The
suicide of NYU student Diana Chien continues to upset the NYU administration and students. The Post, which uses an image of Chien falling from a building for its cover today,
talks to students about the NYC factor of NYU. One student says, "At other schools, you have to adjust to school. The added burden of coming here is that you also have to adjust to New York City." A senior adds, "At NYU, it's really difficult to make friends. There's no campus life. Everyone is isolated. It can be very lonely."
The off-campus death of Chien, UCLA transfer and daughter of a senior VP at TiVo, did make the death feel "removed" (versus the deaths at the Bobst Library), but students are still upset, one telling the Times, "People are sort of angry and bitter. They don't understand why this keeps happening." The Times also notes that police cannot confirm the Post's report, based on police sources, that Chien had argued with her boyfriend earlier in the day. While Gothamist knows suicides and deaths during college year are, sadly, a part of what happens, we also think that the unusual number of recent deaths, coupled with the fact that NY has a number of big media outlets, makes the situation more publicized.
NYU has Counseling Services, and so do many other colleges and universities. Take advantage of them.