EAST LANSING, Mich. – Changes will be made on campus at Michigan State University in an effort to increase security weeks after a gunman entered two buildings and shot at students, killing three and wounding five more.
Exactly one month after the Feb. 13 mass shooting, security measures will take effect on the East Lansing campus, officials recently announced.
Beginning March 13, a key card will be required to access buildings on campus overnight, between 6 p.m. and 7:30 a.m., on weekdays. Some of those buildings will also be closed on the weekends.
Officials say that even more cameras will be installed on campus, as well. There are already thousands of cameras across the campus, but there weren’t any at Berkey Hall, an academic building where seven students were shot in a classroom on Feb. 13.
After last month’s shootings, university police said there’s a significant amount of cameras up and running, and that they’re working on creating a more integrated system for accessing the footage. Improving camera placement and accessibility has been a priority of local law enforcement and university leaders after the disappearance, and later confirmed death, of 18-year-old Brendan Santo last May.
The university will also reportedly facilitate active violent intruder training as part of its new security protocol. It is currently unclear, however, if the training is meant for students, faculty and/or staff.
The news of security updates comes just more than two weeks after a 43-year-old gunman, with no known ties to the university, attacked the campus, killing or injuring students and terrorizing the entire community. Students resumed classes, many still on campus, one week after the shooting -- though instructors can make accommodations for students who aren’t ready to return to campus.
The gunman killed 19-year-old Arielle Anderson, 20-year-old Alexandria Verner, and 20-year-old Brian Fraser. Five students were injured and hospitalized in Lansing, where they were listed in critical condition. Since that night, four students have been upgraded from critical to stable and fair conditions, and one of the students has even been discharged and allowed to go home.
Police have decided not to confirm the identities of the injured students, but some of their names have been made public by family or friends.
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