We Cannot Heal Alone 

 Dear APA members, 

Their names are Alex, Arielle, and Brian and these Spartans changed our lives forever.  

When students arrive at MSU they become part of our Spartan family and we love them like our own. Never again will February 13, just be the day before Valentine’s Day. A senseless act violated our Spartan family and we lost three beautiful souls while five others continue to fight for their lives. The wounds are fresh, even as we attempt to heal, Alex, Arielle, Brian, and their families will always be in our hearts 

Run, Hide, Fight were the words repeated as that evening unfolded. We commend our law enforcement friends for their bravery and dedication to our Spartan family. They ran forward to protect and secure the rest of us while friends, families, and parents, frightened beyond belief, communicated with those hiding in their rooms and closets. A thank you does not seem adequate for their work. 

Many of our APA positions are front-facing, having daily contact with our students. Our counselors, social workers, and our members in the housing and culinary areas are just some of the first that come to mind, you know our students as family and care for them deeply. Your work is from the heart and cannot be overlooked. 

As your APA, our work is to support you, while you support our Spartan family. Our first concern was to bring in crisis counselors for members, and specifically for those with frontline contact with our students and coworkers. You cannot help us if you are not supported. MEA reached out to help us with 18 minutes of the first alert. I spent Tuesday in their office learning the lessons that had unfortunately come from previous shooting tragedies. Please know that the APA/MEA support is not just for these first moments but for the long haul.  

The conversations we are having with our members help us understand their needs. We know that many are hurting too badly to talk now and that is okay. In time, know that we are here to hear your concerns when you are ready. We cannot heal alone and our APA/MEA resources and the MSU EAP services are there for us.  

Our hearts are broken and may even harbor some anger. This will affect each of us differently as we give grace and time to our friends, coworkers, and Spartan community. We will get through this.  

Their names are Alex, Arielle, and Brian, and these Spartans changed our lives forever. 

Sincerely, 

Martin McDonough 

President 

MSU APA