FSU “I love you,” he texted his boyfriend and family. “I may never see you again.”
Now, the evidence markers have been removed from the university’s lawns and walkways, where shell casings had marked the path of violence.
As the university community begins to reckon with the tragedy, many students are questioning whether it’s too soon to return to normalcy.
FSU reopened for classes on Monday, though university officials are offering flexible learning options in recognition of the emotional toll.
In a statement Saturday night, President Richard McCullough announced that remote learning would be available and mandatory attendance requirements waived, giving students the space and time to process the trauma.
Just hours earlier, FSU President Richard McCullough had announced that in-person classes would resume Monday, though students could reach out to faculty if they didn’t feel ready to return.
The response was swift and intense.
More than 1,300 people signed a Change.org petition demanding that the university offer remote learning options.
A video message from McCullough, posted on Facebook, was quickly overwhelmed with comments from students, parents, and staff criticizing the decision to reopen campus so soon after the deadly shooting.
“Three days is not nearly enough time for anyone to process what took place.”
She added that forcing students to return so quickly could cause serious psychological harm. “This will cause extreme distress and likely panic attacks for many… We were given a week off for snow; surely we can accommodate students who just nearly lost their lives.”
Reid Seybold echoed that frustration. The emotional weight of the tragedy has only grown heavier for him. Since the shooting, he’s endured three sleepless nights, haunted by the memories of what happened.
He says he can’t fathom returning to campus—especially to the very building where he hid during the attack.
Seybold said he wasn’t ready to attend classes Monday and is still waiting to hear from his professor about how the rest of the week will proceed.
A senior studying political science, Seybold struggles to imagine how he’ll concentrate in classrooms now tied to trauma.
“The night after, I slept for 30 minutes because it kept playing over and over in my head.”
Increased Security and Support on Campus
FSU computer science senior lecturer Melina Myers said she noticed a significantly heightened police presence across campus on Monday, something she found reassuring in the aftermath of last week’s tragedy.
Typically busy areas like the Legacy Walk in front of the HCB building were noticeably quiet, Myers noted.
“Today, probably only about 20% of the usual number of students were walking to their next classes,” she observed.
FSU Offers Flexibility, Support as Students Cope in the Aftermath
Florida State University President Richard McCullough emphasized the school’s commitment to supporting students as they navigate the aftermath of last week’s campus shooting, recognizing that healing will look different for everyone.
“We want everyone to receive the support and help they need,” McCullough said in an updated statement.
“For some students, that may mean staying away from the classroom for now. For others, returning to a sense of normalcy through academics and community may be helpful.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.”
McCullough noted that remote learning would be available for most courses, though certain classes, such as labs, may require alternative arrangements.
In those cases, instructors would coordinate with students by Monday evening.
“To our students: If you decide not to attend classes this week, we understand,” his message read. Absences will be excused.
Please communicate with your instructors about completing coursework. If you feel unable to continue with a course right now, you will have the option to request an incomplete grade.”
Faculty were also directed to update gradebooks promptly, ensuring students can view their current standing in each course.
The student union, located near the site of the shooting, will remain closed until further notice, the university announced on X.
“We know this will stay with us for the rest of our lives,” said student Reid Seybold.
Student Survivor Recounts Playing Dead to Stay Alive
For some, the attack left not only emotional wounds but physical ones as well.
Madison Askins, a 23-year-old graduate student, shared her terrifying experience from a hospital bed during an interview with CNN.
That’s when the alleged shooter, identified by authorities as 20-year-old FSU student Phoenix Ikner, shot Askins in the buttock.
Madison Askins credits her ability to stay composed during the horrifying events at Florida State University to lessons she learned growing up with parents who are both retired Marines.
Though she briefly considered calling her father to say a final “I love you,” she chose instead to stay silent and motionless, pretending to be dead until law enforcement arrived.
She listened as the sounds of gunfire slowly moved away, and relief came when officers finally reached her.
Since Thursday afternoon, Askins has been hospitalized. A bullet remains lodged in her spine, and doctors anticipate scheduling surgery in December after the surrounding tissues have had time to heal.
She was among six individuals wounded in the attack. By Monday morning, three had been discharged from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, while two others were expected to be released later that day.
The suspected gunman, identified as a student at the university, was shot by campus police and is also receiving medical treatment, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.
As of Monday, authorities had extended a 24-hour security detail on him through May, due to the time required for his recovery. A search of his home was carried out the same day as the shooting.
Meanwhile, Askins is beginning the long journey toward physical recovery and has already started to regain mobility.
Determined not to let the attack alter her future, she remains committed to graduating in the spring.
Many students, still grappling with the trauma, opted not to return to class this week.
“Our campus is healing, but we are resilient,” Askins said, echoing the university’s motto: “Unconquered.”
Messages of encouragement like “stay strong” and calls for action on gun violence and mental health echoed the community’s grief.
Two white crosses adorned with blue hearts bore the names of the two people killed—Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba—alongside touching messages in their memory.
This tragedy marks Florida’s sixth mass shooting in 2025 and the 81st in the U.S.
It also comes on the heels of past wounds, occurring seven years after the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 lives were lost.
“This has become a routine reality for us, but it never should have,” said Reid Seybold.
He revealed that two of his friends who made it through the FSU shooting had already lived through previous school shootings.
“I used to wonder about my safety in certain places,” he said.
“Now, that fear follows me everywhere. I’m constantly on edge, scanning my surroundings, treating every location like a potential threat.”
Florida State University’s president also included information in his message about where students and faculty could access mental health resources, including counseling and psychological support services.
Mental health professionals stress the urgent need for early intervention when addressing the emotional toll that gun violence—particularly school shootings—can take on young survivors.
In the immediate aftermath of such events, students who were directly exposed to the violence—such as those in the same room or building—are at high risk for acute psychological distress, experts say.
Researchers have also noticed broader educational impacts among affected students.
These can range from frequent school absences to increased chances of having to repeat a grade due to disrupted learning and emotional struggles.
Mental health experts emphasize that early identification of trauma symptoms, combined with access to professional therapy, is essential.
But healing also relies heavily on long-term emotional support from family members, schools, and local communities.
With the right care and environment, students have a better chance of coping with their trauma and building resilience for the future.