Recent Stanford Suicide

Parents Forum
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<p><a href=“http://daily.stanford.org/article/2007/4/16/studentFoundDeadInEv[/url]”>http://daily.stanford.org/article/2007/4/16/studentFoundDeadInEv&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>A friend of mine told me about this. Probably got less “press” because of the VTech massacre.</p>

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<p>That is very devastating and tragic. To think that young man came so far and then to have this happen. So sad.</p>

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<p>This is also not the first time I’ve heard about minorities in particular (URMs) finding it difficult to locate a meaningful social community at S.</p>

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<p>This is very sad, as are these two other recent deaths of college students at Grinnell and MIT:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/NEWS/704210364[/url]”>http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/NEWS/704210364&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.woi-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6390965&nav=1LFX[/url]”>http://www.woi-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6390965&nav=1LFX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And here is the website of the Jed Foundation that seeks to improve mental health awareness and resources on campuses:
<a href=“http://www.jedfoundation.org/index.php[/url]”>http://www.jedfoundation.org/index.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Thank you for posting that SV2. I hadn’t yet realized that there was such a nat’l organization, & had been searching for such info. That would also be an excellent organization for students wanting a service opportunity, to get connected with.</p>

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<p>

Where does this observation come from?</p>

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<p>“Where does this observation come from?”</p>

<p>^^ from the blog with the above-cited article, from earlier Stanford student blogs I’ve read, and from an associate of mine who has worked on campus for many years & listened to similar observations.</p>

<p>It’s also very possible/probable that is more difficult to create a sense of community of any kind (not with reference to ethnicity) on a campus as spread-out as S, irrespective of adding in the opportunity (& time, with classes!) to connect socially within an ethnic group. Even campuses more geographically condensed have found that a sense of community has to be actively worked at by the administration. That’s one reason Berkeley has seen some of the changes it has; it’s now slightly less “anonymous” vs. previously. Several U’s have worked very hard recently at initiating or reinvigorating a residential college system, for this reason.</p>

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<p>Kansas State University also reported the death of a female freshman on Friday, April, 20th. Evidently she was found in her dormitory room, apparently a suicide. Very sad, indeed.</p>

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<p>This is nothing new. We had a freshman hang himself in the dorm at Emory in 1968 as we let out for Christmas.</p>

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<p>^Your one-upmanship disturbs me.</p>

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<p>It may be nothing new, but it’s no less disturbing. A terrible waste of what might have been happy, productive lives.</p>

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<p>^
Well said, Mallomar.</p>

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<p>The statistic that I heard within the last few months – something about an average of one suicide per year per U.S. college campus – is the part that <em>I</em> find disturbing. I do not have a citation for that, so I’m hoping that it was incorrect/overstated.</p>

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<p>There are approximately 25,000 suicides per year in the U.S., and about 1100 of them are by college students.</p>