Re: The Death of a Student in the 3rd North Residence Hall
MEMORANDUM
To: The NYU Community
From: NYU Vice Chancellor Linda Mills
Re: The Death of a Student in the 3rd North Residence Hall
It is with great sorrow that I report to you the death this morning of a freshman in Liberal Studies in his residence hall, Third North. The police and the University are looking into the details regarding the particular circumstances of his death -- which appears to have been the result of a fall -- and activities leading up to it.
Regardless of what is ultimately deemed to be the cause of his death, I know I speak for the entire NYU community in offering our University's sympathies to the young man's family and loved ones. They are in our hearts and in our thoughts.
There are crisis counselors at the residence hall working with the students, the RAs, and the residence hall staff, and professionals at the Wellness Exchange and the Student Health Center will be available to talk with students and to help those who feel shaken or vulnerable by this loss.
It is difficult to speak authoritatively until the authorities have made their determination about how this came about, but I think there are some important items for our community to bear in mind as we start a new semester's classes:
Remember that we have extensive, around-the-clock, professionally-trained counseling services. We should always remember the presence of the Wellness Exchange, and never hesitate to avail ourselves of them, direct others to them, or contact them on behalf of others. They can be reached at 212.443.9999 (or 9999 from any campus phone) or wellness.exchange@nyu.edu by email on a 24/7 basis. And in an emergency, dial 9-1-1.
If you see someone clearly in distress, do not hesitate to involve the many professionals we have available around the clock to help -- the Wellness Exchange, Public Safety, Residence Hall staff, etc. Students will not get into trouble for enlisting the help of professionals in a time of crisis.
The effect of a death of a young person in a community such as ours is always challenging, regardless of its cause or nature. In the days ahead, even as our schedules become busy, let's look out for another especially closely -- let's spare one another an extra moment, listen a little more carefully, be a bit quicker to extend a helping hand or to connect a friend or classmate to a service that can them through a rough moment.
Take care of yourselves; take care of one another.