Indiana U. Reviews Policy After Dead Student’s Absence Goes Unnoticed

Although my campus routinely has residence hall staff check in on students who cause concern to faculty, I agree with the previous post that it is not reasonable for universities to set up systems that monitor daily class attendance for tens of thousands of legal adults, and enact emergency systems after 1-2 absences. If the student in this case was found on Tuesday, and he was there 5 or 6 days, it is possible that he only missed one class meeting for some of his classes (if a course meets 2x week, and not on Friday.) The question will be whether this suicidal student gave other warning signs that were missed (statements to friends or employees, Facebook posts, extreme behavior, or other warning signs that usually trigger safety net procedures.)Although the prospect of this situation is one of the biggest nightmares for residence life staff, and one would always hope that a community would notice the absence of one of its members, there are similar practical issues in living situations. There are virtually no ‘bed check’ procedures in this century, and given students’ normal schedules and tendencies to keep odd hours (and staff members’ own schedules), it would not be all that unusual for a resident staff member to not see a student for many days at a time and not think it unusual. Additonally, as the 90s brought a greater consumer demand for privacy and amenities in university housing, the configuration of living situations of the 21st century make it even less likely for a reclusive student to be noticed. As a 21-year-old on most campuses, a student is very likely to be in housing that is suite-style or apartment-style, with no roommate, no required board plan because of private kitchen facilities, and at least 2-3 locked doors between the bedroom and a resident staff member who might stop by (if the staff are expected to do so… if there are staff for apartment-style living.) Even if we wanted to have close supervision, the modern university is not physically or administratively structured to easily do so.Condolences to the family and friends of this student, and to the many people around the situation whose lives are torn by this violence. I wish you healing.

The sadder part about this is that the dorm where this student lived is designed for those students who want privacy and want to be alone. The rooms are designed for single students and they share a bathroom between two rooms. The student had duct-taped all the spaces around his doors and had barricaded all his doors with furniture so it would be very difficult for someone to get in. While all the newspaper articles are saying he was involved in many volunteer activities and was a biochem major and a cellist, and was doing research with the PSY department’s cognitive neuroscience imaging group, it would also appear that he was somewhat of a loner.He went to the trouble of barricading his room and duct-taping it up so no one else would be affected by the smell, and he put a sign on his closet door stating there where hazardous chemicals there. he put himself into his closet with the hazardous chemicals and it appears that is what he died from.And yet no one missed him but the smell was coming from his room for 5-6 days. Mainentance was called and they thought it was an animal in the walls but could not get to it. Finally environmental risk people were brought in and they finally broke though the barricade and got into the room.We, at Indiana, mourn this young man’s death, but there has to be a better way to find out that someone is not around rather than discovering this situation – 5-6 days after he is dead?

Pity the poor janitors. They find these suicides all too often, sometimes in dramatically awful ways. And they are paid not so well for this privilege. Consider the student who decided to hang himself on Halloween in the maintenance closet. At first the janitor thought it was a prank. The man would tremble when he talked about it a week later. And who even bothers to talk to them? not many.

Stuff happens, sometimes bad stuff. It’s not always anyone’s “fault” and these occurences are rare enough that the normal procedures (Counseling Center referrals, the training we get in suicide prevention, RA’s, etc. etc.) are the appropriate responses. Just because something awful happens doesn’t mean someone should/could have prevented it. Those of us in the mental (ill) health field and family members of suicides know well that a determined person will succeed, regardless of any efforts to stop it, including hospitalization. I think people get all hot and huffy because they are frightened by these events and want to get rid of their anxiety by DEMANDING REFORM so they can feel they are protected from ever encountering it again. Grow up. You’ll always encounter it again. And again.