I currently am a student at the University of Utah. There was a shooting after hours on campus on Monday. As a result, classes were cancelled on Tuesday, and we all went back on Wednesday. I think that as a whole, the campus handled it well. We are all still a little bit scared, but there is not quite the atmosphere of fear I've felt before with shooting threats.
However, when I was coming home from school Wednesday, I heard someone bashing on the fact that we did not have classes the previous day. She was older, and said that they still had classes when the terrorist attacks happened on 9/11. My main problem with this was not actually that they might still need the campus to do police investigations, but the psychological toll that things like this take on the students, faculty, and staff of the college.
When I was a junior in High School, one of my best friends there died over Christmas break. We were all informed when we got back that she had died. I cried that day in class. But I didn't go to the psychologist when they offered, like everyone expected me to. I didn't call home and tell my mom to come get me. I didn't take any days off of school. And that was really hard on me.
I understand that everyone in college is extremely busy, and none of us can really afford to miss classes. Two of my classes that were cancelled on Tuesday are some of the busiest classes I have. Yet sometimes we need to take a break and have a day to get that fear and sadness out.
It's hard to go back to a school when you feel someone is missing. Classes become difficult to focus and participate in when there is no longer someone there that was supposed to be. Going back to a place where you saw your dead friend all of the time is extremely saddening. It has to happen, but not just hours after you figure out about the death.
I really wish that I had taken some time off, or at least gone to the psychologist when I figured out about my friends death. But I didn't. I just cried all of the time when I got home and tried to keep my head above water with all of my schoolwork and such.
This is a really sad event, and many students are affected by it, whether they knew Lauren or not. Traumatic events can trigger memories of other events and lead to a whole lot of suffering in the mind.
Please don't be afraid to get help like I was. And don't forget your friends who've made an impact on your lives. It's okay to take a brain day after events like this, even if your schedule is extremely busy.
Tragedy is hard, but you don't have to deal with it alone. So please....don't.
