Class was back in session at Northern Illinois University on Monday, 11 days after a former graduate student opened fire on a lecture hall, killing five students and then himself.

Grief counselors attended class along with students and faculty, speaking for five minutes and offering help to anyone who wanted it.

But Micky Sharma, director of NIU’s counseling services, told the Chicago Tribune the assistance was designed to be short-term.

“This is not group therapy; this is still an academic setting,” he said. “This is psychological first aid.”

Help also came on four legs, as volunteers from Extra Mile Ministries, affiliated with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, brought dogs to the campus to provide comfort.

As NIU moves forward, alumnus Mark Brown of the Chicago Sun-Times has asked readers for suggestions on ways to deal with the tragedy and prevent future ones. One mentioned the Peer Corps, which I blogged about earlier.

Sadly, NIU will probably always be linked with the shootings, much like Virginia Tech. But let’s hope the incident can be remembered for inspiring positive changes as well.