Zika's most recent Facebook status update:
My hope in living life is that if one day someone told me it would be my last, I could smile and nod knowing full well that I did all I could with the time I was given. Never put off until tomorrow what you'd be okay having never done.Zika graduated high school in 2007 but his Facebook says Cornell '10; perhaps he planned to graduate early.
As stated earlier, Cornell is under suicide watch, with all bridges under constant surveillance.
The Cornell homepage now has prominent links to a Gannett-associated page titled "notice and respond."
Skorton pleads for an end to the tragedies:
As a doctor, teacher and father, I, too want to reach out personally to each one of you - especially our students. I want you to know that it is normal to feel sad or anxious at times, particularly when such tragedies occur. Roommate conflicts, relationship problems, financial challenges and especially academic stress are just some of the pressures that can make us think that things are too difficult. Your well being is the foundation on which your success is built. You are not alone. Your friends, your family, your teachers, your colleagues, and an array of counselors and advisors are ready to listen and help you through whatever you are facing. If you learn anything at Cornell, please learn to ask for help. It is a sign of wisdom and strength.
Maybe Cornell should evaluate the correlation between their insistence on overloading the students and their suicide rate in an effort to make their environment more humane. The goal is not to lead the nation in suicides but in helping the students develop into gainful contributors of society.
ReplyDeletetru dat
ReplyDeleteThis had very little to do with Cornell.
ReplyDeleteThis have EVERYTHING to do with Cornell. If it did not, then the suicide rate would be comparable to other Ivies, which it is not.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to make that claim, could you at least provide statistics about suicide rates at other ivies?
ReplyDeleteZika's case in particular was influenced by a number of non- Cornell factors. I knew him personally.
ReplyDeleteI don't dispute that there are Cornell- centric issues to be dealt with.
The statistics are a few years old, but http://www.suicide.org/suicide-statistics.html says:
ReplyDeleteSuicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.
More males die from suicide than females.
I've always believed that the suicide rate at Cornell is probably average, or close to average, to that of similar institutions. But because many of the suicides at Cornell are committed in such a public manner, they get a lot more publicity than a suicide at another school where a kid ODs on pills or hangs himself in his room, etc.
I also heard on the radio an interview with Dave Cullen, who just wrote a book on the Columbine shootings. He said that depression is a major cause of suicide among male teenagers, and that any high school with several thousand students is going to have at least a couple of male students who are going to commit suicide. I would assume the same holds true for universities.
That being said, this is still a cause for concern, and if there's anything Cornell can do to monitor the situation better, I hope the school will do so.
Matt was always so happy and full of life, I don't understand why he did this.
ReplyDeleteI only knew him for a year or so, but it haunts me that someone so seemingly happy can just take themselves out of the world and away from the people who love them.
Rest In Peace Zika