PHOENIX -- On Feb. 13, 2023, Michigan State University student Saisandesh Ballem decided to leave his class in Berkey Hall early. They were reviewing for an upcoming exam, and Ballem felt confident in the material.
He left class at 8 p.m. Minutes later, Ingham County police received a shots fired call at Berkey Hall on the campus in East Lansing, Mich.
After Ballem left, Anthony McRae, 43, entered Room 114, shot and fatally wounded two of Ballem鈥檚 classmates and critically injured five others. McRae shot and killed one other student on campus. He later died of a self-inflicted gunshot.
鈥淚 had a guilty feeling almost,鈥� Ballem, who is now a senior studying human biology, told Cronkite News. 鈥淚 felt guilty that I survived. That all those kids had to go through that, and I was perfectly fine.鈥�
Michigan State was the 16th university since 1966 to have experienced a shooting on campus with three or more fatalities. Later that year, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas joined the list when a shooter killed three faculty members. Since 2022, there have been three mass shootings with three or more fatalities on college campuses.
In April, a shooting at Florida State University鈥檚 student union left two dead and six others hospitalized.
鈥淲hen the news of the FSU shooting came out, I was in a library on campus,鈥� said Max Premeau, a finance and accounting major on Arizona State University鈥檚 Tempe campus. 鈥淚t did cross my mind, like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 really need to be on campus right now.鈥� It鈥檚 one of those things where I feel that ASU is a relatively safe campus, but there鈥檚 also just not much you can do in stopping something like that entirely.鈥�
Arizona is familiar with deadly shootings on college campuses. In 2024, a Pima Community College student was shot and killed on the University of Arizona鈥檚 Tucson campus. In 2002, a UA student shot and killed three professors in the College of Nursing before turning the gun on himself.
In 2015, at Northern Arizona University鈥檚 Flagstaff campus, a student opened fire, killing one student and wounding three others.
In the first four months of 2025, there were 47 incidents of gunfire on college campuses nationally, resulting in 13 deaths and 41 injuries, according to a research study published by Everytown, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control. There were 66 incidents of gunfire, resulting in 33 deaths and 56 injuries, through all of 2015.
The 2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports required under the Clery Act said the police departments at ASU, UA and NAU made a total of 12 weapons arrests on their main campuses and nearby public property between 2021 and 2023.
None of the safety reports mention drills for active shooter situations. According to each university鈥檚 2024 report, each offers optional safety presentations pertaining to active shooters, available upon request by students or employees. None of the reports indicated whether there were any requests for presentations.
None of the three campus police departments agreed to an interview request.
In a statement, ASU police said the department 鈥渞emains committed to providing a safe and secure environment for the entire campus community. ASU Police serve as a dedicated and responsive law enforcement presence, operating 24/7 to ensure the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff through proactive engagement and continuous support.鈥�
The statement also said the department encourages 鈥渁ll community members to stay alert and speak up 鈥攊f you see something, say something. Reporting suspicious activity or concerns, no matter how small they may seem, plays a vital role in maintaining a secure environment for everyone.鈥�
In their statement, ASU police also included safety resources available to students, including safety escorts, blue-light emergency call boxes, the ASU LiveSafe mobile app and its safewalk feature.
Both UA and NAU have safety apps similar to ASU鈥檚, designed to quickly alert students and faculty on campus to any potential danger during a crisis.
鈥淚 do think it addresses two different problems,鈥� Premeau said about ASU鈥檚 safety resources. 鈥淚f somebody is walking across campus late at night and doesn鈥檛 feel safe, it鈥檚 a different problem 鈥� than somebody who wants to bring violence in the middle of the day. They鈥檙e two very different things.鈥�
Since the Michigan State shooting, Ballem has noticed new lockdown drill information included in class syllabi under fire escape plans. He said doors now lock on many Michigan State buildings after 6 p.m., a safety measure Ballem believes could have potentially saved lives in 2023.
鈥淚f the door was locked, I don鈥檛 think there would be a way for him to get in other than the windows,鈥� Ballem said. 鈥淚f he did enter, let鈥檚 say in that time frame right now, with the security measures that MSU has in place, I do believe he would have difficulty coming into the building, and into any of the buildings.鈥�
For students like Ballem, who have experienced a traumatic active shooter event at their university, the impact is felt long after the incident.
鈥淚 think about it every time (I drive by Berkey Hall),鈥� Ballem said. 鈥淪o almost every day. It is traumatizing.鈥�