 |
W&M Sophomore Found Dead in Apparent SuicideBy WYDaily Staff Saturday, October 16, 2010 A College of William and Mary student has been found dead of an apparent suicide.A fellow student contacted the William and Mary Police Department Friday morning after discovering the body of sophomore Whitney L. Mayer in a wooded area near Lake Matoaka. In an campus-wide email yesterday, Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler notified students and staff of Mayer's death. Ambler said Mayer, of Plano, Texas, was a Sharpe Scholar "who had tremendous academic talent." "Her faculty have described her as having a particular passion for biodiversity and for exploring the relationship between the environment and quality of life issues," Ambler wrote. "She also had a keen sense of community and gave of herself to others. "Although Whitney had yet to declare a major, much of her coursework reflected that commitment to the environment. She was also learning to play the mandolin." Counselors and members of the Dean of Students staff have been reaching out and offering assistance to those who were closest to Mayer. In addition, Ambler wrote, the College's Counseling Center will also be open for anyone in the W&M community who would find talking to a counselor helpful. The center is located on the second floor of Blow Hall, and counselors may be reached by calling 221-3620. Counselors are on call 24 hours a day, and can be reached after hours through campus police by calling 221-4596. Other assistance is available at any time from the Residence Life staff, the Dean of Students Office, campus ministers and the Student Affairs Office. "William & Mary is a very close-knit community and we care about one another. A tragedy like this surely affects all of us," Ambler wrote. "In times of great loss, it is important that we listen to and support one another as best we can. I know you join me in extending deepest sympathy to Whitney’s family and friends." Mayer's suicide is the third by a College student since February. |
|
Copyright © 2010-2011 WY Daily. Davis Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Website by Web-tactics
Website by Web-tactics
Comments
Is this a case of Where there's smoke, there's fire? Or is it simply that other institutions do a "better" job of sweeping this kind of news under the carpet? Word is that some Academical Villages in Virginia (not naming names) have a very tight control on the flow of information.
In the end, it doesn't matter really whether W&M is the worst or not. All insitutions of higher learning bring a certain amount of pressure to bear on their students. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Where W&M has tragically failed it's academic community is in its efforts to provide for the mental well-being of its students.
Up until very recently, the W&M Counseling Center only had 1 full-time counselor on staff. That funding was recently increased to allow for an additional counselor, but I don't know if that position has been filled or not. Still, even 2 full-time counselors is woefully insufficient to the needs of even a small institution such as W&M.
It's all well & good to offer up counseling services to the student body in the wake of (yet another) student suicide. Where were those services when Ms. Mayer was deciding how and where to take her own life?
People should be dying to ATTEND W&M...they shouldn't be dying to leave.
I went to some websites to hurriedly research suicide events at institutes of higher learning, this morning. There was a 2001 study that revealed 7:100,000 college students in the US ended their own lives in the timespan of the 5 previous years. Three in the past 8 months here, just isn't acceptable. There was no mention of attempts of suicide wherein intervention saved lives.
"College Confidential" at Cornell University revealed students' (undocumented) opinions, and one student wrote that William and Mary had the highest suicide rate of all colleges, in 2006. Others thought the rate was higher at Cornell because of a specific bridge known to be the site where suicides occurred. Certainly the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is a testament to that theory.
I challenge the administration of William and Mary, its faculty and students, alumnae and parents of current students, to confront the disease of depression with alacrity. Form Committees charged to raise funds, evaluate statistical data for validity and meaning; present various programs available to all, with the objectives of improving the quality of life, preventing suicide and lowering its incidence.
Healthcare professional groups need to be galvanized into action for the benefit of students admitting to depression or demonstrating signs/symptoms of it; and who are referred by themselves or others, without prejudice to their academic achievement. Most healthcare workers are aware that the incidence of suicide has been rising for all age groups, due to many stressors and other factors, among which the genetic predisposition can be found in some.
It is obvious that something needs to be done soon to preserve the lives of valuable community members and students, especially since they aren't candidates for any anti-depressant drug therapy. Earlier studies revealed a higher incidence of suicide among those teenagers taking those.
Let's be known in this country as the community that lowered its suicide rate and improved the lives of students,and others lengthening lifespans because the loss of this student was so impressive!!!
#2 I appreciate your desire to prevent this from happening again, like we all do. I hope we can keep in mind, though, that greiving family/friends are reading this thread and worry your comments could be interpreted as suggesting they missed a warning sign.
Even if someone did miss a sign (as was the case in my family), sometimes you really don't see it coming and don't know that someone is hurting so badly. I for one would not want to add to their heartache. I agree with your facts, though, and W&M is obviously in need of great attention to this issue.
I pray the College is successful in addressing the mental health of the students, and will keep Whitney's family in my prayers as well.