"Grief is good"

Today's Courier & Press detailed a 16-year-old boy's suicide in a local public high school parking lot yesterday. As I read the piece, I found myself remembering my late-night library shift on April 26, 2006-- a night that changed my alma mater forever.

That was the night five members of the Taylor community died in an I-69 confrontation with a semi-truck. For hours we sat in the chapel waiting for identification of those who had left us. Tired of sitting, I left before the announcement, anxious and upset. I laced up my running shoes and began circling the campus in an attempt to burn out the helpless feeling that sank in my gut. It was the one night I wasn't afraid to be running alone. My fear had been replaced with agitation.

The steps the administration took to ensure community healing in the following weeks were exemplary. Classes were cancelled for the two days following our all-night vigil. Memorial services were planned and arrangements were made for students and faculty to attend funerals in neighboring states. Professors went so far as to cancel major assignments in hopes to alleviate our stress levels and make room for corporate grief. Although these adjustments may have seemed excessive to students relatively untouched by the tragedy, those closest to the deceased found some measure of comfort in the university's compassion.

I couldn't help but wonder if the Castle High School students struck by this suicide will remember their administration the same way. Of course, Taylor is not perfect, nor is it as sheltered as it might appear. Inside the "bubble" resides a community scarred by suicide, death and vandalism. Real life will attack any institution, regardless of whether or not it receives state funds. I hope those closest to the Castle case will feel safe and supported by their school. Certainly, my prayers are with them.