The suicide of a graduate student at Harvard University in August has set off a debate there about what can be done to prevent such tragedies in the future. Seven graduate students have killed themselves at Harvard since 1980 and three of them, including the student who killed himself in August, had the same adviser. The student left a note suggesting that the way the university treats graduate students played a role in his death. That note has set off a debate over whether prominent professors at institutions like Harvard have so much power that the rights and mental health of graduate students are placed at risk. Harvard's chemistry department, where the adviser works, recently changed its advising system. Do professors at elite universities have too much power over graduate students, to the point where no one is looking out for the students? What can be done to look out for graduate students who may suffer serious emotional problems because of what happens to them in graduate school? For further information, see this background story:
JOIN THE DEBATE Be sure to include your name and affiliation. Legitimate requests for anonymity will be honored. Submissions may be condensed or edited for clarity.
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