On Tuesday, Oct. 3 a shooting erupted as students, alumni and staff celebrated at a Homecoming event at Morgan State University. Five people were injured — four being university students — and the following lockdown lasted hours while police attempted to locate suspects.
Because of this incident, Morgan officials canceled the university’s annually anticipated Homecoming festivities for the first time in university history.
“Morgan State means everything to me,” said Eneesa Abdullah-Hudson, a senior elementary education major. “I believe the school is strong enough to overcome this situation because we have such a strong community behind us. We’re going to need all the support we can get and together we will be able to strengthen the spirit they tried to take from us.”
Morgan faculty and alumni have come together to pass out food, toiletries and games in the Food Resource Center, located in the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management Building, for students to grab any type of essentials they need at the moment.
Classes have resumed and the semester midterm will start on Oct. 16, as scheduled, however midterm grades are now due by Nov. 15, according to an email that was sent out yesterday by the Provost and Senior Vice President of Student Affairs.
Morgan alum Raniya Holmes, who graduated in May 2023, is collaborating with the university and plans to conduct a #MorganStrong Peace Walk on Oct. 13 from 2p.m. to 4p.m.
“I’m very excited. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. — and I knew that the support was needed for university,” Holmes said. “The shooting was nationally broadcast from local news to CNN and that’s not the light that Morgan needs to be portrayed in.”
On Morgan’s campus, several outlets and organizations serve as mental health advocates, a few of them being Setting Optimistic Achievements Radiantly (SOAR) Active Minds and the university Counseling Center.
Nirell Buck, junior psychology major and president of SOAR believes that a town hall meeting between student leaders and David Wilson, president of the university, will help Morgan in its recovery.
“I would also love for the mental health organizations and the counseling center to help our peers cope with their mental stress and stability to guide everyone on campus to get back on their feet,” Buck said.
From Oct. 9 to Oct. 13, Morgan’s Office of Student Life will host their annual #IWillListen Week, a week dedicated to the importance of mental health.
Different events that will take place during the #IWillListen Week include depression and stress screening tests, a mental health awareness fair, and a midday meditation session. The week will end with the #MorganStrong Peace Walk.
Anyone seeking counseling or mental health services can contact the university’s counseling center for assistance at (443) 885-3130.
