(2/15/2008 6:45PM)
Dear Students,
Various faculty and school chairs have been contacting you over the course of this tragedy but as your College Dean I want you to know how important you are to each of us. We know that many of you knew some of the injured and fatally injured students. Others of you were in the class or had friends in the class. We wish we could make the pain go away but of course this is not possible.
We have some difficult days ahead of us but we will get through this as a family. We hope you will take care of yourself and turn to friends and family for support. The College of Health and Human Sciences administrators, faculty and staff hopefully are a part of this family. We want to support you in every way so please communicate with us. We do not know when the campus will re-open. Please monitor the NIU web-page for details and various events. The university has counseling centers and hot lines available. All of this information is on the NIU Web site.
When the campus does re-open we will be ready to interact with you in your classes and other venues in the college. We hope you will not try to handle this situation alone. We are aware that each individual handles grief and trauma in their own way and we respect this. Again please take care of yourselves and utilize the resources that are most comfortable for you. If I can be of assistants, contact the College of Health and Human Sciences Dean's office.
Take care,
Dr. Shirley Richmond
Dean
College of Health and Human Sciences