EAST LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Michigan State University reopens Berkey Hall and Student Union more than a year after a deadly mass shooting.
In the months since the Feb. 13, 2023, shooting that left three students dead and five others injured, classes have been moved to other locations and the two buildings have been renovated.
In a letter to students earlier this month, university President Kevin Guskiewicz announced that academic spaces in both buildings where the shooting occurred have been converted into meeting spaces and small group conference rooms.
“The location where the violence occurred is being renovated into an open space where people can gather, engage, and reflect. For some, it may be too difficult or stressful to re-enter these spaces, and we support you no matter what decision you make,” Guskiewicz wrote in the letter. “Through ongoing conversations with students, faculty, staff, and trauma experts, we have chosen to open these spaces in a way that allows the campus community to come together in a spirit of support and inclusion.”
Community member Joshua Makar said he feels this is the right move.
“I think it’s great because they’re there for students, especially those who are still here and haven’t graduated yet and maybe still have trauma, and they can relive those memories, whether they were on campus or in the neighborhood,” Makar told CBS News Detroit.
Makar said he believes that by adapting classrooms to create meeting spaces, the university is showing that it is listening to students while also providing space for them to move forward.
“I think it’s very good that the school says we still have a long way to go before everyone is healed,” he said.
According to MSU, Berkey Hall will reopen on August 26 and the renovated portion of the Student Union will open the week after Labor Day.
Guskiewicz said students can expect to be out of classes again next year on Feb. 13, so they have time to remember and reflect.
Elle Meyers
