be a strange environment on campus,” Shubham said.

Despite his personal feelings, Shubham said people deal with traumatic situations differently and forcing students to go back to classes so soon is not the right call. Additionally, he said many of his professors haven’t communicated their plans for the coming week.

One of Gooroochurn's professors communicated the morning after the shooting that an exam was rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 16.

“There’s a lot of pressure to … just kind of let it go,” Gooroochurn said. “(Another professor) said Monday won’t be a class, it will be sitting down and deciding where to go. I think that’s really helpful when a professor asks us what we need rather than assume (we want) to go slower or faster.”

Applied engineering junior Leah Flores-Cabrera said she is terrified and needs more time in a space off campus.

“I understand we have to resume classes, but I think it would be good to have options like Zoom,” Cabrera said. “I mean last year, we had classes online for two weeks. I understand some students would be comfortable with (in person classes), so I don’t understand why they (aren’t doing) Zoom, if they easily did it before.”

For her engineering degree, Cabrera said she needs to be in the right headspace to concentrate, which can be challenging depending on how students were individually impacted. Busy work that doesn't require much concentration is one thing, she said, but the expectation to take exams is unfair.

“Pass fail is great, but … there was a petition to have Zoom, and over 10,000 people signed it,” Cabrera said. “It just doesn’t feel like we’re being heard. You can’t pay me to go back to campus right now.”

Gooroochurn said the university’s plan to resume classes doesn’t allow students to recover.

“More than anything, the Spartan community doesn’t want to become another statistic,” Gooroochurn said. “That’s not in our nature, so I think we need that space to heal, but we also need space to act … I hope that at some point, the university will provide us that.”