Responding to the suicides of four Dartmouth students in two years, including three in the last four months, the Student Assembly last night met with Director of Counseling and Human Development Jeff Hersh to discuss how the campus can cope with the tragedies.
In separate incidents over the last four months, Philip Deloria '96, Sarah Devens '96 and Marcus Rice '94 killed themselves on leave terms. Dan Boyer '94 shot himself in Lebanon two years ago. Before Boyer's suicide, there had not been a suicide at Dartmouth for more than a decade.
"We're going to drop business as usual to talk about the general feeling of sadness on campus recently," Assembly President Jim Rich '96 said after the regular business of the meeting concluded.
Rich said the Assembly will work with Area Coordinators Maryam Kia '96 and Garrett Gil de Rubio '96 to conduct a vigil on the Green in memory of the four deaths.
Rich said the vigil is still just "an idea," but said he wants the Assembly to help coordinate it because "it's an important community effort."
There also will be a campus-wide forum on suicide on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Rockefeller Center for the Social Sciences.
Hersh, who led the hour-long discussion, described resources available to students coping with suicidal tendencies or who have friends who committed suicide.
For instance, Hersh said the office of Counseling and Human Development is available to any student or group of students seeking to cope with suicide.
"We need to come together for emotional healing," Hersh said. "How could this terrible thing happen? Once, twice, three times it happened."
He suggested the Assembly create a wall where students could write about personal experiences with suicide.
Hersh cited statistics about suicide in general and among college students.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, Hersh said. Suicide is no more common in selective institutions than less discriminating schools, he said.
Automobile accidents are the leading killer of college students.
He also said statistics show residential colleges have fewer suicides than colleges where students commute.
Hersh said he thought it was coincidental that the recent suicides at Dartmouth were all older students.
Participants in last night's meeting, which included some non-Assembly members, demanded the College publicize information about suicide as well as information about resources such as crisis hot-lines.
Jon Heavey '97, who is applying to become an Assembly member, suggested stickers bearing crisis hot-line numbers be placed on bathroom mirrors throughout the College.
Della Bennett '96, the vice president of student life, said she would ask her committee to investigate producing such stickers.
Hersh commended the idea, but said students can call Safety and Security at any hour to reach a hot-line as well.
Hersh said Dartmouth's student government was the first he knew of to request a counselor attend a meeting.
"I think that reflects very positively" on Dartmouth and its Student Assembly, he said.
Regular business
During the regular meeting, the Assembly covered a few minor details.
The Assembly's vice presidents presented reports of their committees' progress.
Laura Bennett '96, the vice president of administrative and faculty relations, announced two open lunches scheduled for this week.
Dean of the Faculty Jim Wright will have lunch with students today at 12:30 p.m. in Home Plate, and College President James Freedman will dine Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. in the Collis Cafe. Both events are open to the public.
Brandon del Pozo '96 last week resigned from his office of vice president of academic affairs. Del Pozo wrote in an electronic-mail message that he could no longer afford the time commitment the Assembly demanded.
Del Pozo ran for Assembly president last Spring term, but lost to Rich.
Rich nominated Shakari Cameron '96 to replace del Pozo. No other candidates opposed Cameron's nomination, and she won the vice presidency in a vote of 29 to one.
Cameron said she wants to "get the course guide up and running" before Spring term.
Cameron's promotion to vice president of academic affairs left a vacancy on the committee of membership and internal affairs.
Jonah Sonnenborn '99, who was the only Assembly member who volunteered to fill the void, was automatically assigned to the position.
