DETROIT — Michigan State University leaders have decided not to resume classes this school year in Berkey Hall and the MSU Union, the buildings where a Feb. 13 mass shooting occurred, leaving three students dead and five wounded.
Berkey Hall, where the mass shooting started and two of the three students were killed, will also remain closed for the fall semester "to allow time for inclusive conversations about next steps," MSU Senior Vice President for Student Life & Engagement Vennie Gore and Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko said Wednesday in a campus wide email.
The MSU Union building will re-open Monday because it's "an important resource for students and the community alike," Gore and Jeitschko said.
The Union's computer labs and mini-market will reopen, but the food court will remain closed, MSU officials said.
"As you decide when the time is right to revisit the MSU Union, we want to give you an idea of what to expect when we welcome you back," Gore and Jeitschko wrote to students, faculty and staff.
Three students — 19-year-old Arielle Anderson, 20-year-old Alexandria Verner and 20-year-old Brian Fraser — were killed during by shooter Anthony McRae, who took his own life hours after the campus shootings when confronted by police in Lansing.
Five students were injured in the February shooting. They include Troy Forbush, Nate Statly, John Hao and Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez.
Memorials for the shooting victims and tributes written by alumni will be on display in the Union's Lake Huron Room on the third floor of the building, the university officials said.
"The MSU Union team looks forward to welcoming those who are ready to use the space once more, knowing that for some, more time may be needed and for others, feelings might shift once on site," Gore and Jeitschko wrote. "It is OK to step away or delay returning if it doesn't feel right to you."
