2008 Woodie Awards
Freshman dies in probable suicide
A stunned community comes together to mourn
Anna Sedney
Issue date: 1/15/03 Section: News
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by Anna Sedney
Late Saturday night, arts and sciences freshman Jeremy Dorfman was found dead in his Village C West room. Dorfman was found in his room shortly after 11 p.m. after apparently hanging himself. According to a Georgetown University press release, he was declared dead at the Georgetown University Hospital later that night.
Dorfman, a native of Newburyport, Mass., and a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., had a history of mental illness, but students and faculty alike described him as sometimes shy, but happy and personable. French professor Stella Cohen-Scali said of her student, "At first, I perceived him as a little reserved, but once the members of the class had made acquaintances, once the ice had been broken, he seemed to me to be a fine person, a serious student, a nice guy." Speaking highly of his work ethic, she said that Jeremy was "the type of student a teacher likes to have."
Dorfman's classmate Julia Segall concurred in her professor's assessment, calling him "smart ... and very impressive." According to her, he was "easy to talk to, polite, easy to be around." The reactions of both professor and classmate were ones of deep shock and sadness. Segall explained, "I think it was really shocking and most unexpected. I mean, if you see somebody on a regular basis, three times a week for four to five months, you never would have expected it."
As news of Dorfman's death spread slowly across campus throughout the night and early morning, students displayed "a lot of shock" and "a lot of sadness," according to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson. Olson attended meetings held in Village C over the weekend to inform residents of Dorfman's death, as well as of counseling measures being put in place by the University.
Olson said that the administration's main concern for now is to support the Dorfman family and the entire Georgetown community in any way possible. "One of our central concerns," Olson said, is to "do what we can to keep the rest of the campus community as safe as we can." Several administrators worked through Saturday night and Sunday morning to set up emergency Counseling and Psychiatric Service and Campus Ministry hours, prepare statements for the University community and be on call for family and friends.
Late Saturday night, arts and sciences freshman Jeremy Dorfman was found dead in his Village C West room. Dorfman was found in his room shortly after 11 p.m. after apparently hanging himself. According to a Georgetown University press release, he was declared dead at the Georgetown University Hospital later that night.
Dorfman, a native of Newburyport, Mass., and a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., had a history of mental illness, but students and faculty alike described him as sometimes shy, but happy and personable. French professor Stella Cohen-Scali said of her student, "At first, I perceived him as a little reserved, but once the members of the class had made acquaintances, once the ice had been broken, he seemed to me to be a fine person, a serious student, a nice guy." Speaking highly of his work ethic, she said that Jeremy was "the type of student a teacher likes to have."
Dorfman's classmate Julia Segall concurred in her professor's assessment, calling him "smart ... and very impressive." According to her, he was "easy to talk to, polite, easy to be around." The reactions of both professor and classmate were ones of deep shock and sadness. Segall explained, "I think it was really shocking and most unexpected. I mean, if you see somebody on a regular basis, three times a week for four to five months, you never would have expected it."
As news of Dorfman's death spread slowly across campus throughout the night and early morning, students displayed "a lot of shock" and "a lot of sadness," according to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson. Olson attended meetings held in Village C over the weekend to inform residents of Dorfman's death, as well as of counseling measures being put in place by the University.
Olson said that the administration's main concern for now is to support the Dorfman family and the entire Georgetown community in any way possible. "One of our central concerns," Olson said, is to "do what we can to keep the rest of the campus community as safe as we can." Several administrators worked through Saturday night and Sunday morning to set up emergency Counseling and Psychiatric Service and Campus Ministry hours, prepare statements for the University community and be on call for family and friends.