Two suspected suicides confirmed at Cornell; total now at six

This article updates us on the suicide situation at Cornell University. In February, a freshman jumped off a bridge over one of the area's well-known gorges. The body of a sophomore engineering major was found March 11 under similar circumstances. Police are also searching for a body in another suicide witnessed March 12. David Skorton, the president of Cornell University, has been praised by many people because he encourages openness on issues that other colleges try to keep on the down low. He has done many things since this incident, like putting information on the school website for help and also putting ads in the paper reading, "If you learn anything at Cornell, please learn to ask for help. It is a sign of wisdom and strength." This message may be getting through. The first sentence of the quote has been written in chalk on one of the bridges where the suicides took place. The cause of the suicides is still unknown.

Suicides are a terrible thing and I’m glad that there are many organizations out there to help people with that problem. However, six suicides in one academic year is far from normal. A college should have maybe two suicides a year, maybe. I think that there is a bigger picture here. I have talked about this issue in school with some classmates and one said that there was a group at Cornell trying to prove that they had academic stress and by doing so they think it’s a good idea to go and kill themselves to prove their point. This is ridiculous. Whoever thought of this idea needs serious help and for all the people in this group please get out of it. Killing yourself will just cause more problems like families being depressed, friends becoming depressed and thinking about committing suicide, and yes, it will cause more academic stress. So before you step on the top of that bridge to jump off take a second and think….there is Cymbalta!!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/20/new.york.cornell.suicides/index.html?npt=NP1