LANSING, Mich. — I'm a proud Spartan, like many others at FOX 17. I've taken classes at Berkey Hall, where two students were shot and killed only a week ago.
Berkey Hall is closed for the rest of semester, with classes there relocated.
When I returned to my alma mater on Monday, classes were the last thing on my mind. This was even more true for the students who returned to school, one week after the fatal shooting that claimed the lives of three MSU students and injured five others.
We chose not to ask questions on Monday. Instead, we waited by The Rock and propped a sign on a tripod. "This is hard," the sign read. "If you want to talk, we are here to listen."
After all, this is their story, and it should be told on their terms.
We are not approaching students on campus today. If you want to take the mic we’re at the rock. No questions. Just whatever you want to share. This shouldn’t deserve a gold star. It’s just the right thing to do. pic.twitter.com/zbB6soCHYp
— Julie Dunmire (@juliedunmire) February 20, 2023
Two brave Spartans took the mic. We listened.
"I should be thinking about my graduation," said one. "I should not be sitting here, crying, wondering what's going to happen."
They grieved. They shared their fears and their hopes. "Lawmakers have the power. We are begging you, please, to stop this from happening."
"This is so much to put on young people, the constant fear," said another Spartan. "It should never be that way. Run, hide, fight. I just have to sit here wondering: when will it stop?"
Many students passed by our sign without stopping. That's OK.
Spartans are here to hold each other through the the grief. They're not here to be pressured by news cameras.
What any Spartan wants is to go backwards and make sure the tragedy never happened at all.
"My heart breaks for Michigan State University nation. My heart breaks all over Michigan," said one member of the green-and-white community.
But on Monday, I saw Spartans walking to class one step at a time, one foot in front of the other. Spartans are doing what Spartans will.
Spartans know moving forward for good is impossible. But Spartans are taking the next steps.
Michigan's notorious underdogs will show you exactly what they're made of.
Stay strong, Spartans.
The full interviews can be watched below:
