Mar 15, 2010
By Dawn Lim
By Dawn Lim
Two American students were found dead in gorges at Cornell University and a third jumped to his death last Friday. -- PHOTO: CORNELL.EDU
TWO American students were found dead in gorges at Cornell University and a third jumped to his death last Friday.
The string of deaths within a month shocked Singaporean students, prompting Cornell's Singapore Students' Association to reach out to fellow Singaporeans there.
There are about 150 Singaporean students in Cornell, an Ivy League in Ithaca, Upstate New York. About 40 Singaporean students stay in Cornell's North campus, close to where two of the bodies were recovered. A search is still on for the third body.
Henry Ong, 25, a fourth-year student who used to take classes with one of the victims, said he was shocked. Mr Ong echoed the responses of other Singaporeans interviewed about the deaths of Bradley Ginsburg, 18, William Sinclair, 19, and Matthew Zika, 21.
In response to the crisis, Cornell is carrying out a large outreach effort - stationing staff at bridges, sending people to knock on the doors of dorm rooms, and publicising its counseling services.
As Cornell's students brace themselves for a week of exams in an institution known for its harsh winters, rural isolation and high-stress academic environment, the university will be urging professors to take time in their classes to 'help put the academic rigor that we know is part of Cornell in proper perspective', said Ms Susan Murphy, the vice-president for student and academic services.
Mr Iwan Kurniawan, the president of the Singapore Students' Association, a network of Singaporean students in Cornell, sent out an e-mail late on Sunday to its members.
'We can all make an extra effort to look around to see if any of our friends need an extra hand or a listening ear at moments like this,' he wrote.
The organisation has not planned any events in response to the deaths, but it is supporting the university's rallying efforts and encouraging Singaporean students to attend its outreach events.
Though Cornell's student suicide rate mirrors the average on campuses nationwide, 13 of the 21 Cornell's student suicide victims between 1996 and 2006 have been Asian or Asian-American. Sixteen per cent of Cornell students are international students.
