UVU students return to campus following deadly shooting, UVU President promising culture of healing

OREM – Wednesday morning, students at Utah Valley University returned to class for the first time since political activist Charlie Kirk was murdered on campus. It marked one week since the deadly shooting. The president of UVU told KSL about what it is doing to help students heal as they come back. KSL News teams witnessed a definite heaviness on campus Wednesday. There were several memorials throughout campus, where people came to leave flowers and messages for Charlie Kirk.  Students returning to campus stopped to see it and take everything in. "I was a little bit nervous," said sophomore Meg Gehring. "It was kind of scary, but just the extra presence of extra security on campus, and everyone is just really, like, patient with each other." It was almost an unspoken reverence as students returned. Some stopped to pray, many just witnessed for themselves the messages of healing, and the spot that marked a national tragedy. The courtyard became the quietest place on campus as people paused to look and reflect. "This is usually kind of a place where it's super lively and people hang out and stuff," Jonah Collier said. "There's definitely a somber, somber feeling. And it's, I mean, super crazy, kind of sad and tragic. But, I don't know, I mean, it gives me a lot of hope seeing the American flag." As students soak in their surroundings, the UVU President and Vice President of Institutional Advancement showed the media some ways they're trying to help students shaken by the shooting feel safe to return. "I think we acknowledge that, we embrace the feeling of hurt, what can we do together, what can we do with one another, what can we do with our resources so that safety builds more and more every single day," said Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez, president of UVU. While not going into detail, the president is boasting extra police presence on campus, an ongoing investigation into security improvements needed for student safety and addressing their mental health needs. Some include simple changes, like stations with snacks, hugs and someone to talk to, while also offering expanded mental health services to students and staff. "It is a very difficult time, and I really want you to understand that the feelings of hurt are real, the feelings could be complex," Tuminez said. Right now, the university is embracing many opportunities as they arise to help students find connections with each other. "To focus as a human being on the practice of love being stronger than fear," Tuminez said. "I don't mean that at all as a line of poetry, I mean that as a line of practice." Today, that means letting students return at their own pace, digesting this moment in their own way. "It's obviously hard sometimes to bring it up over and over again, like throughout all your classes, but at the same time, it's also healing to be able to ... talk through it," Abby Giordino said. "Not ignore it like it didn't happen because we can't just ignore it. We've got to grow from here." If you're one of those students or staff who feel like you need to talk to a professional, just click on this link the University is offering for mental health services.Contributing: Shelby Lofton, KSL TV

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