U. sends emails to Rutgers community after shooting at Michigan State University
A mass shooting on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus in East Lansing, Michigan, on Monday night, left three students dead and five more injured, according to an MSU press release.
Yesterday morning, the Ewing Police Department in New Jersey announced in a press release that the now-deceased shooter, Anthony McRae, had a note on his person that mentioned a threat to two public schools in the township.
As a precaution, officials decided to close all the public schools in Ewing for the day. The suspect used to reside in the Ewing area but has not lived there for several years, according to the release.
Following the shooting, Rutgers sent two University-wide emails yesterday with safety tips and words of reassurance. The first email contained a statement from University President Jonathan Holloway, who said that the parallels between MSU and Rutgers compelled him to send a message following the shooting.
"Our hearts are with our fellow Big Ten institution, whose faculty and staff collaborate with our own and whose student-athletes compete alongside ours, and we grieve the loss of these innocent victims of another mass shooting, another act of senseless violence," he said in the email.
Holloway said campus, local and state public safety officials remain trained and ready to respond to an active shooter event. He encouraged the University community to use care and compassion to reject violence and give back to other communities in need.
"I don’t pretend that your act of kindness will end violence, but it can make someone else’s life a little better and can remind you that there is light and grace at yet another moment of violence and loss," he said.
Holloway also mentioned that yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
In a following University-wide email, Kenneth Cop, chief of the Rutgers University Police Department (RUPD), reminded the University community of the safety measures and resources in place to keep everyone safe on campus.
He directed individuals to view the University’s Institute of Planning and Operations website, which has emergency and active shooter resources which provide instructions on what to do in an emergency or if a shooting were to occur on campus.
The email also included information about upgrades to classroom locking mechanisms, which have been underway across campus since 2022 and involve replacing classroom doors with a locking system that allows those inside to secure the room in an emergency.
"At Rutgers, campus safety is a shared responsibility that is contingent upon everyone recognizing that we all have roles to play in achieving our shared vision for the Rutgers community," Cop said.
