Today, Dec 6, 2023, a deadly shooting occurred at the center of UNLV’s campus. Multiple victims were murdered, some were injured, and countless people were left traumatized. In the midst of tragedy, as we wait for answers from the authorities, students who are still trying to grapple with today’s tragic events were already alerted by several professors and department chairs regarding their upcoming classes and finals, which are set to go ahead as planned. President Whitfield has canceled class for this week, but has yet to cancel classes and the finals that are scheduled next week. While families and friends of victims are still yet to be notified about the death of their loved ones, the last thing UNLV students should have to worry about is preparing for a final that will dictate their grade next week. This is unacceptable.

At the time of the writing of this letter, students are still stuck in the Thomas and Mack and the Las Vegas Convention Center waiting to reunite with their families. Many of these students, particularly those in the dorms, do not have families that can retrieve them tonight. These students are stranded without their property, their medications, their identification, or any other necessity. Senior student Gia, a dorm student sharing this experience who is set to graduate in just two weeks, spoke on Fox5 Vegas this afternoon. After recounting her traumatic story, she stated: “I’m honestly very scared [...] some professors were already thinking about some ways to change their class to zoom, which honestly felt like we can’t even have a moment to cope with what just happened. And so a lot of us, more than being stressed about the situation, are also stressed about our exams [and] our homework that needs to be done by the end of this week.” Gia’s statement echoes the anxiety hanging over the heads of thousands of students at this moment. Rather than worrying about their friends, their community, or even their own wellbeing, these students instead worry about their grades, projects, and finals. UNLV’s blanket solution at the moment is the closure of the campus until just the end of the week. There has been no statement made yet regarding the week beyond that. In order to allow for proper time to grieve and cope, UNLV must cancel all upcoming classes, cancel all upcoming finals, and pass all students impacted by these tragic events. Please sign the petition to call on UNLV administration and professors to cancel remaining classes and finals this semester.