(WXYZ) — In an effort to respect student privacy, 7 Action News did not go to the Michigan State University campus Monday as students returned to class. Instead, we are using interviews gathered by MSU student journalist Isabella Martin.
MSU sophomore Nolan Radomski told Martin, "It’s hard to just suddenly return to a casual normal routine. I just had a classroom with typically 300 students with maybe 60 today."
Students are returning to class one week from the day many were running for their lives across campus.
"I just had a quantum physics lecture where we talked about physics for like five minutes and most of it was just like what happened last week and how do we respond and how do we move forward," MSU junior Jonathon Kho said.
Many classes were canceled Monday and many students decided not to come back yet.
"I have friends who were at IM East at the time of the shooting and they don’t want to go back to IM East anytime soon because of what they experienced running out of a gym, not knowing if they’re in danger or not," Kho said.
According to trauma counselor Dr. Ural Hill with Hill and Associates LLC., it's important to let each student work through the trauma in their own time.
"About 60% of people who go through a traumatic event like this experience post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. About 40% go through post-traumatic growth. They are more resilient, they get stronger," Hill said.
Hill says for those students who are back, routine is key for helping move your mind forward.
"I suppose at some point we got to jump back into that routine," Radomski said.
Hill recommends students talk to one another about their experiences and utilize the counselors that are on campus for the next couple of weeks.
For those who feel the push, being socially active during this time can help.
"Do something about it. One of the best ways to grieve is to actively get involved in change," Hill said. "So, do something positive to memorialize these students."
There's no cut, copy or paste approach to dealing with tragedy of this magnitude. Above all, each student will need time, and we as a community must give that to them.
"Go pet the dogs that are walking around today, hug a friend," Hill suggested. "If you see someone that seems to be out of sorts say, 'Hey, you’re on my mind.' Call them up and check with them."
