Morgan State University has canceled its homecoming for the first time in school history after a campus shooting that injured five people.

The shooting occurred Tuesday after a homecoming event on the Baltimore campus, when Mr. and Ms. Morgan State were crowned at the school's event center. All five injured were expected to make full recovery, but with suspects still at large and prior experiences with gun violence around homecoming events, the university decided to cancel most homecoming festivities.

University President David K. Wilson explained in a press release that this decision did not come lightly.

“Regrettably, for the very first time in Morgan’s history, all activities planned around Homecoming will be either canceled or postponed until the perpetrator(s) of this atrocity have been found and brought to justice,” Wilson said.

Why is it a big deal?

Homecoming celebrations are important for many Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the traditional reasons common to many schools' fall celebrations ‒ the return of alumni and opportunity for students to blow off steam mid-semester.

But networking is a big part of homecoming at many HBCU's, as well. Many students are allowed to connect with alumni and talk about their future, providing a chance to identify mentors and a path to a career after college.

And for the HBCU, many of which are underfunded nationwide, the celebrations represent a crucial fundraising period to solicit funds from alumni and other supporters.

Ty Couey, the president of the National HBCU Alumni Associations Foundation, commended Wilson for making such a hard decision.

“Homecoming is critical to any institution; however, what's more important is education. Many parents were concerned about their children that attend Morgan State,” said Couey. “Homecoming is a money maker, but the education of black students is far more important.”

HBCU homecomings can also dramatically impact the local community. According to The Edvocate, homecoming brings money to small business owners around HBCUs. With the amount of alumni coming into town, many small businesses see a rise in sales for the week.

How are alumni and students feeling?

Morgan State graduate Sydney Parker said the shooting and response made for a sad situation that she is all too familiar with.

“As a former student there, I hate to say that I’m used to the gun violence that we’ve seen this week," Parker said. “But to hear it happened during a really important time for my former HBCU and surrounding community, I think it is just really sad.”

This is the third consecutive year of gun violence at a Morgan State homecoming event.

In 2021, an 18-year-old student was injured in a shooting after homecoming festivities. In 2022, another student was injured after a shooting at a non-sanctioned homecoming event.

Given the recent history and this year's shooting, some students were left with mixed emotions about the decision.

Kristopher Jackson, a second-year nursing major attending Morgan State, said he is unsure how he should feel about homecoming.

“I respect our President’s decision because it’s better safe than sorry,” said Jackson. “However, I’m mad that homecoming is canceled. This is really the only chance to network and have fun simultaneously.”

What happens now?

Morgan State canceled classes through the end of the week and the school said counselors would be available for students.

The Baltimore Police Department said investigators are searching for two people in connection with the shooting.