Responding to Violence with Compassion

February 14, 2023
 
Members of the Rutgers Community,
 
We are devastated by the news that three Michigan State University students were fatally shot, and five more students were critically injured, by a gunman on the MSU campus last night. Our hearts are with our fellow Big Ten institution, whose faculty and staff collaborate with our own and whose student-athletes compete alongside ours, and we grieve the loss of these innocent victims of another mass shooting, another act of senseless violence.
 
Though I have been hesitant to communicate with you after incidents of violence or injustice or tragedy because they occur all too often, our close connection with Michigan State, and the similarities between our campus communities, compelled me to write to you today. 
 
Please know that we consider your safety and well-being our highest priority, and we do all we can to protect students, faculty, staff, and visitors on all our campuses and facilities. The tragic incidents of recent decades have meant that we must—and we do—prepare our public safety personnel to respond to active shooter situations and other threats to your safety and security, in conjunction with their partners in local and state law enforcement. We continue working to improve our preparedness every semester. You can find resources related to active shooter situations here, and look for a message later today from Executive Director of Public Safety Kenneth Cop with more detailed information. Also, in the wake of this terrifying incident, please remember that counseling is available on all our campuses if you need it.
 
To be writing to you about these matters on Valentine’s Day—and on the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida school shooting—brings me tremendous sadness. Such acts of horrible violence can leave us feeling not only fearful but also helpless. There is no doubt that we urgently need serious societal and statutory changes to address the heartbreaking cycle of gun violence in our country. As Michigan’s governor said, “We cannot accept living like this.”
 
But what can you and I do today? I humbly ask that you take this heartbreaking occasion to consider counteracting violence with compassion. Consider going out of your way to help someone in need; give to disaster relief efforts, including those supporting earthquake victims; visit a lonely neighbor; help stock a food pantry; volunteer at a nursing home; give blood. I don’t pretend that your act of kindness will end violence, but it can make someone else’s life a little better and can remind you that there is light and grace at yet another moment of violence and loss.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jonathan Holloway
President and University Professor