MSU begins removing memorials after shooting, will preserve some items

East Lansing — The bouquets, candles, handmade signs and chocolates that have been placed at Sparty’s feet and at other sites around campus needed rescuing before an expected Friday storm.

The memorial surrounding the iconic Michigan State University statue honored the three students killed and five students injured in the Feb. 13 shooting on campus, and it wouldn’t do to let it waste away under the snow, according to MSU officials.

So small groups of Michigan State University Surplus Store employees and volunteers gathered Thursday morning to disassemble the memorials across campus.

"Due to the harsh weather conditions and the deterioration of the flowers and signs, we are beginning the collection process of the memorial items beginning today," MSU spokesman Dan Olsen said in an email. "We have invited students, faculty and staff to join in the collection process if they would like."

At the Sparty statue, the group gathered around a line of bins behind the tent that covers the memorial, where Surplus Store Operations Coordinator Chris Hewett explained how to organize the items.

Flowers go into the green bins. They will be composted and someday used to nourish a memorial tree or garden.

The signs and other objects go into the brown bins. They will be preserved by the MSU Archives and Museum.

The rubber bands, plastic wrap and other packaging can be tossed.

“It’s hard to do this,” Hewitt said. “You read a lot about shootings on campus, but you don’t think about the whole ‘having to clean up’ process. It’s literally our job is to clean up campus, and this is something that was going to happen. And it is, I think, the right time with the storm coming.”

Hewitt said he has felt wounded since the shooting. He attended MSU and now works at the university. He was married on campus. It’s a big part of his life.

Protecting the items surrounding Sparty’s feet is one thing Hewitt said he can do to help after the violence.

The memorials were put up in the wake of the shooting in which 43-year-old gunman Anthony McRae killed three people and wounded five others at the university. Lansing police officers found McRae less than four hours after the shooting and asked him to surrender, but he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

MSU students Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner were all killed in the shooting. Five others were wounded. MSU police officials said last week that one of the victims is in fair condition at Sparrow Hospital, two are in serious but stable condition, one remains in critical condition and one was discharged from the hospital.

Madeleine Tocco, a student who represents the Council of Students with Disabilities in MSU student government, said she felt called to help as a student representative.

“The community called and I decided to pick up the phone,” Tocco said as she gathered bundles of flowers.

Tocco later embraced senior Emma Holfer as Holfer tearfully described the reasons she joined the small group of volunteers beneath the statue.

"I thought it would just be a good thing to do in remembrance of everyone," Holfer said.

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