GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff says police in West Michigan have rallied around Michigan State after the Feb. 13 shooting spree that killed three students and left five wounded.
Woodruff and MSU men's head basketball coach Tom Izzo were guests Friday on West Michigan's Morning Show. Woodruff told hosts Steve Kelly and Bret Bakita there are a lot of thanks to go around for the regional support shown to Spartan Nation.
"Part of that thank you is to our Kent County Sheriff's Office, as well as the Grand Rapids Police. They came out last Monday and Tuesday (for rallies) and stayed and helped us. We really just want to give a shout out and thank you to those first responders who came across at our time of need," Woodruff said.
Izzo agreed.
"What an incredible kind of group response that, it seems to me, everybody did their jobs in an efficient and productive way," he said. "Unfortunately, not quite in time to save the lives of the three (students) we lost."
President Woodruff says about one-thousand leaders in higher education have reached out to MSU following the tragedy.
"Of course, Governor Whitmer's been really terrific for us. But people have really had an outpouring of love and care, and just making sure that we know that we're not alone," Woodruff said. "Spartan Nation is strong, and across Michigan it's 281,000 alum and their families. Spartan Nation really touches a lot of folks just here in Michigan and then of course, around the world."
Woodruff says monies raised through a new Spartan Strong fund will help pay for many campus expenses, such as first responders and mental-health care.
"So far, we've got about $380,000 from just a huge group of about 3,000 people who contributed," she said.
Izzo said people need to be united during this time of grief. He put the importance of sports into perspective.
"You know, we try to make the game life and death until life and death really presents itself," he said. "And then, you realize how miniscule we are. But we do bring some joy, we do bring some levity to the situation. And I thought that's what sports did."
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