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Michigan State to reopen after shooting: ‘this semester is not going to be normal’

Mourners leave flowers at The Rock on the grounds of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. Alexandria Verner, Brian Fraser and Arielle Anderson were killed and several other students remain in critical condition after a gunman opened fire on the campus of Michigan State University Monday night. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan State University will return for the semester on Monday, a week after a shooting that left three dead and five injured, officials announced during a Sunday press briefing.

“No one thinks that we’re coming back to a normal week,” said interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko. “In fact, this semester is not going to be normal.”

Four students remain in critical condition and one is in stable condition a week after a gunman opened fire at an academic hall and a student center on Monday. The names of the injured students haven’t been publicly shared.

The university has raised over $250,000 through the Spartan Strong Fund, which will help pay for student and staff counseling, campus safety enhancements, among other things.

The university has arranged to cover funeral costs for Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser, and hospital bills for the surviving victims.


“It’s a community that has been shattered,” Jeitschko said of the effect the shooting has had on the university community.

Officials said that students will be eased back into the semester, and professors have been instructed not to attempt to make up for lost time.