Feb. 13, 2024, resources for campus
As we look to the Spring 2024 semester, we are also approaching the one-year mark of the violence of Feb 13, 2023. The university’s commemoration events are being designed to provide opportunities for all members of our community to come together and take the time and space they need for ongoing healing.
Plans are underway for a student-led day of action and an evening remembrance gathering on Feb. 13, 2024. Committees consisting of students, staff, and faculty are actively planning these university-wide commemoration events. Committee members are engaging interest groups for additional input as they work through the details.
As a reminder, there will be no classes held on Feb. 13, 2024, though the university will remain open to support students and our community.
Guidance to Campus in Support of Unit Level Efforts
To ensure that our campus is handling the commemoration of Feb 13 in the most sensitive and trauma-informed way as possible, it is not recommended that groups, units, or offices hold smaller commemoration events.
If your unit is considering an independent commemoration event, here is some trauma-informed guidance to consider:
- Be aware of the university-wide events and avoid overlapping efforts, if possible. Additional timing, location, and details will be announced soon, and updates will be regularly available here. Additional timing, location, and details will be announced soon.
- Ensure invitees are well prepared for exactly what will occur at your event, so that the details and their participation is not met with surprise.
- Describe your event as fully as possible – what will you be doing, where will it be, what is expected of attendees or participants?
- Attendance should always be optional, and participants should be able to exit easily at any time.
- Commemorative events should not be a source of retraumatization, to this end, we do not recommend that individuals publicly share personal stories or that groups engage in expression of memories and experiences from Feb 13.
- Providing narratives or listening to others’ stories can be quite activating for those who have experienced trauma.
- Without the support and direction of mental health professionals, this type of exercise can create additional distress, often unexpectedly.
- Share links to supportive resources with planners and attendees however possible. Some helpful resources may include:
- Engage with IPF Events early for assistance in planning events which will involve entities outside your department or immediate responsibility and/or take place in university-managed spaces.
- IPF Events can help you identify, coordinate, and schedule logistical support needs, such as Parking, Security, space-use approval, waste management, restroom facilities, electrical service, and seating.
- They typically require 90 days notice for many approval processes, so contact them as early as possible for support.
- MSU counseling staff will not be readily available for individual unit events, as MSU will be utilizing 3rd party support for presence at university-wide events, and MSU UHW staff will not be on duty to provide them an opportunity to engage in commemorative events. Plan accordingly.
- Notify ORSC about your planned commemoration efforts, so that publicly announced offerings can be shared via our website and any important coordination can occur.
- Email orsc@msu.edu with planned dates, times, locations, and event details.
Who is ORSC?
In April 2023, Michigan State University established the Office for Resource and Support Coordination, a temporary office to coordinate the university’s continued response and supportive resources following the Feb. 13 violence on campus. The office is led by co-directors Natalie Moser and Dave Brewer.
Moser currently serves as the director of the MSU Psychological Clinic and is a founding member of the university’s Trauma Services and Training Network. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, a leading expert in anxiety and has expertise providing consultation to families and communities. She holds a doctorate from the University of Delaware.
Brewer most recently served as the director of building services for MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities and was a key architect behind the university’s logistical response to COVID-19 to ensure the health and well-being of the campus community. Brewer has been an active member of the university’s Emergency Operations Center and training and planning efforts. He holds a doctorate in mass communication with a focus on organizational communication from the University of Alabama.
More information on the ORSC team can be found below.
To contact our office, please email us at orsc@msu.edu.
Photo by Tom Shakir on Unsplash