Frequently asked questions

On June 9, 2023 the university announced its distribution plan for Spartan Strong funds. The plan prioritizes support for families of loved ones who were lost, injured students and their families, physically uninjured individuals in the two Berkey Hall classrooms and food court kitchen inside the MSU Union, as well as mental health care reimbursement for students, faculty, staff and first responders impacted by the tragedy.

The purposed of the Office for Resource and Support Coordination is to offer support to all members of the university community impacted by the events of Feb. 13, 2023. We recognize that recovery is a process that requires practical assistance. The team is dedicated to offering a range of valuable resources from counseling services and mental health support to academic and financial resources.

The permanent memorial will serve as a central location to reflect, grieve and honor those lost, injured and all impacted. Families, loved ones, students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members can gather or visit alone—whatever way that makes the most sense for them.

A community engagement survey was active February to March 2024, and focus group sessions were held in March on campus and in the City of East Lansing, as well as online. An executive summary of the findings is available. Once proposals are submitted, there will be opportunity for additional community input.

In April 2023, the Associated Students of MSU donated a memorial bench. It will be installed in a small plaza near Berkey Hall, along with related landscaping updates, before the Spring 2024 graduation. 

Additionally, the MSU Museum is serving as the central repository for memorial items placed around campus following the tragedy. The MSU Museum and its campus partners are determining the best ways to manage this important collection in a trauma-informed manner.

More information is on the Memorial Planning page.

A request for artist proposals went out in Spring 2024, with a final selection in Fall 2024. It is estimated work will begin in Spring 2025.

Until selection of the final piece, it is not known how much the memorial will cost. The university has set aside funding from the Spartan Strong Fund for a permanent memorial and will make additional funding available if needed.

The latest activities toward strengthening security and safety on the East Lansing campus are available here. Additional safety tips are available from the Department of Police and public Safety.

If you tap your ID card on a door card reader and the door fails to unlock, the ID card is either failing or access to that particular building has not been authorized for the ID card.

When tapped, does the card reader fail to beep? If yes, then the ID card has a chip failure. A new ID card is required and must be acquired in person.

• Bring the failing ID card to the ID Office, which is open 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Unless the ID card has received abnormal use (e.g., a hole has been punched into the ID card), there will be no charge to replace a damaged ID card.
• Questions about IDs can be emailed to idoffice@msu.edu.

When tapped, does the card reader beep but the doors remain locked? This is an access control challenge and individuals should email DPPS.SecuritySvcs@msu.edu with information about the building they are trying to access. Emails are typically responded to by the next business day.

Our MSU campuses in Flint, Grand Rapids and Detroit are evaluating building access accommodations that need to be considered.

When students enroll at MSU, their MSU email is automatically added to the university’s emergency alert system. Employees’ email addresses and office phone numbers also are automatically added. To receive alert notifications on a cell phone, students and employees must update their contact information at alert.msu.edu. Parents, families and the community can sign up by texting MSUALERT to 888777. MSU sends out a test alert the first few weeks of each semester.

An Active Violence Incident, or AVI, Awareness training course is available and strongly recommended for all students, faculty and staff. It can be accessed on MSU’s Ability Training platform. You can access the AVI Awareness training by logging in with your MSU NetID and password. Once logged in, click the Launch button to begin the course.

We understand that this training may be difficult for some to complete following the violence our community experienced. Keeping this in mind, community members are encouraged to complete it on their own time, at the time that works best for them.

In addition to the online training, the department still offers in-person training for students, faculty and staff. To request in-person training, please visit the MSU DPPS website.

MSU’s Firearms or Weapons Ordinance prohibits anyone from carrying a concealed weapon on any MSU owned property, with the exception of certified law enforcement officers, those with an approved educational or research purpose, or those fully qualified individuals to carry a concealed weapon, under Michigan law, while they are operating a motor vehicle on a road owned by the university, so long as they remain in the vehicle.

Most classes will not convene on Feb. 13, 2025, as the MSU campus continues to heal, reflect and remember. Some classes, primarily for graduate and professional students, may still be in session.

The university will remain open to support students and our community, although employees may choose to use one of their paid day-off options.

Berkey Hall reopened in fall 2023 semester for faculty, academic and support staff and graduate students. Classes resumed in the building for the spring 2024 semester. For more information on resources for students, faculty and staff, visit the ORSC website.

The public area of what was formerly the food court at the MSU Union will be opened to guests the week after the Labor Day holiday, while the first floor of the north wing of the building, which no longer will house classroom spaces, will become available by the first day of fall classes on Aug. 26, 2024.

There is no easy answer, and this is something many communities that have seen incidents of violence have struggled with. At MSU, there have been ongoing and thoughtful conversations involving students, faculty, staff and trauma experts on the best course of action. In the end, the university has decided that these spaces would be open and utilized in a way that allows the campus community to come together in a spirit of openness and engagement.

Yes, MSU’s Office for Resource Support and Coordination has been in continued contact with the families most directly impacted. They were provided opportunities to review plans and offer feedback.

Design teams for each location worked closely with trauma-informed experts as well as security professionals as part of the planning process. Campus leaders, various student groups and multiple units across campus also were consulted.

MSU’s Office for Resource Support and Coordination remains in discussions with the families of those students who lost their lives Feb. 13, 2023, on various topics, including this. These are very personal discussions with the families, and we are giving them all the time and space they need. No decision has been made at this time.