Maia Wilkins never imagined that her first Morgan homecoming would end in a shooting. 

“Since it was on our campus, right at the Student Center where I walk every day, it was unsettling,” said the junior marketing major. 

Wilkins, a transfer student, believes that the homecoming shootings- which have occurred for two consecutive years- may become an expectation for Morgan’s annual celebrations. 

The victim of the Oct. 8 attack was shot at 10:05 p.m. in front of the University Student Center. Shockwaves ran through Morgan’s student body after hearing the news. 

Gabrielle Timpson, junior multimedia production major, believes lax security during the homecoming festivities caused that night’s “nerve-racking” events.

Despite the university’s efforts to increase security presence, she expressed her reservations about campus security’s performance that evening. 

“I feel like Morgan is doing a lot of great things. But as soon as something like this happens, all of those great things kind of just wash away.” 

Students like Damon Story, a sophomore business management major, said the on-campus violence is from the university’s location.

“We do stay in Baltimore, and the school is an open campus. I just feel like it’s a safety issue,” he said. 

According to the Baltimore Police Crime Map, more than 1,500 violent crimes and 85 shootings occurred in the past year in Northeast Baltimore- where Morgan is located.

This same crime map states that over 10,000 violent crimes were committed in Baltimore City within the year.

Story described the violent incident as an isolated incident that “slipped through the cracks” and said the blame should not solely be placed on security. 

Pamelia Moore, class of 1977 Morgan graduate, expressed great disappointment in the violent occurrence. 

“My initial reaction was, why does this have to happen? I don’t know what it would take to get this to stop, but it takes a village,” she said. 

Though the news of the shooting disheartens Moore, she says these incidents will not deter her from attending future homecomings at her alma mater. 

“They [the shooters] have no idea the struggles that people went through to establish these campuses that we call home,” she said. “I will pay more attention to my surroundings, but it won’t take away the joy that I come to the campus with.”