(MPRN and WMUK) In Kalamazoo, students gathered for a vigil. In Lansing, MSU students protested at the Capitol. And fundraising for survivors and victims' families is well underway, two days after a mass shooting at Michigan State University.
Rally in Lansing
Dozens of Michigan State University students shared their anger and feelings about this week’s violence on the steps of the Michigan Capitol building Wednesday afternoon.
The campus was under lockdown for hours Monday evening after a gunman killed three students and wounded several others.
Wednesday's rally grew out of a snapchat message MSU junior Maya Manuel posted to her story.
During the event, Manuel asked those in attendance to sit as they would during a lockdown drill—cross-legged in single-file lines.
"We’re sitting and listening just as we’ve done our whole lives and we didn’t want to scream. We’re tired. We’re so tired. We don’t have the energy—I’ve slept four hours the past two days. I don’t have the energy to walk everywhere right now," she said.
During the rally, several students shared their frustration at having lived through multiple instances of mass violence.
Memorial at WMU
Students, faculty, and community members gathered for a candlelit vigil on WMU’s campus today, to honor the victims of Monday’s shooting.
Mourners packed the Bernhard Center’s North Ballroom, where they heard short remarks by university president Edward Montgomery and by representatives from counseling services and student government. Faculty Senate President Sarah Summy said the event gave students a chance to reflect on Monday’s events before taking action.
"Any time that there’s a tragedy, I think we all hope that there can be action. I do think there needs to be a time to grieve, and then it will be time to really move forward and to stop all of this," she said.
MSU students plan to hold a campus vigil Wednesday evening, and other memorial events are planned around the state Wednesday and Thursday.
Raising money
A number of funds have been established to help those affected by the tragedy. One aims to bolster MSU’s system of counseling services.
The Spartan Strong Fund website says the money raised will help address the immediate needs of students, faculty and community members impacted by the emergency. Vice President of University Advancement Kim Tobin said the Spartan Strong Fund is “for the collective” at the university.
“The funds will go to help our mental health capacity building in terms of helping support counseling, safety expenses, recognition of groups of people who’ve been essential in responding to the crisis, whether it’s our first responders or others," Tobin said.
In its first 24 hours, the Fund raised more than $43,000.
