University offers help to the hurting

The sun shone beautifully Monday afternoon, despite the somber air around campus. Parking spaces people usually fight over were empty, and benches that are normally filled with students studying or talking on cell phones sat alone.

As elementary education major Kim Karnes plainly put it, things just felt surreal.

"It's the first time I've come to the Tiger Den and did not have to wait in line for 45 minutes," she said.

Her roommate Jessica Shemwell agreed.

"No one is here," she said. "It's just been a weird day."

Now that the initial shock of Taylor Bradford's murder is beginning to wear off, students may find themselves in need of help, and Robert Maichrowicz, associate director for the Center for Counseling, Learning and Testing, wants students to know the psychology center is there for them.

"Counselors are always on call - 365 days a year, 24 hours a day," he said. "Students do not need an appointment. If they need help right then, there are counselors who are always available."

Shemwell and Karnes, both freshmen, were sitting in their dorm room when they heard a person scream outside their window.

"People scream all the time, and it's not a big deal," Karnes said.

Jessica added: "I was like we'll be getting a text message from Shirley Raines saying there's a safety warning. And like five minutes later our phones started ringing with people telling us someone had been shot."

Both the students admitted they were nervous and found themselves checking their e-mail constantly for news updates.

"I felt scared," Karnes said. "I felt scared walking to my car today, like I should run, even though I knew that would be ridiculous."

Shemwell said when she heard the attack was not just a random act of violence, she felt a little safer, but that did nothing to ease her emotions.

"I feel sad this happened," she said.

Maichrowicz said each student is different and not everyone will react in the exact same way.

"Each person may have a different response," he said. "Someone who knew the person who was murdered will probably feel different from someone who did not. The grieving process depends on how close they were to the situation. Some students may feel sadness, anger, anxiety or scared for their own safety. Some may feel all of those things. The important thing is to talk about it."

Maichrowicz said the psychology center's first goal is to let students talk.

"The first intervention is just to listen, to look at each individual situation," he said.

He also stressed that students need to take care of themselves during this time by eating, sleeping and taking care of their bodies.

Maichrowicz wants students to know that mourning is in no way a sign of weakness.

"Showing feelings doesn't mean you're weak," he said. "It means you're human. It is normal to have those feelings, and it is better to deal with them now rather than later."

Karnes said from her own high school experience, she feels the psychologist center could help students deal with their grief.

"When I was in high school, I knew someone who died, and the counseling center there did a great job helping me through the process," she said.

The psychology center is located in Wilder Tower in Room 214.