Cornell deaths

Parents Forum
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<p>I am glad Cornell is going on break. Everyone needs it at this point, if only to change the subject a little bit. But I will agree that seeing Cornell win their first NCAA tournament game this afternoon was pretty exciting. So happy for them and those seniors. I hope they really get far into this thing.</p>

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<p>The Cornell adminstration is rationalizing a serious and prevailing problem by quoting statistics. According to their own campus newspaper, 10 students have died this academic year. That is not “within the norm” and the school’s history of suicides is very troubling. They need to stop the PR blather and start focusing on understanding why the school has the reputation of being a “suicide school”. The “pressure cooker” and Ithaca weather explanation is ridiculous - it’s all about how students are valued. Faculty members need to understand that they are employed because of students. There are better and more prestigious schools and they don’t seem to have this problem</p>

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<p>A small sample size leads to increased variability in results.</p>

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<p>I talked to my D tonight and she said these suicides have been a major concern on the Cornell campus. A lot is being done to try and convey the message of help, hope and happiness. She said a community group even brought animals on campus for students to interact with because some research shows interaction with animals (pets) improve ones state of well being. </p>

<p>This amount of suicides in such a short amount of time is not usual for Cornell. That is a fact. The campus, administrators, faculty, staff and students know this. My D indicated everyone is pulling together to make sure no one else dies in such a tragic death.</p>

<p>Cornell beating Temple in basketball, spring break and a week of glorious weather helped a lot!</p>

<p>Cornell is a great school in a great location. Go BIG RED!</p>

125

<p>I’m not trying to single out the U of C, but sophomores I work with know of 2 in their time, and so do I. There is much publicity here about a suicide prevention day. I am friends with 3 resident heads, and all have had undergraduate suicides, two of them more than one. I mentioned to a Junior I work with the case of a student who committed suicide jumping off of the Shoreland roof, and it was news to her. This happened less than five years ago, and she spent two years at Shoreland. Believe me, the University does not broadcast its student suicides. She said " Oh. No wonder we weren’t allowed to go up on the roof".
To me as a parent, this says enough about the undergraduate experience to nudge my kids away from the U of Cs, Cornells and MITs of the world. You can buy an intellectually elite experience without the disconnectedness and the pain. Or at least improve the odds.
No guarantees in life, of course.</p>

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<p>What exactly does it say? I don’t know about UC or MIT, but as has been mentioned many times this week, Cornell’s rate of student suicide is right at the national average. What we are seeing now is a cluster, which sometimes happens on college and high school campuses. Don’t confuse a cluster with a long-term trend.</p>

<p>You also say that UC officials don’t “broadcast” student suicides, and since you seem to paint Cornell/MIT with the same brush, let me point out that Cornell officials have been extremely urgent (and public) with their concerned response to this among the student body. If you’ve heard about attempts to sweep it under the rug, or minimize it, I’d like to know where. I’ve been impressed with the degree to which they’ve been forthcoming, and the absence of defensiveness or rationalization. One official that I know of quoted the <em>true</em> statistic, not to minimize the tragedies, but rather to combat the misimpression that Cornell is a “suicide school.” It simply is not.</p>

127

<p>Some of the deaths at Cornell this year have been illness … particularly one student with cancer and one student with swine flu. </p>

<p>And, for the record, I just received a parent letter that they are raising the fences on the bridges while the kids are on spring break.</p>

128

<p>Front page on Sunday’s paper. [The</a> empty room: Boca Raton family searches for answers in gorge death of Cornell freshman](<a href=“http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/the-empty-room-boca-raton-family-searches-for-402075.html]The”>http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/the-empty-room-boca-raton-family-searches-for-402075.html) The print version contained two pictures of the bridges, one from a distance showing the depth of the gorge relative to the bridge, and one up close of the railing. I guess they can’t run AP pictures on the website. The railing is clearly one a student could not accidentally fall over. But this family did not have any warning signs. I would also be wondering why/how in this particular case. So sad. Dad was an alum as well.</p>

<p>Here is one pic of the bridge. <a href=“http://www.aisc.org/contentNSBA.aspx?id=22482#[/url]”>http://www.aisc.org/contentNSBA.aspx?id=22482#&lt;/a&gt; Scroll down half way.
This is the pic that ran for the closeup <a href=“http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/07tc0vq7ylftw/350x.jpg[/url]”>http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/07tc0vq7ylftw/350x.jpg&lt;/a&gt;
This is the pic that ran for the distance shot. <a href=“http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0fT905Z9ic7FZ/x350.jpg[/url]”>http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0fT905Z9ic7FZ/x350.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Here is a post from Psychotherapy Brown Bag.</p>

<p>[Reflections</a> on the situation at Cornell](<a href=“http://www.psychotherapybrownbag.com/psychotherapy_brown_bag_a/2010/03/reflections-on-the-situation-at-cornell.html]Reflections”>http://www.psychotherapybrownbag.com/psychotherapy_brown_bag_a/2010/03/reflections-on-the-situation-at-cornell.html)</p>

<p>Mike Anestis explained what is known from research and emphasized these three points.</p>

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<p>However, it seems clear to me that when others find death by one means - leaping off a bridge - those who are disposed to depressive thoughts, might very well use that method as well. Secondly, those who would jump into the gorge have a strong likelihood of not making an attempt at another location if his/her attempts at the gorge were thwarted - either by camera monitoring or additional fencing (which is apparently being done or going to be done). </p>

<p>Lots of links in the article about suicide in general as well, which point to warning signs and the rest.</p>

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<p>“Ithaca, New York (CNN) – Two suspected cases of suicide on the Cornell University campus have officially been confirmed by the Tompkins County chief medical examiner, bringing the total number of suicides for the academic year to six.
Cornell officials had previously said authorities confirmed four other deaths at the school as suicides.”</p>

<p>[Two</a> suspected suicides confirmed at Cornell; total now at six - CNN.com](<a href=“Two suspected suicides confirmed at Cornell; total now at six - CNN.com”>Two suspected suicides confirmed at Cornell; total now at six - CNN.com)</p>

132

<p>More on this (Read Only; 16 pages) from Cornell Forum: </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/882494-3rd-suicide-hits-cornell-less-than-month.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/882494-3rd-suicide-hits-cornell-less-than-month.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

133

<p>Cornell is experiencing one of their worst moments and one of their best at the same time. </p>

<p>The suicides are terrible and sad, for the families, but also for the Cornell community.</p>

<p>Cornell has never been in the “sweet 16.” Nor has an Ivy for 31 years!!</p>

<p>So lets hope this breaks the suicide cluster.</p>

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<p>No morrismm. I don’t think the community can compare suicides to being in the Sweet Sixteen. I was a part of a community who lost a student due to suicide during junior year of high school. Nothing could’ve changed the idea that the kid we’ve known for most of our life is gone. Nothing could change his empty seat in the classroom, his absence on the lacrosse field, or not seeing him walk around the school. Nothing can compare to losing someone due to suicide. Nothing at all.</p>

135

<p>No, nothing can bring back an associate, student or friend who is dead. But hopefully something can bring back life to someone who is considering suicide. It is alright to continue to be happy.</p>

<p>You say “nothing” I say yes, yes. There is hope and happiness in the future. Please seek help. You can be happy. There is therapy and drugs to help. There is no shame in that.</p>

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<p>‘remember, everything in life needs to find it’s equilibrium.’ i’m a cornell grad and former resident of ithaca (for sixteen years) and this was an insight given to me by my teenage son who made the statement while trying to explain to me a scientific principle. . .i often go back to this thought b/c it’s seems true on so many levels and, certainly, brings solace during times like these as we seek perspective on matters of life and death. for the cornell community, as for all of us, life marches on. we will never avoid this simple fact, and i, too, am glad for the success of the various teams as they make history for a school not known for it’s athletics and in need for cause of celebration. it helps the community spirit as it deals with the more tragic, and emotional, concerns of loosing a loved friend and colleague. i celebrate with the community, just as i mourn with the community. . . .</p>

137

<p>I thought I would share this article I just read as it is interesting and explains the spate of several suicides in a short time in one school setting. </p>

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<p>[Psychologists:</a> Memorials can trigger more suicides - CNN.com](<a href=“Psychologists: Memorials can trigger more suicides - CNN.com”>Psychologists: Memorials can trigger more suicides - CNN.com)</p>

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<p>similarily … thoughts on how media coverage of suicides can affect the situation … </p>

<p>[AFSP:</a> For the Media: Recommendations](<a href=“Home | AFSP”>Home | AFSP)</p>

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<p>Schools like Cornell are caught between a rock and a hard place when a student suicide happens. On the one hand, in the short run, publicity might cause copycat suicides among vulnerable at-risk students . On the other hand, public action might cause fewer suicides in the long run, if effective suicide prevention measures can be instituted.</p>

<p>Better to institute the suicide prevention measures <em>before</em> the rash of suicides. But hindsight is 20-20; Cornell does not have that option right now.</p>

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<p>I would say that CNN could take a page or two from that article. Seemed really in bad taste to take on the increased suicide rate following a story on the b-ball team making it to the sweet 16. Also included a picture of the gorge and an interview with one set of parents who said their kid was perfect and mr. happy. However, what I have learned is that they increase supervision etc to thwart attempts at the gorge, studies suggest that those people who thought that might be a way out will not typically find another to “do it anyway.” </p>

<p>I honestly think Cornell is doing the best they can amid such public venues as the gorge whereas schools like NYU who also had three suicides this year just seem to keep things under the radar of the sensational.</p>