As Florida State University approaches the one-year mark of a mass campus shooting that left the campus community deeply shaken, the April 17 anniversary will be a day full of deep reflection.
In a March 23 email to the campus community, FSU President Richard McCullough shared the university’s plans for that day – which include a collective pause for a moment of silence and lighting the Unconquered Statue as a “symbol of remembrance and resilience.”
“As we reflect on last April’s tragic event on our campus, know that there is no greater testament to the unconquered spirit of this university than how we came together to support one another in the hardest of times and how this care for one another lives on,” McCullough said in his email to students, faculty and staff.
“The outpouring of kindness and support from the Florida State community has been a powerful reminder of the compassion and unity that define us. Remember, we are here for you, always.”
During the April 17 shooting at FSU near the Student Union building, a gunman killed two and injured five students. The evening after the shooting, thousands of students, staff, elected officials and others gathered on Langford Green on campus for a vigil, which was followed by flowers, balloons, candles, cards and stuffed animals being placed on the steps of the Student Union and along FSU’s Legacy Walk pathway.
Since the incident, the university has boosted security on campus with safety measures such as panic buttons, door locks and the use of drones. But despite the initiatives, the tragic event remains a memory engraved in the minds of the university community members.
McCullough said that at noon on April 17, the sound of bells will fill the campus atmosphere, followed by a pause that the FSU community will take for a moment of silence and reflection. He requested that faculty, staff and students take part in the collective initiative – pausing activities in classrooms and other public spaces around campus – to share the moment.
In addition, FSU’s Student Government Association plans on creating a space for reflection on Legacy Walk near the university’s aluminum FSU letters from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. During the moment, flowers will be provided to students for placement on the large letters. FSU SGA President Carson Dale was not immediately available for comment.
The university will also light the Unconquered Statue – which is located outside Doak Campbell Stadium across from Langford Green – from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The city of Tallahassee and Leon County do not currently have any plans underway to mark the memorial of the shooting, according to their spokespeople.
“We know that April 17 and the days around that day may impact each of us differently, and we appreciate your continued support and compassion for one another,” McCullough said in his email. “I encourage you to continue to lean on your campus community.”
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How FSU will reflect on campus shooting one year later
Reporting by Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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