Student Commits Suicide in Professor’s Office
EmailABC News on Campus bureau chief Maxine Park reports:
Police tape blocked off part of Arizona State University’s Tempe campus on Monday after a male graduate student committed suicide in his professor’s office.
Officials said David Solnick, 59, a student in the graphic design program, pulled out a handgun and shot himself while talking with his professor. The incident happened at around 11:40 a.m. in the College of Design building, in his professor’s office.
“We sent paramedics and police over here and found the student deceased,” said ASU police commander Jim Hardina.
The building remained on lockdown for the rest of the day and classes were cancelled. Matthew Eidenbock, an undergraduate film and media production major, heard the gunshot.
“It was just a really loud noise and I thought someone dropped something or that it was a car accident,” Eidenbock said.
Philip White, an assistant professor at the design school, did not teach Solnick but said that he knew him through the department.
“He was a good student and I know that he was finishing up his thesis and doing research on South African stamps,” White said. “It’s a terrible tragedy.”
According to the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition, an average of 800 people die from suicide each year in the state. The World Health Organization reports that over one million people commit suicide every year.
Nikki Kontz, board president of the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition, said that any problem left unresolved is a risk factor for suicide.
“It's not just college life but even looking at the economy and everything going on in the nation right now,” Kontz said. “It's just a stressful time in general and unfortunately not everyone knows that there are places they can go for help and people they can talk to about it.”
The university released a statement saying that it was deeply saddened by the incident and is now focusing on providing counseling for students and staff.
Design major Kim Pomper, an undergrad, said she was in the building just 10 minutes before the incident occurred.
“It’s still surprising to hear because you never expect it to happen on your own campus," Pomper said.
Kontz said the focus now shifts to the people who are left behind.
“It’s very sad because there’s going to be so many people hurt and left dealing with a lot of questions as to why this happened,” Kontz said. “There are hotlines that family and friends can call to get support from other people who are the ones left surviving.”
Kontz said the most important thing to remember is that there is no typical suicide victim. But there are specific warning signs that people should look for.
“If there are drastic changes in behavior including eating, sleeping or withdrawing from others, then it’s cause for concern,” Kontz said. “A lot of times college students aren’t aware of the resources that are available to them. There’s always someone available to listen.”
ASU officials said the incident was still under investigation.
Troubled college and graduate students can call the National Graduate Student Crisis Line at 1-877-472-3457.
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A tragic story, and something that government can’t do anything about. You can. Take a minute to call a cousin who lost their job, a sister who is working two jobs and let them know you care, or an old friend if you’re getting hammered by this economy. This isn’t North Korea, this is America; things will get better.
Posted by: jhw539 | October 27, 2009, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
later dude
Posted by: lew stone | October 27, 2009, 4:42 pm 4:42 pm
Maybe I missed something…
The guy just shot himself…for no apparent reason? Just sitting around, talking to the professor: Hi, how’s it going? Pretty good, and you? Hang on a second, could you? Sure.
Bang!
Just like that?
Posted by: Hosfac | October 27, 2009, 6:48 pm 6:48 pm
They will need to repaint the entire office… maybe change out the carpet too.
Posted by: Darvoc | October 27, 2009, 7:15 pm 7:15 pm
How sad for him, his family and friends. Sad for him because he was so distraught he couldn’t see any other way out and sad for those who loved him who will never be able to see him again. Hopefully some good will come of this as maybe the news of his death will reach someone who’s considering the same thing and they will take time to reconsider.
Posted by: Carolyn | October 27, 2009, 8:20 pm 8:20 pm
This is typical Media coverup by ommission! They know the reason the guy killed himself but they (the media) thinks we (the public) don’t need to know the details. Probably because it is not politically correct or would make the University look bad. Welcome to Russia, Ladies an Gentlemen.
Posted by: John in Texas | October 27, 2009, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm
Why?
Posted by: kevin | October 27, 2009, 8:46 pm 8:46 pm
Abc news you lack tact. Putting this article next to a column entitled Campus Chatter
Scoops, discoveries and quirky observations.
Is this a scoop, chatter or quirky observation??
Use some professionalism and better judgment
Posted by: sarah | October 27, 2009, 9:05 pm 9:05 pm
The real tragedy is that these types of incidents aren’t discussed or seen on the media more often to put more pressure on schools to foster counseling services and privacy rules. At my school alone (part of the CSU system in California) while I was studying there two students committed suicide–one of them shot himself in the head in a lab I was working in only two hours before. The other was an alumni who jumped off the 5th floor of the administration building. These students were engineering majors (and the engineering programs there are some of the most rigorous in the country with at least two years of some form of calculus (not just any math) and physics four of engineering courses along with general ed and other upper division courses. These suicides tend to happen at more competitive schools (usually ivy league caliber) but happen on many campuses across the country and the national media never reports on them.
Posted by: Danny | October 27, 2009, 9:12 pm 9:12 pm
My guess here is that this guy was probably unemployed or had family issues. Either way a tragedy all around.
Posted by: Danny | October 27, 2009, 9:13 pm 9:13 pm
John in Texas, do you seriously expect the media to have all the details instantly? If you do, then you are living in a fantasy world. Even in this day and age, the media can’t provide, immediately, every detail that the public might want to know. Intelligent and realistic people know that.
This is a terrible story, but it will take some time for full information to emerge. And it may never do so, given that any physicians who treated the suicide victims might feel bound not to reveal personal details of his life.
Which is as it should be.
Posted by: Eleonora27 | October 27, 2009, 9:40 pm 9:40 pm
At least he didn’t take any innocent people with him.
Posted by: profdot | October 27, 2009, 10:12 pm 10:12 pm
What a tragic story. I grew up with parents who were in academia, and I now devote my energies to a similarly demanding field, medicine (adacemic medicine). Normally, the end of the semester or quarter is the most demanding time on students and professors, and at the universities I’m familiar with, the stress is hardest on the students.
I’m so very sorry this student was in such despair. We’ve gotten better at recognizing at-risk students and supporting them, but I’m firmly convinced we will never identify every single one. My heart goes out to this man’s family, friends and colleagues. I extend similar condolences to his professor who witnessed this awful event and must be traumatized by it.
Posted by: Kellybelle22 | October 27, 2009, 10:25 pm 10:25 pm
The media should report on these suicides more often. They happen often, but hardly ever make national news unless the person committing suicide also takes someone with them.
Posted by: Danny | October 28, 2009, 12:54 am 12:54 am