March 24, 2010
After Suicides at Cornell U., the Campus Responds, Carefully
Matt Hintsa, Sun Senior
Students at Cornell U. gathered last week for "Lift Your Spirits," an event intended to change the mood on the campus after a string of student deaths.
A student's suicide leaves a campus in a precarious position. Acknowledge the death without giving too much attention to it; share information but not details; support grief while re-establishing normal routines. To follow the guidance of national mental-health experts is to walk a fine line.
After a suicide, students and parents expect leadership from college officials, and the news media may scrutinize them. "They need to lower the anxiety of everyone," said Morton M. Silverman,
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