This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
This fall semester Abigale Hennings had finally hit a stride at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The pandemic had disrupted the 23-year-old’s education in 2020-21 when she went part time for a full academic year because virtual learning had become too difficult.
She returned to full-time classes in the fall of 2021 and, in recent months, was looking forward to finally graduating during a winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Then a gunman opened fire in a university building, killing three faculty members and injuring a visiting professor, throwing the campus into a state of emergency and grief.
“It takes away the joy of all of us making it, ” said Hennings, a music major. “This semester and last semester felt like we were getting back into the swing of things.”
For students at UNLV, the shooting has upended the final, critical days of the fall semester. Some students were preparing for mid-December graduation ceremonies, and many others were cramming for exams, finishing up end-of-semester projects and presentations on which their grades depend.
A student walks past police tape outside the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
At the apex of academic stress during their “study week” before finals, students have found themselves grappling with the trauma of the shooting — gunshots, sirens, frantic university texts to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” amid a massive convergence of law enforcement on campus. Many sheltered in place for hours behind barricaded classroom doors, sent messages to loved ones and were ultimately escorted to safety by police. Four people were hospitalized after panic attacks.
Friday they will await word on their future.
University officials canceled classes through the end of this week. On Thursday afternoon, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said officials were weighing “how we will be conducting both final exams which start next week” while accommodating people “and where they may be and how they may feel.”
In a separate message to the university community, Whitfield said he was working with campus leaders and state education officials to figure out the timing of the rest of the academic year, and planned to share an update Friday.
Students walk on a deserted campus a day after a mass shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Some students said several of their professors had already canceled exams or extended deadlines. Others are encouraging their peers to send a letter to university leaders, asking them to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester and to move finals online or cancel them.
The letter urges the university “to show grace during this time, allowing for extensions on all assignments and attendance as no student should be forced back onto campus in the coming weeks.” A petition calling for the cancellation of classes has also generated thousands of signatures.
Other students, including Davis McCurdy, are stuck in the middle, uncertain whether they will be required to take final assessments.
“My teachers don’t really know what to do,” he said. “We’re all just in limbo. … Everyone’s waiting to see what everyone else does.”
The 20-year-old said the shooting has thrust the stress of exams — especially his dreaded chemistry final — into a new perspective. He can’t imagine studying.
“It just doesn’t seem that important,” he said.
Police officers stand in front of the Frank & Estella Beam Hall, where the mass shooting happened on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cade Cagasan, 19, did not wait to hear guidance from the university. He booked a flight to his home state of Hawaii for Saturday, and told professors he needed to be with family.
Cagasan said his professors were understanding, though many of them were still debating whether they were going to carry on with the remainder of the semester.
“People just can’t. They’re mentally not prepared to take a final exam,” he said. “What they should be focusing on is getting to be with their families.”
Cire Romea, a third-year kinesiology major, was uncertain whether she would even feel safe stepping onto campus come Monday. Romea received the first alerts notifying her of an active shooter on campus shortly before arriving to an anatomy and physiology class, where a practical exam was
scheduled.
Police keep a presence a day after three people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting on the UNLV campus.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Romea said the teaching assistant for the course administered the exam despite the warnings, as helicopters circled outside.
“It felt kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Larissa Geilen, 21, was about to leave for the university to pick up Christmas gifts from the campus store, when she started receiving alerts about the shooting. She began checking on her peers on the student newspaper over WhatsApp.
Shaken, she scheduled a therapy appointment for Thursday using university resources.
And she emailed one professor, asking for an extension on a four-page paper on persuasion that is due over the weekend.
The professor told her she could have until Monday, she said, but he needed to read through all the papers soon to submit grades.
“I have no idea how I’m going to sit down and focus,” she said. “I’m just shaky.”
Geilen, who is from Colorado, said all she wanted was to be with her family.
“I miss them so much and it’s just really hard,” she said. “Staring down at finals right now and all I want to do is just be around people I care about.”
