Oakland University President Gary Russi sent out a campus-wide email Sunday, sympathizing with the lives lost at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newton, Conn. that took the lives of 26 people — 20 children who were either 6 or 7 years old and six teachers and administrators.

“It is almost impossible to assimilate the grief and despair we feel over the loss of so many innocent people,” he said in the email. “The fact that most of the victims were children is especially cruel. The senselessness of this tragedy challenges our collective ability to fully comprehend it. The best we can do is band together in our grief and comfort each other.

Russi said he plans on sending a letter to Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy expressing his sorrow and support and explained what Oakland would do if faced with a tragedy of this proportion.

“In the wake of this tragedy, I’ve been asked by many whether Oakland University is prepared to deal with a similar situation,” he said. “While it is my fervent hope that this situation never presents itself to us, I can assure you that we have taken all reasonable measures to respond to a tragedy of this proportion. The university’s crisis management team holds periodic meetings and simulated exercises to assess our readiness to respond to a crisis of this magnitude.”

Read Russi’s email in full:

To the Oakland University community,

Friday was a difficult day for the entire nation. The school shootings in Connecticut have left us reeling with grief. Twenty innocent school children, as well as at least six teachers and administrators, lost their lives at the hand of a very disturbed individual. There are no words to adequately describe the horror of Friday’s events.

It is almost impossible to assimilate the grief and despair we feel over the loss of so many innocent people. The fact that most of the victims were children is especially cruel. The senselessness of this tragedy challenges our collective ability to fully comprehend it. The best we can do is band together in our grief and comfort each other.

In the wake of this tragedy, I’ve been asked by many whether Oakland University is prepared to deal with a similar situation. While it is my fervent hope that this situation never presents itself to us, I can assure you that we have taken all reasonable measures to respond to a tragedy of this proportion.

The university’s crisis management team holds periodic meetings and simulated exercises to assess our readiness to respond to a crisis of this magnitude.

We live in a world where tragedy can happen suddenly and without warning. The best we can do is to try to be prepared for the worst scenario possible, and respond to it quickly and decisively.

On behalf of the entire university community, I plan to send a note to Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy expressing our sorrow and pledging our support as they begin the healing process. I know you will join me in sending our prayers and thoughts to all who have been affected by this monumental tragedy.

Sincerely,

Gary