<p>I'm sorry if its a repost, but I found some definite proof that Cornell is not a 'suicide school' according to the data on this report. It's published in 2006 but I dont think suicide trends changed that much in four years. If the 'suicide rate' at Cornell is keeping you from going there, it's a bunch of BS</p>
<p>Hopkins</a> suicide rate in line with national college trend - News</p>
<p>Squelchy451:</p>
<p>There were six suicides this year. Didn’t you hear?</p>
<p>yes i know that…</p>
<p>Just because it was pretty bad this yr doesnt mean that it has ALWAYS been bad. Thats exactly what im trying to disprove</p>
<p>Cadmiumred, there were no suicides – zero – at Cornell in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Didn’t you hear?</p>
<p>Exactly. The suicide rate is not based on a single year. </p>
<p>While an unfortunate year at Cornell, it doesn’t have a higher rate than most other colleges. </p>
<p>Further, you can’t go by number of suicides but by rate in their population as bigger schools have more students in the first place.</p>
<p>Just the facts, folks:</p>
<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.
…
The national average for school suicides is 7.29 per year for every 100,000 students, said Paula Clayton, medical director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. That means Cornell, with 19,639 students, should average fewer than two suicides a year.</p>
<p>Cornell had no suicides from 2005 to 2008, according to Marchell. And the school has consistently fallen within or below the national average, said Karen Carr, assistant dean of students at Cornell.
[Two</a> suspected suicides confirmed at Cornell; total now at six - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/20/new.york.cornell.suicides/index.html]Two”>Two suspected suicides confirmed at Cornell; total now at six - CNN.com)</p>
<p>Does that mean even factoring in the recent suicide cluster, Cornell is still at or below the national average for the last 10 years or so?</p>
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<p>Yes, considering that there weren’t any from 2005 through 2008, Cornell is, in all likelihood, still within the norm.</p>
<p>So in the last 5 years there were 6 total (zero from 05, 06, 07, 08, and then 6 in 09-10 but we’ll count that as one year). Or, alternatively, 1.2 per year. Half the expected national average even with the odd cluster from this year? Not bad.</p>
<p>We are just trying to put this past year, which was indeed tragic in terms of the anomalous cluster, into perspective for the vast majority of current students, and prospective students, who could get a false impression of what the university is like for the vast majority of its warm hearted, and more-or-less well adjusted, people. I would call that humane. Most people care about their community, like you obviously can’t possibly know, on Cornell’s beautiful campus.</p>
<p>cadmium is female? lol</p>
<p>there are definitely things at cornell to be upset about…</p>
<p>i know many who have reasonable arguments against certain practices at cornell but are too afraid to speak out on them for fear of being ignored and or ridiculed…</p>
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<p>There are a certain portion of every college’s student population who find, and vent, faults-- some real, and some not so real. Also, there are a minority of posters who frequently vent their frustrations, on this, and all other collegiate threads as well. So plenty do not have this “fear” that you speak of, including obviously yourself.</p>
<p>but “certain practices” as a causation for suicide?</p>
<p>@gomestar</p>
<p>maybe not a single causal factor but the “certain practices” help create an atmosphere that triggers rampant emotions :<</p>
<p>as an ILR alum, I don’t follow. While I certainly didn’t agree with everything about Cornell, none and I mean NONE of these would have anything tied with “rampant emotions” nor the fear of ridicule. I always had plenty of faculty members with completely open doors, and at least 4 of whom I am still in contact with today. I always thought there was a lot of Cornell red tape to deal with, but hell, that was cake compared to the corporate world I deal with now.</p>
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<p>It is actually amazing how little red tape there is at Cornell. When I was at Cornell and I wanted to change the light fixture in my room or meet with somebody in student services, it would happen the same day. At my corporate job? You would be happy to have something done within the week.</p>
<p>Quoting statistics about the suicides can’t really resolve the problem or change the current press. The changes need to come from within the school. Friends, acquaintances and family now mention the suicides at Cornell, whenever we mention my son attending there. When my son returned after spring break, many dismayed Cornell parents were discussing the suicide problem, where we dropped him off to return to school. As I mentioned before, Kurt Vonnegut even referenced suicides at Cornell in one of his novels. Whenever we meet new people, they mention the suicides at Cornell. We are now afraid to say our son goes there, because we then have to explain. Six is a high number, no doubt about it. The problem needs to be addressed. It is that simple, all statistics aside.</p>
<p>There is no problem, you’re just being a paranoid parent. Cornell constantly provides a positive atmosphere and will readily give help whenever needed. This tragedy is not a reflection on the university whatsoever; it is simply an awful coincidence. Your blind ignorance is offensive to both the school and the students. My high school of about 1,500 had two suicides this year in the senior class. We have never seen anything like it before. Both were very happy kids with many friends. Their decisions were tragic and unfortunately occurred at similar times, but there is no stigma attached to our school at all because of it. Parents simply keep on playing up the Cornell events, which is surprising because at least some sort of intelligence is needed to have kids in the Ivy League.</p>
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<p>But they didn’t mention the lack of suicides for the last five years, now did they?</p>
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<p>That’s because it is a pretty damn spectacular way to go. None of the MIT suicides will make it in a famous novel because there aren’t these absolutely stunning natural features on campus that offer a convenient way to kill oneself.</p>
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<p>Explain what? That suicide is a mental health problem that affects all of our nation’s youth and that Cornell has best-in-class mental health services to offer its students. Or that Cornell gets a disproportionate amount of attention due to its suicide mythology?</p>
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<p>And the administration has gone to great pains to address the “problem”, even though statistics indicate that it isn’t a “problem.”</p>
<p>it is simply an awful coincidence."</p>
<p>IMO not exactly, it’s a cluster. Somebody does it, it gets publicity, that makes it come to the attention of another depressed individual who then decides " hey that’'s a geat idea for me, too". It would be a coincidence if each occured completely independently of the other, but actually IMO publicity about the first couple made the others more likely, they were not completely independent.</p>
<p>As you said this phenomnon has happened elsewhere, enough times already to have a coined phrase, “cluster”, to descibe it.</p>
<p>While I agree there wasn’t any disproportionate problem generally, or over the long term, there’s certainly a problem at this time, due to the cluster. The administration has taken steps to address it. I hope they work.</p>