Dear MSU students, faculty, and staff,

It shouldn’t be like this.

As an MSU alum who counts her entire MSU career as among the best days of her life, I am shattered to think what you are processing at the moment.  As a girl from Michigan’s smallest city – Omer, Michigan – I always felt safe in East Lansing, particularly on campus.  It felt like home.  You – we – no longer have that luxury.

As you were sheltered in place, terrified, I watched family and friends both in East Lansing and across the state worry about their MSU students and neighbors on Facebook.  During my years at MSU, I had countless classes in Berkey Hall and spent just as much time in the Union.  I could visualize myself in your situation all too vividly. My mind went to all of the lockdown drills I’ve experienced as a teacher and the all too real threats students face today.  I’ve always asked myself what I’d do if the threat was real.  It breaks my heart that you had to find out.

Today, as I prepared to head to my class on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), I saw students online terrified to go to class, questioning their safety.  While I understand the feeling, I personally refuse to cave to fear.  I can’t live my life in the shadows of what “might” happen.  I hope no one lets fear get in the way of their dreams, hopes, aspirations.  There is way too much out there to achieve.

Today, we are all Spartans.  

Love,

Lindsey Russell

Honors College 2004

Eli Broad College of Business (BA, supply chain management)

College of Arts and Letters (BA, Spanish)