EAST LANSING, Mich. – One of the two buildings on Michigan State University’s campus where a gunman opened fire Monday night will remain closed at least for the remainder of the semester.
Interim university President Teresa Woodruff said Thursday that Berkey Hall, an academic building on the northern edge of campus, will be closed for the rest of the semester. There will be no classes held in Berkey Hall.
Classes that normally take place in the building will be moved elsewhere, though it was not immediately clear if that means to a different physical location, or if lessons will be moved online. Officials said that students should keep an eye out for directions from their instructors on what to expect.
Berkey Hall had been closed off to the public since Monday night, when a 43-year-old gunman with no known ties to the university shot and killed two students there, and injured others. Moments later, the same gunman would open fire at the MSU Union, where another student was killed and more were injured.
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Students and staff were allowed to reenter Berkey Hall Thursday morning to retrieve any items they left behind amid the chaos of the shootings. The FBI and support staff, along with emotional support dogs, were also present in the building.
Anyone who left belongings in Berkey Hall should feel no pressure to pick their things up right away, an FBI official said Thursday. Any belongings left in the building after Thursday, Feb. 16, will be handed to Michigan State University police, who can distribute the items to their owners as needed. About 80% of belongings had been retrieved already, officials said.
It’s unknown when exactly Berkey Hall will reopen, or if it will undergo any type of renovation before doing so. President Woodruff said Thursday that she doesn’t have an answer just yet, but that next steps are being discussed.
The MSU Union, where the second shooting occurred Monday, is “still being evaluated,” officials said. It’s unclear when the building will open to the public.
The university resumed normal on-campus operations on Thursday. All MSU classes have been canceled through Sunday to “offer time for healing to begin.”