No return to normalcy OPINION

Michigan State University returns to class one week after shooting

This week, students at Michigan State University (MSU) are being asked to return to class just seven days after a gunman shot eight people, killing three of their classmates and injuring the five others. According to an article from the BBC, the shooter — who had no previous affiliation with MSU — took his own life following a nearly four-hour manhunt conducted by police. While students were told to shelter in place, parents rushed to campus to ensure their kids were safe. Now, these students have to return to a place where they lived through what may have been one of the most traumatic experiences of their lives. While this story is tragic, it has become far too common on school campuses across the United States.

The student news publication at MSU, The State News, released an editorial following this tragedy on their campus. Titled “We’re not going to class on Monday,” the article echoes feelings expressed by many students and their families.

“This was our home. And it will never be the same,” they wrote.

Carelessness and its consequences

Commentary

By Malaki Lingg Assistant Web Editor

On Feb. 3, a catastrophic train derailment occurred in East Palestine, Ohio. The incident occurred when a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials was in transit from Madison, Illinois to Conway, Pennsylvania. The event was caused by a mechanical issue with one of the train’s axles, leading to 38 cars derailing, with 12 more being damaged in a fire.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, there were 20 cars on the train carrying hazardous chemicals, 11 of which were damaged in the derailment. Due to the hazardous chemicals on board, such as vinyl chloride — a highly flammable chemical used to produce PVC plastics — many of the townsfolk within a one-mile radius were evacuated, and a controlled burning of the hazardous materials was conducted. During the controlled burning, the skies in East Palestine were reminiscent of an apocalyptic nightmare, with a growing fire and a rising plume of smoke. After everything, was this tragedy preventable?

According to Norfolk Southern, their accident rate has increased by 0.78% since 2019, all while making record-breaking operating profits at $3.2 billion in 2022. While a 0.78% increase seems minuscule, another Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Detroit, Michigan, on Feb. 16 and a Union Pacific train derailed in Splendora, Texas, on Feb. 13.

During the Trump administration, Norfolk Southern and other railroad companies lobbied to repeal a law that would require the implementation of electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, due to the increase in costs to implement the systems. However, Norfolk Southern previously claimed, “ECP brakes have the potential to reduce train stopping distances by as much as 60 percent over conventional air brake systems” during their 2007 third-quarter report. Norfolk Southern has made their apparent disregard for safety clear as long as their profits remain high.

In September 2022, Railroad Workers United threatened a nationwide strike due to concerns with pay, staffing and working conditions. With neither side willing to budge, Congress used The Railway Labor Act to intervene. With Congress mediating, a deal was made, which ended up being unfavorable to the rail unions. In addition, no real changes were made in workplace safety, once again showing the blatant disregard for safety within the rail industry.

With crashes and derailments becoming more frequent, changes have to be made. The federal government must do what the rail industry will not by implementing safety regulations. Companies such as Norfolk Southern have made it apparent that they could care less if their freighter trains are hazards on the lines as long as profits stay high.

the trauma inflicted on the survivors or the homes that will never be the same in the aftermath of these events.

Kara Lee/The Paisano

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the United States has experienced 79 mass shootings less than two months into 2023. Yet, the nation often moves past them within days. If not, thoughts and prayers are sent, but no meaningful action is taken. As time passes, society becomes removed from the pain and feelings of those afflicted, until the next shooting occurs in our community or on our college campus. We do not see the families torn apart,

Colleges are a place of learning, a community of like-minded individuals excited to experience all the world has to offer. No student should go through their lives worried that their school might be next. As citizens, we must urge our elected officials to take action and install preventive measures to end the gun violence epidemic in the United States. We must never lose hope that an end to this violence is within reach. These shootings must never become normalized.

A verified list of fundraisers that will directly help the victims of the MSU shooting can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/michigan-stateshooting-help.

Find the contact information for your federal representative’s office at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and https://www. congress.gov/members/find-your-member.