BEND, Ore. -- In the wake of the tragic shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday, Oct. 15, students and employees at OSU-Cascades in Bend have come together to show love and support for affected families and the community as a whole.

Though the campus was closed the day after the shooting, many people at Cascades felt an urgent need to do something. Quentin Comus, assistant director of event services, spotted a social media post from the Silver Rail PTO requesting cards with messages of support and saw an opportunity to get involved.

“I knew that come Monday, there would be a lot of folks coming back to campus and wondering how do we address the elephant in the room and try to give back to the community and show up for those kids?” he said.

He and his colleagues pulled together all the blank greeting cards and art supplies they could find, set up card-making stations at the Beaver Dam and in the Student Success Center and spread the word on social media.

In the five days the supplies were available, Comus estimates the campus community made about 150 cards for Silver Rail.

“We saw a lot of love, a lot of words of support and perseverance from our students and employees,” he said. “Our community, as a whole, is running around and trying to figure out how we can help each other out.

"This was an easy step to bring folks together and reflect and share positive words, and hopefully we’re going to make a lot of kiddos’ lives a little bit better, knowing people are thinking of them who haven’t even met them.”

Comus said emotions are high on campus, and people understandably have their guard up, with the Silver Rail shooting coming on the heels of two sexual assault reports in the on-campus residence hall earlier in October.

Students are asking for more support and mental health resources, while also creating opportunities for community themselves, via student club gatherings and fundraisers.

In addition to OSU-Cascades Student Health and Wellness mental health services, advocates from the Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Education have visited the Bend campus from Corvallis twice in October to provide in-person confidential advocacy and support for students affected by the recent reports of gender-based violence. These services are also available remotely year-round.

For people who don’t want to be alone but might not want to talk, either, OSU-Cascades Dining Services is hosting “Grounds for Support,” a drop-in gathering at the campus café Study Grounds from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. It’s open to everyone in the OSU-Cascades community.

Dining Manager Kirsten Side wanted to provide a chance for people to check in with each other and learn about what support is available.

“I just wanted to create a space where people could stop by, get a cup of tea or hot chocolate, do something creative, talk to someone, or just take a few minutes for themselves,” she said. “Sometimes support doesn’t have to be a big thing. We already have resources on campus for students, and this isn’t meant to replace those. I just wanted to create another opportunity for people to feel supported.”

One option will be creating art for the family of Rhoam Summer, the 5-year-old boy killed at Silver Rail. Rhoam loved dinosaurs and sharks and his family has requested people send in their drawings, crafts and artworks of his favorite misunderstood big-teeth animals for his celebration of life.

“I hope people leave feeling a little more connected and knowing they don’t have to have everything figured out all the time,” Side said. “We’ll have a few different things people can participate in, but there’s no pressure to do anything. Sometimes you just need a quiet place to be for a little while, and that’s OK too.”

Other resources available:

• Employees can access mental health resources through Lyra Health either online or by calling their Care Navigator team at 877-505-7147 (available 24/7).

• Students can connect with Anytime, Anywhere for in-the-moment support (available 24/7).

• Student Health and Wellness provides counseling services at OSU-Cascades. Also, through a partnership with Anytime Anywhere: TELUS Health, students have access to certified mental health counselors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Student Care supports students who are navigating extenuating circumstances through resource referral and exploring university options (available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.).

• Students or employees whose families were directly affected can also contact Christine Pollard, OSU-Cascades interim chancellor and dean, for university resources and support.