Update on spaces at Berkey Hall, MSU Union

Aug. 1, 2024

Dear Spartan community,

Having toured our campus and its colleges and operating units over the past several months, I very quickly saw the deep affection Spartans have for our university and its people. I also recognized the resilience of our students, faculty, staff and alums as our university community continues to heal after the violence MSU experienced on Feb. 13, 2023.

I remain committed to supporting Spartans as they navigate their individual healing processes, so I want to provide an update on the spaces at Berkey Hall and the MSU Union that have remained closed to the public since that day and on our campus plans for Feb. 13, 2025.

Design teams worked closely with trauma-informed experts as part of our planning. Most importantly, directly impacted individuals and families had opportunities to review plans and offer feedback, and they remain engaged as the project moves forward.

MSU Union

The public area of what was formerly the food court will be opened to guests the week after the Labor Day holiday. This new space will allow individuals to gather, engage and socialize in an open and peaceful setting. There is no academic programming currently planned for the renovated space.

Berkey Hall

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. The location where the violence occurred is being renovated into an open space for individuals to gather, engage and reflect. The remaining classrooms in the wing have been transformed into small-group meeting rooms, a reflection room, single-occupant accessible restrooms and a personal health room. The College of Social Science will use some of that space for offices providing student services.

For some, reentering these spaces may be too difficult or stressful, and we support you regardless of what decision you make. Through ongoing conversations involving students, faculty, staff and trauma experts, we chose to open these spaces in a way that allows the campus community to come together in a spirit of support and engagement.

Other developments

I also want to provide updates on two other items:

• First, for the coming 2024-25 academic year, most classes will not convene on Feb. 13 as our 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. I want to thank ASMSU, COGS and other student and campus leaders for their input over the past several months.
• Second, as you might have seen on Spartans Together, the Feb. 13 Permanent Memorial Planning Committee has gathered feedback from many across our campus to create and distribute a request for proposals for a permanent memorial. I want to thank the committee, MSU’s National Charrette Institute and our Office for Resource and Support Coordination for all their efforts on this initiative to properly memorialize those we lost and those impacted on that day.

We have much to be excited about as we prepare for the fall semester, but I also recognize that messages such as this can cause feelings of anxiety, uncertainty or sadness. It is important we share this information to help prepare you for the changes to come. Please know that we are here to support you, and resources are available to all members of our community via the Office for Resource and Support Coordination’s website.

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D.
(pronounced GUS-ka-wits)
President
Professor, Department of Kinesiology