MSU students turn to activism following shooting

LANSING − In the weeks following the mass shooting shooting at Michigan State University, students have turned to public activism to pressure lawmakers, advocate for safety policies and remember the tragedy’s victims.

Around a hundred people gathered in the first floor of the Boji Tower on the 100 block of Allegan on Monday to attend the event promoted by March for Our Lives, a national gun violence advocacy organization. The event was moved to the building from the Capitol lawn as freezing rain and rain fell throughout the day.

Charlotte Plotzke, a junior and communications major who organized the event, said the shooting has led to her bringing her activism from social media to the Capitol.

“I've really just been channeling all my energy into planning events like this for the future,” Plotzke said. She has yet to return to regular classes, she said. MSU resumed classes on Monday, Feb. 20, one week after the shooting.

Previously, Plotzke has worked with Flytedesk, an advertising company that partners with political causes, to post politically active messages on her Instagram. She’s engaged in efforts to increase youth voter turnout and promote pro-choice candidates following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Clarissa Mata, a senior studying political science, has organized political events in the past. She planned Lansing’s chapter of the Women’s Wave Rally in October. Mata said the event changed her life.

“I recognized how important it is to hold events like these, not only to get our message across but just to gain a sense of community,” she said. “It just gave me more hope and made me feel less alone being with other people who felt similar to me.”

Despite her overwhelming experience planning the October event and a promise to herself that she was “never going to plan another rally again,” Mata felt that she needed to do something community-oriented following the MSU shooting.

On Feb. 13, Arielle Anderson of Harper Woods, Brian Fraser of Grosse Pointe and Alexandria Verner of Clawson, were killed when Anthony McCrae opened fire at Berkey Hall and the MSU Union Feb. 13. Nate Statly, John Hao, Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, Troy Forbush and one other student who has not been named publicly were wounded by the gunman, who later killed himself.

During the event Monday, students, professors and lawmakers expressed their desire to change state law and prevent further gun violence in the future.

Jackie Matthews, a senior studying international relations, spoke at the event sharing how gun violence has impacted her life from early in her childhood.

Originally from Newtown, Connecticut, Matthews was a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School when a gunman killed 20 students and six adult faculty members.

“It felt like history was repeating itself 10 years later when in an ordinary day in the life of a college student, myself along with the entire Michigan State community were forced into to ‘run, fight, hide’ mode, many of us sending texts to friends and families endlessly not knowing what was going on,” she said.

“We may feel numb, angry and everything in between, but now is when our voices must be loudest.”

“How many more bullets must we dodge?” Matthews asked. “How many more prayers and thoughts will we receive before we see change that protects us?”

Matthews said that “Spartan Strong” has now become a movement that will hopefully bring policy change in the state. “We will continue to fight,” she said.

Plotzke and Mata said that currently proposed bills, which include the enactment of safe storage requirements, universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders, are a good start toward combatting gun violence in the state.

Gun control supporters now see a chance for significant legislation following Democrats regaining control of the State Legislature in the 2022 election. But given their slim majorities - 56-54 in the House and 20-18 in the Senate - any proposals are expected to face a difficult path forward.

Plotzke also advocated for greater accommodations for students struggling to return to campus.

“I can appreciate the no credit/credit option, but I cannot appreciate or respect the decision to not offer hybrid or online classes for each course because there's absolutely no excuse for that,” she said.

Contact Sheldon Krause at skrause@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @sheldonjkrause.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State students turn to activism following mass shooting