Student dies from Dennison fall

A 21-year-old male University student died after falling from an upper-level window of the Dennison Building on Dec. 16.

The incident appears to have been a suicide, University officials said. The student was from Korea.

Department of Public Safety spokesperson Elizabeth Hall said the name of the student will not be released to the public at the request of the victim's family.

"We believe (the student) was alone, but there were two or three witnesses," a University official said. "There is suspicion it was a suicide, but we have no further details."

While Asian international students often face additional academic and social pressures, University officials believe these were not primary factors in the student's apparent suicide, said International Center Director Zahir Ahmed.

The alleged suicide was the culmination of a long history of reported personal problems, Ahmed said.

"The student had had problems tracing back to his own country," Ahmed said. "He had been getting (therapy) there."

Korean Student Association Treasurer Ji Yung Park said the student was struggling with mental illness. "He was suffering from depression, mental problems ... ," Park said.

At 2:42 p.m. on Dec. 16, DPS received a phone call that a man had fallen from Dennison. As police and ambulances arrived, students and staff gathered around the bridge area between C.C. Little and Dennison, where the student lay on the ground.

LSA first-year student Anish Shah said when he went to take a final exam at 3 p.m., technicians already were covering the body with a white cloth.

"Everyone assumed that he jumped," Shah said. "It's scary to think that a student committed suicide. People are so stressed about finals."

Hall said preliminary findings indicate that the victim fell from a window on the ninth or 10th floor.

"The victim was dead upon arrival at the scene," Hall said. "Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. We are investigating the incident and don't want to speculate on what happened."

University Provost Nancy Cantor arrived at the scene following the incident to begin overseeing the response by DPS and medical examiners.

A professor, who wished to remain anonymous, said he watched emergency personnel administer CPR and oxygen at the scene.

"Emergency Medical Technicians worked on the man for a good five minutes while I was there," the professor said. But, "they were unable to revive him."

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