The College has recently witnessed the suicide of three members of the Dartmouth Community. While it is probably useless to view these successive events as a trend, there is value at looking at one of the commonalties that runs through all three deaths: Each occurred when the student was away from campus.
It is important to recognize the limitations of generalization regarding this subject. In each instance there were several personal factors, unique to the individual involved, which led to the time and manner of his or her suicide.
Unfortunately, the rumor mill has already produced numerous speculations as to the specifics of each suicide. While I run the risk of committing the same error as the rumor spreaders, I think it might be valuable to examine where these rumors go astray.
A common question has arisen among Dartmouth students, "Did these people lose hope for the future?" The correct answer might be yes, but not in the sense one might think.
The average Dartmouth student knows the future is bright. With even the minimum amount of effort he will graduate with an Ivy League degree. Knowing this, we have a hard time understanding why anyone would think his future was dim, let alone unlivable. As a result, we imagine that anyone who committed suicide must have had a completely irrational view of the future.
I assert, however, that in each of these cases, the person might have been as rational as the rest of us, with an accurate view of the future. In this context, the answers to our questions become more troubling, it is more difficult to categorize the people involved as "unlike me." But our answers are probably closer to the truth.
Let us return to the fact that each of these deaths occurred off campus. To use this fact to speculate on the individuals involved would be an injustice. However, it does lead to some fair questions about Dartmouth.
What is it about this place that prevents students from killing themselves until they get away? One part of the answer is to give credit to the various support networks on campus.
Students here find support both in the formal services dedicated to that purpose and in the organizations, teams and groups of friends who find themselves playing that role. It is a testament to these support networks that many students go through troubled times at the College, yet persevere to become the success stories.
However, the second part of the answer is not nearly so positive. While a small College community provides support, it also can create an enormous pressure.
At the only Ivy League school with a uniform dress code, it is difficult to be different. Anyone who doesn't love this place, who doesn't love himself, and who doesn't look forward to the future is different. This is not to suggest that anyone would commit suicide because they don't feel comfortable wearing flannel shirts, khaki pants and a dirty white baseball cap.
However, the pressures of this school do force us to wear a stiff upper lip. In some cases this may conceal deeper problems. This school doesn't force anyone to commit suicide. In fact, it probably prevents them, until students get away long enough to drop that stiff upper lip.