As GW grapples with its third student suicide since February, New York University is still recovering from the fatal fall of one of its graduate students.
Joanne Leavy, a second-year graduate student at the Manhattan school, jumped to her death last Monday, just two days before Susan Shin, a GW sophomore, jumped from her eighth-story apartment. But while Leavy was the sixth student to die in a fall since last autumn, NYU just recently began to introduce some counseling measures that have been in place at GW for some time.
The school has introduced a 24-hour stress hotline that connects students with social workers, said Bret Collazzi, editor in chief of the Washington Square News, NYU's student newspaper.
The hotline, which opened to students this fall, bears close resemblance to a system operated by the GW Counseling Center. GW students suffering from extreme emotional distress or suicidal thoughts can call UPD at 202-994-6111 24 hours a day to speak with a counselor. Students can also seek professional assistance by calling the Counseling Center on weekdays.
In addition to the new hotline, NYU has expanded its counseling hours and has implemented a new staff rotation system to better deal with students seeking help.
Leavy was not NYU's first student to pass away this year. Two weeks ago, Spenser Kimbrough, a sophomore, became ill in his room and died. Officials do not believe the cause of death was suicide.
"There's definitely an atmosphere of shock and general grief across campus," Collazzi, a former GW student and Hatchet reporter, said.
Although some students at NYU may be grieving in the wake of a suicide, vigils and memorial ceremonies are not common on the Greenwich Village campus.
"The university has shunned away from any kind of public outcry or announcement after a suicide," said Collazzi, explaining that part of the motivation comes from a fear that memorial ceremonies could spawn copycat deaths.
Joanne Leavy, a second-year graduate student at the Manhattan school, jumped to her death last Monday, just two days before Susan Shin, a GW sophomore, jumped from her eighth-story apartment. But while Leavy was the sixth student to die in a fall since last autumn, NYU just recently began to introduce some counseling measures that have been in place at GW for some time.
The school has introduced a 24-hour stress hotline that connects students with social workers, said Bret Collazzi, editor in chief of the Washington Square News, NYU's student newspaper.
The hotline, which opened to students this fall, bears close resemblance to a system operated by the GW Counseling Center. GW students suffering from extreme emotional distress or suicidal thoughts can call UPD at 202-994-6111 24 hours a day to speak with a counselor. Students can also seek professional assistance by calling the Counseling Center on weekdays.
In addition to the new hotline, NYU has expanded its counseling hours and has implemented a new staff rotation system to better deal with students seeking help.
Leavy was not NYU's first student to pass away this year. Two weeks ago, Spenser Kimbrough, a sophomore, became ill in his room and died. Officials do not believe the cause of death was suicide.
"There's definitely an atmosphere of shock and general grief across campus," Collazzi, a former GW student and Hatchet reporter, said.
Although some students at NYU may be grieving in the wake of a suicide, vigils and memorial ceremonies are not common on the Greenwich Village campus.
"The university has shunned away from any kind of public outcry or announcement after a suicide," said Collazzi, explaining that part of the motivation comes from a fear that memorial ceremonies could spawn copycat deaths.
