EAST LANSING, Mich. — Many students at Michigan State University have now left campus, going home during the college's closure. There's a part of the community, though, that are staying behind.
"Today's been really difficult," sophomore Danni Vrettos says.
She and her friends paid a visit to The Rock at MSU, lighting candles in honor of those who were killed and injured in Monday night's deadly shootings.
Since then, The Rock was painted to say "How Many More?"
The monument is the oldest at MSU, often painted to promote an event or speak on an issue. In this case, it's gun violence in America.
"I feel sick thinking about everything," Vrettos says.
She was caught in the middle of the violence, dropped off by the bus between the MSU Union and Berkey Hall. She hid in a stranger's car with other students, trapped in a parking garage while trying to escape.
"As we were trying to leave, what sounded like a gunshot went off. And we all start freaking out and trying to hide as we're in the car," Vrettos says.
She is a residential advisor at a dorm on campus, and she says most of her residents went home while campus remains closed. But she doesn't have that option as an international student from Zimbabwe.
"I'm so angry, as I'm sure everyone else is. And I'm scared. I'm scared to be on campus. A lot of people, including myself, can't go home. We're international students," Vrettos says. "And a lot of people are scared to come back. It's just, it's a difficult time for everyone."
For those still on campus Wednesday, FBI agents, Victim Services and MSU Police will begin helping students, staff and faculty recover their personal items from the crime scenes.
The students that are still on campus also gathered at Sparty Statue throughout the day Tuesday, often taking a moment to reflect after leaving flowers.
"You hear about this on TV all the time. And it's sad, but we almost become numb to it. And we shouldn't. And I just never thought that would happen to my alma mater," Brandon Mistery says.
The 2018 alum is in town to visit family, and he was close to campus when the shootings happened.
"There's others that were leaving, too. And they were kind of like running to their car," Mistery says. "As I was driving, I was just trying to just focus on getting to my grandmother's and locking the house up."
He's getting his MBA from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, which also experienced a mass shooting this school year.
"I just think that we need better control. I think that's pretty obvious at this point. It's just, when is that going to happen?" Mistery says. "I think The Rock says it all like, 'How many more?'"
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