A $3.2 million memorial will commemorate the victims of a Feb. 13, 2023, mass shooting on the East Lansing campus of Michigan State University.
The Lansing State Journal reports that the university's Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution that "authorizes the Administration to approve the material change to the landscape for the project titled 'February 13th Permanent Memorial.' "
The Trustee Committee on Budget & Finance recommended construction of a "permanent memorial to commemorate those we lost, those who were injured, and all those impacted by the tragedy that occurred on the East Lansing campus on February 13, 2023," the trustees' agenda said.
Three students were killed and five others were critically injured when a gunman opened fire at Berkey Hall and at the MSU Union building.
The memorial will cost $3.2 million, the university says. About $300,000 in Spartan Strong funds will finance the construction. Capital reserves will cover the rest.
Three potential designs were proposed by The Feb. 13 Permanent Memorial Committee, made up of students, faculty, staff and community members. A final selection was recommended in June.
The chosen design from artists Jessica Guinto and Carlos Portillo incorporates elements such as water, white marble, split-faced black granite, and seasonal plantings to honor the Spartan community's loss.
The design includes a path surrounding the water feature that is embedded with three polished pediment stones symbolizing the students who died — Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser.
The memorial will replace an existing fountain in the Old Horticulture Gardens off Farm Lane.
