Penn State sends support message to Michigan State University after mass shooting

Leaders of Penn State University expressed shock and sympathy over Monday night’s mass shooting at a sister Big Ten institution and assured their own campuses across the Commonwealth that safety and counseling services are available.

The shooting that left three Michigan State University students dead and five critically wounded traumatized the campus of 50,000 in East Lansing, Mich. It is the latest mass shooting in an academic setting and occurred almost five years to the day since the Parkland High School shooting in South Florida left 17 dead and 17 wounded on Feb. 14, 2018.

On social media, images of chaos and panic on what normally would be a routine weeknight on a major American campus were interspersed Monday night with the blare of ambulance sirens and police running toward gunfire.

Monday night’s attack “once again shattered our collective sense of safety and community, this time on the campus of Michigan State,” read a message to campus from Justin Schwartz, Penn State interim executive vice president and provost and Andrea Dowhower, interim vice president for student affairs at Penn State.

“As a Big Ten sister institution, we, too, are profoundly struck by this tragedy — as many of our faculty, staff and students have colleagues and friends in the MSU community,” the pair wrote. “For all who are connected to Michigan State, we wish them not only peace, but resilience as well, during this heartbreaking time.

“For the individuals who were also injured in this tragic late-night incident, we wish them a full recovery as they and the entire Spartan community attempt to make sense of this senseless inhumanity,” they added.

Since long before Monday night’s horrifying scenes at Michigan State, colleges have wrestled with how to protect their campuses from the unimaginable. At Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., the killings of 33 people including students in 2007 was followed nationally by a wave of active shooter programs, shelter-in-place protocols and emergency alert text and email systems.

At the University of Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania’s largest campus, officials in the wake of Monday night’s shootings pointed to a variety of efforts there including regular training by Pitt Police for incidents of mass violence and civilian training for departments on campus.

“Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the Michigan State University community,” said a university statement released by spokesman Jared Stonesifer.

Sending our love and support to the Spartan community today, as they cope with the aftermath of shootings on campus. ????????https://t.co/q70PpVAyuK

— Penn State (@penn_state) February 14, 2023

The Penn State message posted to the university’s website reminded students and employees of counseling and other resources available at University Park and the school’s other locations, including the Western Pennsylvania campuses of Altoona, Beaver, New Kensington, Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, Penn State Greater Allegheny, Shenango and The Behrand College in Erie.

Some of the services include:

Student Care and Advocacy — Helps students navigate challenges and concerns. 814-863-2020; email: StudentCare@psu.edu

Counseling & Psychological Services — Counseling and mental health services are available through CAPS, which can be reached at 814-863-0395 for University Park students or at each Commonwealth Campus location.

Penn State Police and Public Safety — Encourages the community to review the protocols of “Run, Hide, Fight,” part of Penn State’s Active Attacker Response Program. Officials reminded students and employees to report any suspicious activity to police.

The Penn State Crisis Line (877-229-6400) and the Crisis Text Line (text “LIONS” to 741741) — Both are open 24/7 to Penn State students dealing with crisis and non-crisis situations.