IT'S NOT THE WAY OUT!!!!!!Another NYU student commits suicide. There's one every year; sadly enough.this particular incident happened in our Bobst library where many student sin the past have jumped to their deaths. He was a junior in the College of Arts and Science. His body was found early yesterday morning where he apparently threw himself over one of the upper level floors. While the cause of death is still being determined, indications are that he took his own life.Our school president [John Sexton] had this to say:"Suicide among people of college age is a national problem, a leading cause of death among the young; each year, campuses across the country must cope with these tragedies and their aftermath -- the pain, the heartbreak, the upset it causes to those who are vulnerable, and all the terrible, persistent questions. I have taught young people for some five decades, drawn by their energy and
their promise and by the unique bond that forms between student and
professor. The impulse for self-harm -- particularly among young men and women
with so much talent and so much to live for -- is incomprehensible to me.
And so I would like to speak to the NYU student community as I would speak
with a student of mine sitting and talking with me in my own office.
No matter how difficult things might seem at any particular moment, your life
is filled with promise, you belong in and are part of a community that
cherishes your presence, you are loved, and there are many people at hand
ready and willing to help you -- your professors, the staff in the residence
halls, the Wellness Exchange, your family, and your friends. I am certain of
this: there are many resources to help you, and harming oneself is absolutely
the wrong choice.
We are a close knit community, a large community of small communities; we
should remind ourselves that there will always be people among us who will
need our help, and we should never hesitate to reach out and offer a hand or
an attentive ear, or to direct friends and peers to the many excellent
professionals we have at the Wellness Exchange (212-443-9999, or 999 from any
campus phone) to help students work through problems.
If you feel upset by this news or anything else in your life, do not hesitate
to call the Wellness Exchange. If you have a friend or a student or a
colleague who seems vulnerable, call on his or her behalf.
I know I speak for the entire NYU community when I say that this student's
family and loved ones are in our thoughts and our hearts and our prayers. The
family has asked that they be accorded the greatest possible degree of privacy
and sensitivity in this difficult hour, and I would hope that we all shall
strive to comply."
Each time an incident like this occurs we get an email similar to this and we are advised to seek counseling if we ever have these "thoughts." Obviously suicide is not always preventable but what should academic institutions do in such cases???
Either way, its unfortunate what happened; NYU is by far not a place to fret over. Then again the reason this student did waht he did doesnt necessariyl have to do with acadmeics; no one really knows but everyone is definitely curious about it.
