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<p>There is no pressure. All sophomores are guaranteed a room on campus, if they so desire.</p>
<p>You’re out of order. Just what ‘should be a given’? That the method of selecting an on-campus room is causing suicides? Let me know what you are smoking, because I would like to have some of that.</p>
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<p>You’re not even making any sense any more.</p>
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<p>No. It’s a case of students who are mentally ill.</p>
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<p>Please point to some facts that indicate that this is a more serious problem for Cornell than any other school in the country, other than the shockingly public nature of gorge deaths. Thanks.</p>
<p>If 6 suicides in one academic year that is still in progress isn’t factual enough for you then you are more interested in debating the “statistics” than the “reality”</p>
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<p>I’m very interested in reality. But nobody seemed interested when Cornell had no suicides for the last four academic years.</p>
<p>What Cornell has experienced is known as a suicide cluster. This type of public health crisis is very dangerous, as it encourages other individuals to take their own life as well. Suicide clusters have occurred in, among other places, the military, suburban high schools in Northern California, teenagers in South Boston, and prisons. Cornell has gone far and above the necessary steps to respond to this crisis.</p>
<p>There is nothing inherent about Cornell as an institution that has encouraged this particular cluster. This is reflected in the fact that Cornell does not have an above average suicide rate.</p>
<p>Instead people are quick to blame writing assignments, housing lotteries, teenage debauchery, and snowfall as some sort of proof that Cornell has created an ‘environment of suicide’. This is completely false and ridiculous.</p>
<p>As a faithful alumnus who dearly loved my time at Cornell, I am more than happy to discuss ways in which Cornell might become an even stronger, healthier community than the one it already is. </p>
<p>But I will not tolerate nonfactual and incendiary comments that somehow allege that Cornell has some sort of serious underlying problem that is causing students to commit suicide without hard actual data in hand. I will continue to not tolerate such comments, and will continue to call people out for doing so.</p>
<p>Thank you Cayuga. Couldn’t have said it any better myself and I have nowhere near the experienced knowledge you have as I have only been a parent of a cornell student for one year, not even a full year yet.</p>
<p>As for the housing. I attended a housing seminar during Parents Weekend. One of the many they had for both parents and students. it was explained over and over and over that the housing system was a lottery and that included the coops. If a student didn’t attend a seminar or read the material handed out and hence got stressed over housing, that surely is no fault on Cornell. Certainly any student capable of getting into Cornell is capable of navigating the very easy housing lottery. They may not like the results, but it is not difficult or unclear.</p>
<p>Also, I am shocked by what people are saying is causing these suicides. All the things they are saying are causing them are all things that were present the last 4 academic years and yet there was no suicide. Did all the classes suddenly get more difficult this year? NO! Frats & Sororities new this year? NO! Snowfall new? NO!</p>
<p>Cayuga is spot on regarding the clusters. This is also why you didn’t hear about all 6 because very often suicides will give people that are contemplating it the courage to do it. There is absolutely nothing I can see that can be gained by making a suicide public. Surely if one of my children were to commit such an act, I surely wouldn’t want to see it all over the news, day after day after day.</p>
<p>so Cornell should now get on the ball and start to worry about the emotional health of their students? Whoops wrong again … multiple posting praising changes Cornell put in place years ago trying to address students with issues … one link …</p>
<p>[Cornell</a> Cuts Suicide Rate in Half | World of Psychology](<a href=“http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/01/01/cornell-cuts-suicide-rate-in-half/]Cornell”>http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/01/01/cornell-cuts-suicide-rate-in-half/)</p>
<p>hmm … from Johns Hopkins in 2006 … Cornell below average and below HArvard and Duke … [Hopkins</a> suicide rate in line with national college trend - News](<a href=“http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2006/04/20/News/Hopkins.Suicide.Rate.In.Line.With.National.College.Trend-2242150.shtml]Hopkins”>http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2006/04/20/News/Hopkins.Suicide.Rate.In.Line.With.National.College.Trend-2242150.shtml)</p>
<p>The thread started with a concerned parent wondering if Cornell was the right place for his/her child. It is not a debate of how wonderful your college experience was. Statistically, four of the six students who committed suicide this year should not have. Reality, all six did. Cluster or not, it is something that a parent would be concerned about.</p>
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<p>For what it’s worth, official death rate statistics are quoted on a per 100,000 basis due to the amount of variance one can encounter in small populations. So you’re going to need to look at five years of data before you start making sound statistical inferences on a population the size of Cornell’s.</p>
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<p>I agree completely. It’s been horrific time for anybody associated with Cornell. And many of us have bent over backwards to describe the situation in rational terms to concerned parents. Again and again and again. </p>
<p>But venting about the housing lottery or the fraternity scene is a lost cause because it has absolutely nothing to do with what we have experienced.</p>
<p>Here’s my suggestion to a concerned parent:</p>
<p>Instead of worrying about Cornell’s response to the situation, worry about your own relationship with your child and your child’s own health. Does your child have the faculties to make independent decisions for themselves despite being away from home? Does your child have the social intelligence to gain the trust of friends or the respect of professors? Does your child know that you love them no matter what and that no incident – no matter how serious – will take away your love for them? Has your child recently exhibited any strange or unusual behavior? Has she become despondent or not enjoyed activities that she historically would have?</p>
<p>I can guarantee you that those questions are a lot more important than the questions being asked on here about fraternity parties and writing requirements.</p>
<p>Also, just to satisfy some of your morbid curiosity, and to prove that there is nothing systemic about Cornell going on here, the three deaths in the fall were associated with a foreign student who grew quite despondent upon arrival in America, an architecture student who has actually been on academic leave for two years and was working outside of Ithaca, and a graduate student who had been in long-term psych care before. None of these instances had absolutely anything to do with workload, weather, fraternity parties, housing lotteries, or an Orgo prelim.</p>
<p>A parent should reasonably be concerned about the current suicide cluster. as should the university.</p>
<p>A couple people have reacted to this news as if this recent situation, at this same level, was actually the perpetual state of affairs there, instead of an anomoly that took place just this year. They have then reacted with condemnatory comments about the university in general, citing every aspect of student life that might be somewhat less favorable as if each was inevitably the cause of student suicide. Ignoring the point that none of these aspects was likely any different this year from all the other years when the suicide rate there was completely unremarkable, or even zero.</p>
<p>The recent events are certainly concerning and warrant some respose, but some of the negative, castigatory comments I’ve been reading here are off-base and out of line, IMO.</p>
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<p>Such a shame. Hopefully all of these institutions can work together to try to improve access to mental healthcare for students.</p>
<p>Hopefully we’ll go a step in the right direction by passing some legislation tomorrow…</p>
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<p>Not just your opinion, monydad, but an actual fact.</p>
<p>I’m off to go watch some Big Red Hockey. Let’s Go Red!</p>
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absolutely agree with this … and that Cornell should look inward to see if the school can do more to support it’s students</p>
<p>“I’m off to go watch some Big Red Hockey. Let’s Go Red!” </p>
<p>me too, ditto.</p>
<p>rathole question … where are you watching the game?</p>
<p>Thanks to all for an exhaustive and civil discussion of this topic, in all its dimensions. Some have put in much thought and effort to write detailed posts with good back-up statistics. Some expressed genuine concern for the feelings of students on campus and parents far from campus.</p>
<p>The consensus seems to be this was an aberrant cluster of suicides breaking Cornell;s otherwise GOOD record relative to other institutions of higher education, even when compared with other Ivies.</p>
<p>Sometimes a tragedy can spur on reflection or debate over ways to relieve trigger points for those most vulnerable. When an institution does so, as Cornell is doing, some will and have commend that positively. That it came too late for specific families this year is beyond sad for those families. Some would hope that from this might come clearer understanding.</p>
<p>To now use this thread to discuss “any” possible source of pressure on tension on students is not necessary. **After this, if someone would like to create a new thread, for example, “grading curves at Cornell”, “fraternities at Cornell” or “weather at Cornell” please feel free. **</p>
<p>It seems pretty clear that these have received full airing on THIS thread as to possible relationships to student mood (in general) at Cornell. Separately or in combination, however, these stressors – or any more new examples – do not “cause” suicides. Each topic has been raised as relevant to the past months’ tragedies, and that’s worth remembering. </p>
<p>I’m going to suggest this. I’m bringing down a great list of questions from a prior poster. If I were to change the words “instead of” to “in addition to” I think we might have consensus that this thread is kaput, done, all has been said. If you agree, just chime in. Maybe it’s time to just say “enough said.”</p>
<p>If you don’t mind, please just lock this thread. There is nothing more that needs to be said.</p>
<p>we just crossposted there.</p>
<p>Let me bring down that quotation first.</p>
<p>'nuff said</p>
<p>I suggest that if we were to substitute the words in sentence #2 from “instead of” to “in addition” we might all nearly agree.</p>
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<p>It’s the difference between saying , “No, BUT…” and “Yes, AND.” Pay attention to your children AND pay attention to Cornell’s past and new mental health initiatives. If considering application, pay attention to fit, at Cornell or anywhere. </p>
<p>I’d like to close the thread because it takes undue attention to monitor, and I care deeply about the topic. Am impressed that this second discussion stayed so civil. </p>
<p>If enough people are satisfied with this post as the “last word” indicate so by posting. I’m counting Cayuga and Woody as having already voted, “nuff said.”</p>