EAST LANSING, Mich. — In the basement of Holden Hall on Michigan State University's South Campus, Jake Rhodes cues up the next song for the student-run radio show Impact.
“This one is going out to Ashley,” Jake introduced the next song, station manager Delaney Rogers sitting alongside him.
The two poured over the day’s set list, sharing some laughs.
“I bought three tickets on a whim because I thought I’d have people to go with me,” Jake said, laughing between songs.
Today the mood is light. But just a year ago, this very room would serve as a place of refuge following one of the darkest days in MSU’s history.
“Our immediate thought was just how quickly can we get out of here?” Jake said— alerts, texts, and tweets immediately flooded their phones.
“And then hearing that people were dying or people were hurt, that urgency started to increase,” Delaney said.
Panic turned to horror in the hours that followed as reality set in that three students were killed— and five others seriously hurt— in this heinous crime.
“When I look out my window and I look over campus, I look at the Union,” Jake said.
As the sun came up over East Lansing the following morning, that window showed a shattered Spartan community as the world learned the names of those killed in the mass shooting; Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner, and Brian Frasure.
“I can really remember and picture what it was like looking up or looking out and seeing the police tape set up, the tent set up along the sidewalk, and the ambulances,” Jake continued
“The silence was super loud, and it felt heavy and weird,” Delaney added. “All you could hear was the walk sign, like beeping in the distance, and nothing else.”
But in that silence, the strength of Spartans rang loud, and Delaney and Jacob decided it was their mission to document that for Impact.
With a mic, a camera, and heavy hearts, the two walked from Holden Hall to the center of campus— to Spartan Statue.
“The Spartan statue was just covered with flowers from all the way from the base of the statue down to the steps that lead onto the lawn there,” Jake said.
What they found was overwhelming. Their cameras quickly captured heartfelt notes, candles, and pictures— and tears.
The two readied their equipment for anyone willing to speak; no pressure, just a platform.
“Hey, I'm here for you, I just want to share your story,” Delaney told them. “I can't take away your pain, but I want to give you a way to utilize it for good.”
A mature approach for rookie journalists, covering an event some veterans in the industry may never experience.
“I think it was comforting for students to be able to share that with somebody who understood,” said Delaney.
Standing united, students walked up to Delaney and Jake, venting their thoughts of sadness and anger.
“They wanted to see change,” Jake told FOX 17.
From vigils to protests, the aftermath of the mass shooting took Delaney and Jake to all corners of campus— even the steps of the capital.
The two gained years of experience in the field in a matter of days.
Part of that process? Learning when to put the camera down.
“At one of the visuals on campus, I had taken my camera to and microphone and was fully prepared to take a couple photos,” Jake said. “I didn't take anything out, and it was that moment of kind of realizing that I just needed to be a student right now.”
Student first, journalist next was an important lesson as they too, were healing from this tragedy.
These days, the top story may not be the mass shooting like it was in the weeks and months to follow.
But as we approach February 13th, the pain, the grief— the chaos— of covering this national headline remains fresh, but the focus on capturing the pulse of campus remains ever-present.
