As a result of the horrific shootings that occurred at Northern Illinois University last Thursday, all sporting events that were scheduled to take place between now and February 24th will be cancelled. The men’s basketball team had an away game scheduled for Wednesday against Toledo and a home game against Tennessee State set for the 24th. The women’s team also had match ups against Central Michigan and Toledo, both which will not take place on those dates. In addition, several other teams that were scheduled to travel, including women’s track and field, women’s gymnastics, women’s softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s golf teams will not go on the road. Classes are also set to resume on Monday, February 25.

There will be an on-campus memorial service on February 24th to honor the victims of the shooting. In addition, several Illinois-area sports teams are honoring the victims of the shooting in their own way. For instance, the Chicago Blackhawks will be wearing NIU Huskies decals on their helmets. Several teams have also dedicated moments of silence to give shows of sympathy for those who have been deeply affected. Last year, the Virginia Tech shootings sparked awareness that caused schools to implement several security measures for students and faculty members. The recent NIU shootings tested these measures, but they were unfortunately ineffective.

In total, 25 athletic competitions that were set to take place will be cancelled. This unfortunate series of events demonstrates just how tragic the effect has been on the administration.

"At a time like this, it is critically important for us to focus on coming together as a university to overcome this terrible tragedy," NIU athletic director Jim Phillips said. "To be certain, the welfare of our student-athletes is uppermost in the minds of our coaches and staff.”

There haven’t been any discussions regarding when the cancelled games will be rescheduled. NIU will resume its normal academic and athletic schedules on February 25. From now until then, everyone involved will mourn the loss of the 5 that died, the 7 that were hospitalized, and the 15 that were injured.