Newsbreak: Michigan State University Tightens Security with Nighttime Building Restrictions and Active Violence Training after Fatal Shootings

Michigan State University announced on Wednesday that it will restrict public access to most buildings at night in response to the February shootings that killed three students and wounded five more. Starting March 13, students, faculty, and staff will need to use their campus ID cards to gain electronic access to buildings between 6 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. on weekdays. Exceptions will be made for events typically open to the general public.

To improve safety, Michigan State plans to make it possible to lock 1,300 classrooms from the inside by the fall semester. Students, educators, and staff will also be expected to participate in “active violence intruder training” beginning next fall.

The shootings took place on February 13, with a gunman shooting eight students after 8 p.m. Two students were killed at Berkey Hall, an academic facility, and another at the MSU Union. Both structures are still closed.

At East Lansing, roughly 90 miles northwest of Detroit, Michigan State University boasts 50,000 students and hundreds of buildings. The university said it will expand its current network of 2,000 campus cameras and hire an outside party to analyze the immediate response to the shootings and make the report public.

There has been no announcement on changes to building access during the day. Michigan State currently restricts access to residence hall living spaces, though dining areas on the ground floor are normally available to the public.

This report was heavily influenced by a Fox News report published on March 1, 2023.