So, yesterday was definitely different down here at USC. We had a shooting on campus that left the campus on lockdown and two dead. While the shooter's identity still has not been revealed, the other person was a beloved faculty member. What a day, right? I woke up yesterday morning not looking forward to classes and thinking it would be just another regular day. How wrong was I?
I was in the student center eating lunch when university-wide text alerts came out warning everyone to stay inside and to stay away from a part of campus. At first, the alerts just said that shots had been fired. But by the second alert, it had changed to say a shooting had occurred. Immediately I was texting my friends to make sure they were alright and to see if they had any information. Luckily they were safe in class. Delaney's teacher even tried to continue teaching even though it was a given that the students were not paying attention anymore.
As the alerts kept coming in and social media sites started going crazy with notifications and messages about it, I started to realize what had actually happened. I called my parents to tell them what happened and to make sure they knew I was safe. I kept refreshing my phone to see if any more information was known.
But the most important thing that I saw was the support of my Gamecock family. Everyone was posting that they hoped people were safe and how scared they were. I even looked at the Clemson University feed and saw their prayers for USC. This is a situation in which a rivalry that has spanned decades can be pushed to the side because one school needs support. We prayed for them during Tucker Hipp's tragedy and they prayed for us yesterday.
This just shows how everyone realizes that it could have been them in the building. It could have been their teacher or their friend that was killed. And it definitely shook us up. You hear about this type of thing happening at other universities and schools but you do not really think it could happen at yours.
Now that everything is done, and the threat is gone, campus has pretty much gone back to normal. But you can still hear people talking about it at the dining hall. My newsfeed is filled with updates, prayers, and articles about the shooting. Even though the immediate danger is gone, the effects that it has left on us will be there for much longer.
I love my fellow Gamecocks and I pray for the families of those involved.
#ForeverToThee and #PrayForUSC
Tomorrow will be a better day.
Enjoy,
Jess
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