In a response to a shooting that killed five persons at Northern Illinois University Feb. 14, Eastern Michigan University's office of admissions reached out by personally delivering 15 toy husky puppies — Northern's mascot — to NIU's office of admissions.
"As soon as our office heard about the shooting at NIU, we thought about our colleagues there," said Kathryn Orscheln, EMU's interim director of admissions.
Comparing the schools, EMU Admissions Adviser Thomas Kasper said, "It's tough to imagine what happened. NIU is the Eastern of Illinois. The two are so similar."
Kasper decided to collect money to send huskies to NIU's office of admissions. Faculty and staff members at EMU adopted stuffed huskies, each with a ribbon of red and black, which are NIU's school colors.
Kasper ordered the puppies online and personally delivered 15 huskies to NIU's office of admissions Feb. 22. Each included a message of support from the EMU staff member who adopted the animal.
"I delivered them personally because I wanted the gift to have a personal touch and make a connection with the staff," Kasper said.
The level of support received from EMU overwhelmed NIU's admissions staff.
"It took our breath away when Tom came walking in with the basket of huskies on Friday (Feb. 22). I want to express our gratitude and appreciation. We very much appreciate the EMU admissions team," said Robert Burk, NIU's director of admissions.
The show of support came after the Feb. 14 shooting incident in which Steven Kazmierczak, 27, opened fire as he emerged from the stage in a lecture hall. He killed five people - four women and one man - before shooting himself. Officials said he had recently stopped taking his medication, but did not release the name of the medication.
A current sociology student of NIU in Champaign, Kazmierczak was considered a good student and well liked by the students and staff. However, he was described as 'erratic' in the days leading up to the massacre by those who knew him.
Police have not uncovered a motive or a suicide note to explain this brutal attack. Classes resumed Feb. 25, almost two weeks after the tragedy.
Kasper sympathizes with his colleagues at NIU because he knows how difficult it is to recruit during tough times; so extending an arm of support is necessary and appreciated, he said.
