The suicide death of a University of Waterloo student has people across the school community wondering if anything could have been done to prevent it – including the university’s president.
Feridun Hamdullahpur said Tuesday that his thoughts were with the family and friends of the fourth-year student who died earlier this week.
“Like many of you, I am asking what was going on in this young man’s world where taking his life seemed the only way out,” he said in a statement posted on the university’s website.
Following two student suicide deaths last year, Hamdullahpur created a task force on student mental health. The recommendations from that task force are expected to be finalized shortly, and will then be made public.
“We need to turn talk into action to make sure we are doing everything in our power to remove the stigma and connect people with the help they need,” Hamdullahpur said.
Hamdullahpur’s full statement, as well as information on mental health and crisis resources for students, can be found here.
