On Feb. 13, MSU will commemorate the two-year mark following the violence the campus community experienced, honoring those lost, injured and all impacted by the tragedy. The Office for Resource and Support Coordination, or ORSC, has been working closely with a committee of students, staff and faculty in planning a commemoration day that offers opportunities for service and advocacy as well as spaces to gather in community and remembrance.

ORSC and MSU leaders acknowledge and respect the various emotions and reactions that community members will have leading up to and on this day. The plans for the commemoration day are intended to offer options for service, community engagement and supportive resources.

Two important reminders:

• For most students, no classes will be held Thursday, Feb. 13, assignments will not be due on this day, and exams will not be held. Classes will meet again Friday, Feb. 14, but assignments and exams will not be due on this date either.
• The university remains open, and all regular business functions continue, including dining halls, recreational sports facilities, mental and emotional health services and CATA transportation services.

Details and updated information about the plans for Feb. 13, 2025, are available at the Spartans Together website. Below is a brief synopsis:

• Service and advocacy opportunities: Join the Center for Community Engaged Learning for “Caring Through Service,” an opportunity for community building, service and advocacy. Visit the Breslin Center Hall of History between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to support mental health initiatives, create meaningful connections and give back to the community. Food will be available to enjoy as participants come together in community to support one another through service. Visit this site for more details.
• Outdoor supportive spaces: Tented, heated spaces will be open 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and staffed with volunteers to navigate resources and support, offer luminary kits (white paper bags with green electric tea lights) for pickup, provide bottled water and hot cocoa, and direct community members to QR codes to provide feedback on permanent memorial design proposals. Comfort dogs also will visit these spaces. The three locations are:
• Near the Rock, at the corner of Farm Lane and Auditorium Road
• Next to the Grand River Ramp, at the corner of West Circle Drive and East Circle Drive
• The Spartan statue, at the corner of Beal Street and Chestnut Road
• Indoor supportive spaces: The Breslin Center’s Hall of History, open 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and the MSU Alumni Chapel, open 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., will be staffed with volunteers to assist with resources/support, luminary kit pickup and QR codes for feedback on the permanent memorial.
• Luminary kits: Luminaries (available for pickup at the locations above) can be lit and photos captured and shared on social media starting at 8 p.m., using the hashtag #spartanstogether.
• Beaumont Tower bells: There are plans for music to be played, a moment of silence and then the ringing of the Beaumont Tower bells from 8:10 p.m. to 8:25 p.m. Beaumont Tower, as well as the MSU Union and Berkey Hall, will be lit green from 6 p.m. Feb. 13 until 6 a.m. Feb. 14. A livestream of this is available for viewing by Spartans around the world via the Spartans Together website.
• Community art: There are several opportunities for campus community members to engage:
• Exhibits created on the one-year commemoration will be installed in the two impacted and now renovated spaces in Berkey Hall and the MSU Union ahead of Feb 10.
• The “Reclaiming Space” exhibition at the MSU Union Art Gallery is open now through Feb. 15 and provides an opportunity for individuals to add their personal touch and creativity to the murals and sculptures that make up the exhibition.
• Beginning Feb. 5 and running through Feb. 13, the Broad Art Museum is hosting “Art in the Aftermath: Healing Gun Violence through Artivism,” an exhibition of activist art produced by individuals affected by our nation’s epidemic of gun violence.

MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services (Olin Health Center, third floor, 463 East Circle Drive; 517-355-8270) and the MSU Employee Assistance Program (110 Linton Hall, 479 W. Circle Drive; 517-355-4506) will have drop-in appointments available from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Feb. 13. Visit the websites or call for more details or to inquire more generally about available services.

Please remember, resources are available to all members of our community at the ORSC website. For any questions about the activities next week, please email orsc@msu.edu.