Occasionally, the routine of everyday life is shattered when the nightmare of what could easily be our own desperate situations is portended in the situations of others. Mr. Altom's suicide, whatever its complicated roots, speaks the truth of so many graduate students working to fulfill a future vision of their own devising. Like many graduate students, including myself, Mr. Altom had a sense of his potential, and regardless of the surely excruciating pressures of his advisor, it was his own forecast of the future which propelled his every move. One can be endlessly chided by the greatest of intellects, but unless the motivation to succeed is planted deeply within, that student will never take heed of these criticisms. The source of suicide is never extrinsic, it rests within the soul of each man and woman who faces the harsh realities dealt out by an often cruel world. It is how we face such circumstances -- not what the circumstances are -- that decides matters like suicide. His advisor, however, is not beyond reproach. The entire concept of an advisor suggests that the student is to receive good counsel -- counsel that might help to change those internal machinisms which lead to the taking of one's life. Against the woes of the world, we must seek the friendship and guidance of those who can help develop a way to cope that bolsters our nerves in the midst of terrible situations. But the academic world has always been a frigid milieu, filled with men, and increasingly women, whose way of coping is to become hard and rigid. The difficulty of graduate life will never change, for even I admit that my best work comes only after constant defeat. But we must encourage our graduate communities to tend to those qualities and affections which allow one to face these defeats with dignity, integrity, and most importantly, with a sense of esteem that can never be destroyed. And this should be done, not with the intention of creating robots or unfeeling academic monsters, but with the intention of fostering sentiments that are capable of both dealing with tough situations and genuinely appreciating the situations of others. I too, like Mr. Altom, was driven by the visions of greatness dancing in my head. No doubt his visions were more intense as he was climbing much higher on the intellectual ladder than I have ever been, or probably ever will be. But I packed that vision away along with the associated guilt and learned to take criticism with sometimes gratitude, sometimes levity. Now, when the nasty, grinding world of academe looks me in the face, I smile and learn a new lesson. I am deeply disturbed by this young man's passing; only months ago this could have been me. I say let us learn something from this tragedy: let us learn to be considerate, friendly, encouraging, supportive; most of all, let us learn to be strong in character and passionate human beings.
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