Monday’s mass shooting at Michigan State University left campus a changed place. The community has showed up to support through vigils and events, but students had a hard time returning to campus.
While the university cancelled all classes the week of the shooting, some say the atmosphere is still somber two weeks later.
Human biology junior Julia Haddad said campus is emptier and quieter than usual.
“I feel like I usually, regardless of the weather, always see people walking outside or walking on the main road, but I feel like everyone's kind of just taking to their own,” Haddad said. “It's just pretty empty and sad and gloomy.”
Haddad said most students aren’t showing up to in-person class and are instead joining online. She also said even the on-campus buses are less packed. Prior to the shooting, she could never find a seat, but now, she said there are plenty to choose from.
Applied engineering sciences sophomore Trevor Tognetti said his professors have been very willing to help students out.
“I feel like every lecture or class I had this week, all the professors talked about the tragedy that happened last week and they made more accommodations for school, like for grading and stuff and drops,” Tognetti said.
Tognetti said his professors are not pressuring students into taking the in-person route for class but are rather respecting that some students don’t yet feel safe enough to do so.
“I made the class optional for students, so I wasn't surprised that there wasn't a lot of folks there,” biological sciences assistant professor Corrine Higley said. “The only reason why I wanted to be present in any capacity was for students who might feel comforted by getting back into a semblance of a routine.”
Higley said none of the faculty really knew how to move forward with classes because the university left the future open-ended for how professors want to approach class this week.
“I think most of us, if I speak for faculty more broadly, are trying to be as understanding as we can and not have too many expectations this week,” Higley said. “Our biggest challenge now is how do we balance the students who need to have some routine or feel the need to try to get back to a new normal with the students who are not ready? How do we accommodate both of those without creating any barriers for anybody?”
She said the decrease in class attendance can be attributed to some optional in-person lessons that were provided this past week.
“I've noticed definitely a lot less people showing up in my classes, but I honestly can't really blame them because this is very soon,” pre-veterinary freshman Grace Parker said. “People obviously are very upset and sad still in classes and it's very emotional. It's a great sense of the community coming back together, but it's still a very emotional event.”
Parker said her classes have been very quiet with less students participating. She said students are still traumatized.
“I definitely do think students should have been given more time because everybody that I do know personally struggles to do their homework and be able to focus on their classes, even though teachers have lightened the load,” Parker said.
Assistant Professor of physiology Marty Spranger cancelled a large exam, assignments and sent emails of support and encouragement in the aftermath of the shooting. In response, his students sent emails thanking him for his kindness. He said it's taking him days to respond.
“The responses that I've gotten from students in this class have been so genuine and sincere,” Spranger said. "Many emails are more like thank you letters. It's more like 'thank you for listening to us. Thank you for accommodating us in these troublesome times.' But then also, the main thread is, 'thanks for talking to us.'”
Spranger said he and his class have developed a strong bond in the aftermath of this tragedy. About 50% of his physiology class showed up to lecture Tuesday afternoon while the rest attended via Zoom.
“I think the feeling is still somber," Spranger said. "I think there's no question about that. But I was actually pleasantly surprised about the turnout ... I think the students were looking for a sense of community and that's why they came. A sense of community and I think for a sense of normalcy, too."
Political science-prelaw sophomore Alex Chalom said he went home following the shooting but came back to see a supportive community.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
“I was late enough to see the life leave campus and I came back early enough to see it come back,” Chalom said. “Initially, it was like a different world.”
Chalom said some of his professors are more accommodating than others, but many of them are just as scared and uncertain as students are.
He also said he's hardly seen a class with half the students that should be there.
“I still hear laughing, but it stands out more,” Chalom said.
