From the Ithaca Journal, we finally get some hard data on Cornell suicides over the last 21 years: Of those 29, 15 were Cornell students, 10 were members of the Ithaca community, and four were people from out of town, she said. In the past 21 years, Cornell has lost 25 students to suicide, by all means, Murphy said.It is a misperception that all gorge suicides are committed by students, Cornell officials emphasized. In the past two decades, there have been 29 suicide attempts from gorges, all but two of which were fatal, Murphy said.
So let's do the math on this one: Cornell has had a suicide rate of 1.2 per year over the last 21 years, or 6 suicides per 100,000 student-years..
By comparison, the national average suicide rate for college students (which is traditionally reported as the result of this Big 10 study) is 7.5 per 100,000 student-years.
And of course, prior to the tragedies of this year, Cornell's suicide rate over the last two decades was 0.9 per year, or 4.5 per 100,000 student-years. That's significantly lower than the national average, and probably where the number will trend back down to over time.
Also interesting to point out that 60 percent of Cornell student suicides have been gorge deaths, but that Cornell students represent only half of gorge suicide attempts.
This is why we need facts, not mythology, on suicide. The myth of Cornell suicides is much greater than the reality. It's just that jumping into a bucolic gorge is a rather stunning way to go.
In other news:
The Ithaca Common Council granted permission for the current chain link fences to remain in place until August. Cornell is now asking to install interim barriers that university officials believe are more aesthetically pleasing. The barriers would be in place while the city and Cornell develop permanent solutions.The interim barriers are black welded wire, which is less reflective and easier to see through, said Cornell landscape architect David Cutter. A sample of the material being proposed for interim barriers has been installed along a section of the Thurston Avenue bridge.
Courtesy of the Cornell Chronicle, here's a picture of the new fencing.
Lovely.
