EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University has vowed to cover funeral costs and medical expenses for the students killed and injured when a gunman opened fire on campus last week.
The East Lansing-based university will use money donated to the Spartan Fund to help families pay for funeral and hospital expenses in the wake of the Feb. 13 mass shooting. Three students were killed and five students were injured in shootings at two on-campus buildings.
Interim university President Teresa Woodruff said Sunday that more than $250,000 have been donated to the Spartan Fund in the wake of the shootings. In addition to funeral and medical costs, the fund -- created to provide support for the “individuals most critically impacted” -- will also be used for counseling for students, faculty and staff, and for campus safety enhancements, Woodruff said.
Funeral services were held over the weekend for 20-year-old Alexandria Vernor and 20-year-old Brian Fraser, two students shot and killed on campus by a 43-year-old gunman. Funeral services for 19-year-old Arielle Anderson, the third mass shooting victim, are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21.
The five students injured in the shootings were all taken to a hospital in Lansing and listed in critical condition that night. Four of them required surgical intervention upon arrival at the hospital, officials reported.
As of Monday, three students have been upgraded from critical condition: two are now in serious condition, and another is in fair condition. Two students still remain in critical condition.
Police said they will not be confirming the identities of any of the five injured students, out of respect for the families. Some identities have still been made public by family or friends, however.
More: ‘Full recovery will take months’: Hospitalized Michigan State shooting victim identified
Classes are resuming Monday for Michigan State University students after they were suspended following the shootings. Berkey Hall, an academic building where seven of the eight students were shot, will remain closed for the semester. Any classes inside that building will take place elsewhere.
University officials say that students will have the option to return to campus or continue their studies online on a case-by-case basis.
Many students have been expressing their unease about returning to campus. An emotional State News op-ed asked the university to give students more support, and a longer break from classes to process and grieve. A petition started by a student has garnered more than 23,000 signatures in favor of the university offering online or hybrid options for students who aren’t ready to return to campus.
Undergraduate lecturers have been given the OK to offer credit/no credit grading for the spring semester.
You can watch the latest update by university and police officials in the video below.