Responses from Florida public universities have differed following the suicides of two Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting survivors and the father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting victim.
Florida State University offered professional services in a schoolwide email Wednesday. That same day, UF sent out an email only to the MSD alumni at UF that was “checking in” but did not mention specifics about the high school or the recent deaths.
Six weeks ago, the MSD community at UF remembered the 17 lives that were lost in a mass shooting at the Parkland, Florida, high school on Feb. 14, 2018, by way of a candlelight vigil on the Plaza of the Americas.
Since then, three people tied to mass shootings have died by suicide.
Sydney Aiello, a senior at MSD last year, dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake of the shooting and died by suicide on March 16, according to The Associated Press. Another individual who died by suicide on March 23 was not identified, but it was confirmed that he attended MSD.
Jeremy Richman, the father of Avielle Richman, who was shot and killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, was also found dead from an apparent suicide on March 25, according to AP.
UF is home to 273 MSD alumni, Heather White, the Dean of Students, said.
The UF Dean of Students office reached out to MSD alumni at UF after the shooting last year and encouraged them to contact UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center, Meggen Sixbey, the CWC associate director, said. MSD alumni at UF took advantage of the CWC resources, but Sixbey was unable to provide an exact number of how many.
There were also floor meetings held in dorms for those affected, Sixbey said.
“We are confidential and want to remain a safe space that allows students to act autonomously,” Sixbey said.
The Dean of Students Office contacted MSD alumni at UF last year following the shooting and around the time of the one year anniversary, according to emails obtained by The Alligator.
In the email, White encouraged students to seek resources available through U Matter We Care and the CWC and assured them the university stands with them.
White also sent an email to MSD alumni at UF on Wednesday with the subject line “UF Dean, Just Checking In.”
She declined to share its contents, but The Alligator was shared on a copy of the email, which did not explicitly mention MSD or mental health resources available at the university.
It mentioned students are “not in this alone” and that “there are staff here to help and support you — whether it is academically or personally.”
“Coupled with everything going on in the world and the news, life can feel stressful and overwhelming,” White wrote.
She concluded: “Our UF community cares for one another and you are so valued here.”
March for Our Lives Gainesville declined to comment, saying they wanted to take time to grieve the loss of the MSD survivors.
Robert Schentrup, a University of Central Florida sophomore and a 2017 MSD alumnus, who lost his sister Carmen in the shooting last year, identified UCF as a common landing spot for graduates of the high school.
The university’s registrar office was unable to provide an exact number of how many attend UCF.
Schentrup said UCF reached out to students from MSD in 2018 after the incident in regards to mental health.
He confirmed that the Dean of Students Office also started a conversation about mental health with MSD alumni at UCF.
“It highlights a need to make sure that mental health resources are available to alumni of Stoneman Douglas,” Schentrup said. “Even though time passed, not everyone is OK and not everyone has the ability to reach out and not everyone knows how to do it.”
Schentrup said he was not aware of any motion made by UCF to reach out to students following the recent suicides.
In an email obtained by The Alligator, Victoria Dobiyanski, the Dean of Students at Florida State University, contacted the entire student body Wednesday, addressing, “the recent tragic deaths of three individuals with close ties to mass shootings.” The email had the subject line “Support for Students Following Recent Tragic Events.”
Dobiyanski referred affected students to professional services the university offers, including the FSU University Counseling Center, the Dean of Students Department’s Case Management team and the Victim Advocate Program, according to the email.
“Let us know if you or someone you know needs support,” she wrote. “Your FSU community is here to help in any way we can.”
MSD alumni at FSU who were already seen for other matters were contacted by the UCC, said Donald English, the UCC associate director. Otherwise, the Dean of Students Office reaches out to flag students who may not have been already flagged.
“Those that we’re not aware of, our doors are open, of course,” English said.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. There is also a 24/7 chat with a counselor at suicidepreventionlifeline.org
