Illinois Wesleyan University students are getting some help processing a range of emotions following a shooting at an off-campus Halloween party that left one dead and eight injured.
IWU leaders gave faculty and students a lot of flexibility about holding or attending classes on Monday. Some classes were held; others were not. IWU leaders gathered feedback on Sunday from students, faculty and staff, and they "wanted the option to be together" Monday, an IWU official told WGLT.
Students are encouraged to reach out to IWU’s Counseling and Consultation Services for support. Other check-ins are happening too.
“I met with our Student Senate [on Sunday] night and we were doing a one-word check in. And one of our students said, ‘I’m angry. I’m angry that gun violence continues across our country and I have to continue to think about this when I engage in our community,’” said Karla Carney-Hall, IWU’s vice president of student affairs and dean of students.
Carney-Hall spoke to reporters Monday after a press conference in which police released new details about the shooting, including the name of the 19-year-old who was killed.
“We will continue to do a variety of things this week that offer the type of support and care that define the Titan community and its strength and its resilience,” Carney-Hall said.
WGLT spoke to a few IWU students who were moving around campus Monday.
Cole Marshall, a senior kinesiology major and track and field athlete at IWU, said he was at the house where the shooting took place.
“I was at the party when it happened. I know it was a freshman from Wesleyan that was hit, and I know the girl who passed away too,” Marshall said. “She was from up in Chicago at North Central, and I think the whole situation is just pretty sad.”
Marshall said he was not aware a “house crawl” was planned when he decided to go toward the 100 block of East Division Street. He ended up at the final house of the crawl.
“I didn't show up until much later at the house that it eventually happened at,” Marshall said. “So just not experiencing the whole night as a whole, but having it in that way was a little upsetting.”
When asked about his perceptions of safety on campus, Marshall said he was still processing the events of that night.
“I didn't really feel at risk before this, but to hear the gunshots within 20 feet of me is definitely scary,” Marshall said. “I'm kind of just in shock of the whole event, so I don't really know how to feel about it going forward.”
When the shooting took place, Marshall said the university responded quickly with official emails from leadership. Marshall also praised IWU’s response in the last 24 hours.
“Some people were concerned about classes being canceled or something like that, and I think that some people need their lives to continue on to make it feel like it's still normal,” Marshall said. “From my experience, all my professors have been very open to whatever each individual student needs. So I think they're just trying to be helpful to the community as a whole.”
Kyler Williams, a junior psychology major and student athlete at Illinois Wesleyan, said he had friends who had to run and hide during the shooting.
“You never expect something like that to happen, especially at a small school like this, so it definitely makes you feel uneasy.” Williams said.
Williams added that he felt IWU had done a good job providing resources for students.
“They've sent out a lot of counseling stuff, and like they've been reaching out to people trying to help,” Williams said. “So I mean, they've been doing their part for what they can as of now. I guess we'll just have to see how they continue to help us during this time.”
Both students said they empathized with the situation, and Marshall spoke about the importance of student safety.
“I just think that student safety is really important,” Marshall said. “I think that doesn't matter if it's someone you know or you didn't know. I think when it happens so close to you, it just makes you empathize with the stories you hear on the news a little bit more.”
Bloomington Police say they don’t think there’s an ongoing threat to public safety, though there have been no arrests. Carney-Hall was asked how IWU can reassure students they are safe.
“I wish I could guarantee the safety of every person every day. That’s a wish I have for myself, for my teenager, and for the 1,700 Illinois Wesleyan students. I wish I had the power to guarantee safety,” Carney-Hall said. “All I can say today is that I hope our young adults make great choices, that they lean on each other, that they pay attention to their environments and are situationally aware, and that they just trust their instincts and make great choices.”
