A family lost their son, a student at Hamilton College, tragically in December, 2016. It was clear that the college did not have the adequate support services in place to help him, or to alert his parents. They have written an Open Letter to the Hamilton College community in the hopes that future tragedies can be prevented.
https://spec.hamilton.edu/stewart-gina-burton-open-letter-to-the-community-5be4acd2de23
I know when we visited Hamilton this past fall they were building a huge new student health facility and mentioned how they are upping the mental health support on campus.
So so sad. Sounds like the school failed to act. I wonder if the student had waived his FERPA rights so that his parents could have been notified earlier to what was going on.
Does anyone know if the school responded to this letter?
This is very sad. I had all of my children waive their FERPA rights as a condition of my paying their tuition. Therefore, I never researched under what circumstances a school can contact a parent other than, at S17’s school, we were told that parents are notified for drug and alcohol infractions.
I,too, wonder if the student involved had waived FERPA and if the school responded.
My D has a friend who loved Hamilton, but I also remember that Bon Jovi’s child od’ed there or some such.
His College Knew of His Despair. His Parents Didn’t, Until It Was Too Late. The New York Times, May 12, 2018
I offer my sincerest condolences to Graham’s parents.
Some schools make it VERY difficult for a student to waive their FERPA rights. One of my kid’s schools had a form in the orientation packet. Super easy. The other treated me like a crazy, nutcase helicopter parent when I asked if there was a form, and required me to have my kid hand write a request and sign it in front of the registrar. My kids had no objection. The 2nd college really annoyed me — I would say it was the worst interaction I ever had with them.
that new york times article is so distressing and upsetting. my deepest sympathies and thoughts go out to graham’s loved ones. no person deserves to lose someone so close, especially by way of something that could have easily been avoided.
Why I flag every post that seems to have something to do with suicidal ideation, even though this is a confidential site. I also beg the poster to seek help immediately. One life saved and fewer hearts broken, it’s always worth a shot.
Without giving away any personal information, I can say with firsthand knowledge that some things have changed at Hamilton regarding things that came to light in the aftermath of Graham Burton’s death. Parents of kids who are noticed by professors or who come to the attention of a special dean of “students of concern” are now contacted and appraised of ongoing issues. The entire student body is also much more aware of these issues and discussions are being had on many levels. I am sad that it took attention to a tragic situation like this to enact the changes, but as a parent of a Hamilton student, I am glad that some of the previous policies have evolved. I’m sure there is still a lot more work to be done, but I’m glad it’s not all just being swept under the rug.
My daughter casually knew this kid and also aytends Hamilton. By some weird coincidence, she was also having her own mental health difficulties around this time and had to leave school. I know from our experience that they have an abundant of mental health resources both individual and group therapy as well as academic supports which she was utilizing. What makes it challeging is that they are federal laws about what can be shared and someone that is suicidal is not really yelling this out for everyone to hear. This is a more global issue.
It is so heartbreaking. Maybe one day I will write an article on signs for parents to look out for… that is the only reason I was able to intervene.