Ninth Student Death Reported at ASU

[asu66]

Sad to have to post this info on yet another Appalachian student's death. This makes #9 during the 2014-15 academic year. This is as bizarre as it is troubling and saddening. Apologies to anyone who might have posted this earlier. I looked pretty carefully and was surprised not to find it.

http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/up ... 6d12d.html

Update: Latest student death confirmed as ninth for academic year at ASU
He was found in distress at house; no foul play suspected

Posted: Saturday, January 31, 2015 3:00 pm | Updated: 7:14 pm, Sat Jan 31, 2015.
Michael Hewlett/Journal

BOONE — Appalachian State University has lost its ninth student this school year – a 23-year-old senior from Charlotte.

According to a news release from the Boone Police Department, Michael Cameron Schmitt was found in distress on Friday night and taken to Watauga Medical Center, where he died. Personnel from the Boone Police and Fire Departments Boone Fire Department and Watauga County medics were called to a home in the 300 block of Yosef Drive in Boone about 9:15 p.m. Friday.

Police provided few details about the circumstances of Schmitt’s death but said there was no indication of foul play. Schmitt’s death remains under investigation, police said.

According to the school’s online student directory, Schmitt was a senior majoring in appropriate technology, an interdisciplinary field that considers social and environmental impacts when developing technological improvements.

Jane Nicholson, a spokeswoman for ASU, said that Schmitt was the ninth ASU student to die this academic year. Several of those deaths had not previously been reported in the Journal.

“Our thoughts are with Cam’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” J.J. Brown, ASU’s dean of students, said in a statement. “We are reaching out to ensure those who are navigating the challenges of this loss have the support and resources they need. As our community deals with this sad news, I want to stress that anyone in our community who needs assistance is not alone and encourage them to reach out for help.”

The university has been offering counseling to students as they cope with the number of student deaths this academic year.

On Jan. 22, Jacob Dylan Whitaker, 21, died in a car wreck on N.C. 105 near Dogwood Road in Boone.
Four students have died in what police describe as “unattended deaths.” The term is sometimes used when suicide is suspected.

Anna Smith, an 18-year-old freshman from High Point, was found dead Sept. 13 on a wooded lot near campus. Her death was ruled a suicide.

Jeremy Sprinkle, 18, of Kernersville was found dead Nov. 13 in a residence hall. Grayson Huffman, 22, an ASU student from Harrisburg, was found dead Nov. 18 in an off-campus apartment.

And Mary Catherine Johnson, 19, a freshman from Raleigh, was found dead Jan. 19 in her dorm room. ASU police are waiting on a medical examiner’s report on her death.

Nicholson didn’t immediately respond to a request for more information about the three other student deaths.

mhewlett@wsjournal.com

[asu66]

http://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/boo ... 9bdd1.html

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

The Greensboro paper had a small blurb in this mornings paper about #6, and I was thinking it was #8, and now this.

I did not realize there had been so many deaths the last few years according to the WD article.