Frequently asked questions

On June 9, 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 survey is available for the MSU community to provide their thoughts on the memorial The survey will close March 31, 2024. Additionally, two engagement sessions—one in person and one virtual—will be held in March.

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.

A request for artist proposals will go 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 $300,000 from the Spartan Strong Fund for a permanent memorial.

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.

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.