(WXYZ) — In a letter to the Michigan State University community, the school's interim President Teresa Woodruff updated plans the school is making to mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly shootings on campus.
The plan for the anniversary on February 13 is being assembled by committees which include students, staff, and faculty. Most courses will not be held that day, but the university will remain open. The school is stressing that participation in any event is voluntary.
In her open letter, Woodruff noted the following events for February 13:
- Student organizations, led by the Associated Students of MSU and in conjunction with the Center for Community Engaged Learning, are sponsoring a day of service focused on the larger MSU/East Lansing communities. The daylong initiative will provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to take action that day in a positive manner in their community. More information about specific opportunities and links to sign up to participate will be shared soon with students, faculty and staff.
- An evening remembrance gathering will offer members of our campus and local community a place to come together in commemoration, support and recognition of Feb. 13, 2023. The gathering is scheduled for 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and will take place outdoors north of Spartan Stadium, near The Spartan statue. The event will be open to the public. MSU is working on plans to promote remote engagement with the event as well, and more details will be available soon.
- Reflective spaces will be set up across campus during the day on Feb. 13 for those who wish to spend time quietly reflecting safely. Counseling support will be available at each location.
- Counseling staff will be available to provide support to our community at these planned events. Please note that we will be using outside counselors to ensure MSU staff can spend this day as they choose.
You can read Woodruff's entire open letter below:
Dear MSU community,
As we returned to campus after the holiday break, I hope you did so with a rested mind and body. I also realize many of you already have begun reflecting on the approaching one-year mark of the violence our campus faced on Feb. 13, 2023. I want to provide you with important updates regarding the university’s plans for next month as well as ongoing resources available to you that day and into the future.
It is important for all of us — myself included — to remember that leading up to Feb. 13, 2024, community members will experience many different emotions. The planning underway, led by committees including students, staff and faculty, strives to provide space and time for individualized reactions and experiences as we honor those we lost, those injured and all affected by the tragedy that occurred on our campus. Participation in any event is completely voluntary.
As a reminder, most courses will not be held Feb. 13, 2024, though the university will remain open to support students and our community.
On that day:Additionally, the Office of the Provost and the Office for Resource and Support Coordination, or ORSC, have posted guidance for educators for the spring semester, including specific support related to the one-year mark. The ORSC also has posted guidance related to best practices for commemorative events. ORSC is available at orsc@msu.edu if you have questions about this guidance.
- Student organizations, led by the Associated Students of MSU and in conjunction with the Center for Community Engaged Learning, are sponsoring a day of service focused on the larger MSU/East Lansing communities. The daylong initiative will provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to take action that day in a positive manner in their community. More information about specific opportunities and links to sign up to participate will be shared soon with students, faculty and staff.
- An evening remembrance gathering will offer members of our campus and local community a place to come together in commemoration, support and recognition of Feb. 13, 2023. The gathering is scheduled for 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and will take place outdoors north of Spartan Stadium, near The Spartan statue. The event will be open to the public. MSU is working on plans to promote remote engagement with the event as well, and more details will be available soon.
- Reflective spaces will be set up across campus during the day on Feb. 13 for those who wish to spend time quietly reflecting safely. Counseling support will be available at each location.
- Counseling staff will be available to provide support to our community at these planned events. Please note that we will be using outside counselors to ensure MSU staff can spend this day as they choose.
I also want to provide a brief update on the ongoing planning efforts toward a permanent memorial. As previously announced, we have established the Feb. 13 Permanent Memorial Planning Committee — made up of students, faculty, staff and community liaisons — and it will seek input this winter via a community survey. There also are in-person and virtual engagement sessions planned for the spring, and that feedback will be used to create a request for artist proposals by the end of the semester. More information will be released in the coming weeks on how all Spartans can provide input to the process.
I am grateful to the many participants in the planning of these events and know that there is good faith effort to be inclusive and trauma informed as these events are developed. ORSC is the place where additional input or questions can be addressed.
I also want to thank ASMSU for its donation of a memorial bench last April. This will be installed on a small plaza near Berkey Hall, along with landscaping, before graduation this spring.
It is my hope that members of our community spend time commemorating Feb. 13, 2023, wherever and however it feels most meaningful for you.
Spartans, take good care of yourselves.
My best,
Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Interim President
MSU Research Foundation Professor
