EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – “I’m terrified to go back to classes as of right now,” MSU senior Nick Ealy said.
Ealy’s mind continues to wrestle with the horror that took place on campus Monday.
He was not near the incident but stayed on the phone with his girlfriend until he knew things were safer.
“The whole time my stomach was just twisting and turning and I was just scared for her and her roommate,” he said.
MSU informed students that classes will resume as normal on Monday.
Ealy feels that it is too early to return.
“I really don’t think I’ll be able to sit in a classroom comfortably for honestly up until I graduate without thinking that there could be a potential attack coming,” Ealy said.
Alum Petra Smith holds MSU close to her heart. It’s a place she calls home.
Smith lives near campus and said she could hear the many sirens outside her home as police rushed to campus.
She said while she knows it will be difficult to return, she’s confident in the services MSU has to offer to help the community along the way.
“It’s hard to imagine that people are going to be expected on Monday to get back to business again. But at the same token, we know that life must go on even though we’re still grieving the loss of life,” Smith said.
Jeno Rivera is the director of the Institute of Agricultural Technology at MSU. She said there is no concrete answer on whether it’s too early to return to campus as that will look different for everyone.
“This isn’t my first mass shooting at a college campus. Some need this time and space to process the crisis of what’s happened and others need to form this community or have this community that could be offered through having classes again,” Rivera said.
While the future is unknown, one thing is for certain.
Campus will never be the same.
