This week, students at Michigan State University (MSU) are being asked to return to class just seven days after a gunman shot eight people, killing three of their classmates and injuring five others. According to an article from the BBC, the shooter — who had no previous affiliation with MSU — took his own life following a nearly four-hour manhunt conducted by police. While students were told to shelter in place, parents rushed to campus to ensure their kids were safe. Now, these students have to return to a place where they lived through what may have been one of the most traumatic experiences of their lives. While this story is tragic, it has become far too common on school campuses across the United States. 

The student news publication at MSU, The State News, released an editorial following this tragedy on their campus. Titled “We’re not going to class on Monday,” the article echoes feelings expressed by many students and their families. 

“This was our home. And it will never be the same,” they wrote.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the United States has experienced 79 mass shootings less than two months into 2023. Yet, the nation often moves past them within days. If not, thoughts and prayers are sent, but no meaningful action is taken. As time passes, society becomes removed from the pain and feelings of those afflicted, until the next shooting occurs in our community or on our college campus. We do not see the families torn apart, the trauma inflicted on the survivors or the homes that will never be the same in the aftermath of these events. 

Colleges are a place of learning, a community of like-minded individuals excited to experience all the world has to offer. No student should go through their lives worried that their school might be next. As citizens, we must urge our elected officials to take action and install preventive measures to end the gun violence epidemic in the United States. We must never lose hope that an end to this violence is within reach. These shootings must never become normalized. 

A verified list of fundraisers that will directly help the victims of the MSU shooting can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/michigan-state-shooting-help.

Find the contact information for your federal representative’s office at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member.