Last year it was Caltech. This year, Cornell University is experiencing a string of student suicides. The number is in dispute — between three and five in the last few months. Security people have been stationed at the bridges over the famous campus gorges. Most of the suicides jumped into the gorges.
Suicide is frighteningly contagious. Suicidal students are obviously watching one another for ideas as to method. In 2005, William and Mary had the same one-and-right-away-another-in-exactly-the-same-fashion pattern that Cornell is seeing. At Caltech, two of the students used the same method: helium inhalation. In the last few years, three students at NYU have jumped from the top of the library’s atrium.
March 14th, 2010 at 7:31PM
Omigosh – I was there last Saturday with 2 professor friends – one American one French. As we crossed a bridge over a gorge, I reminded the American that in our youth Cornell supposedly had the most suicides.
The gorges and waterfalls are seductively beautiful.
March 15th, 2010 at 8:45AM
Having gone to Cornell, this does not surprise me, unfortunately. Ithaca is seasonal depression central. Every year there are two or three suicides (not always students). There aren’t enough counselors to serve such a large student population so it’s not unusual to wait weeks for an appointment.
April 27th, 2010 at 1:06AM
Why do they prefer to commit suicide? Yet all the problems would be solved if thought out logic.