EAST LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Today marks one month since three students were killed at Michigan State University. A planned walkout to display the impact the shooting had on the community was postponed today due to weather and was rescheduled for Sunday.
Today, students and staff were also greeted with new security measures when they arrived back on campus after spring break.
Most buildings now require key card access from 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. More than 1,300 hundred classrooms are being equipped with locks. Fall 2023 is the anticipated completion of that project, according to MSU Public Safety. Additional security cameras are also in the process of being installed on campus, in addition to the more than 2,000 existing cameras.
MSU students shared their thoughts with 7 Action News on the updates.
Artik Chowdhury, a senior and international student said, “I feel like those measures should have been in place before anything had happened. Like, now that it’s there, I feel people will feel much more secure staying on campus.”
MSU freshman Manessah Adal said, “I feel like it is helpful. It makes it easier on the students because they feel more safe.”
Maxim Furman, another freshman said, "This probably should have been in place a while ago, and it should take something like this for people to realize that."
MSU's interim deputy chief Chris Rozman told 7 Action News, “All of our students, faculty, and staff will need their Spartan ID to access those buildings. So, that’s the first security measure."
He said the school will also require students, staff, and faculty to undergo mandatory active assailant training starting in the fall.
Rozman said the measures were taken into consideration following conversations with students and staff.
"Michigan State is a very large place. It’s about 6,000 acres, approximately 600 buildings. This is a big place. Our water plant, our power plant... this is essentially a city within itself, and so it’s a challenge to work at securing our entire campus but we do a very good job and we’re always looking at ways to improve," he explained.
