Yesterday, Imprint, the University of Waterloo’s student newspaper, reported that a student died in UW Place at 6:24 a.m.
Waterloo Region Police Services executive officer Mike Haffner confirmed to Imprint that the deceased was a 19-year-old male student. This is the second student death this year in UW Place, as an 18-year-old female student died in January. Imprint reported that both students took their own life.
“We deal with these types of incidents throughout our region on a daily basis. It’s everyone’s responsibility to check on their friends, their acquaintances, their colleagues, their fellow students, their own family members, to check to see that they’re doing okay,” Haffner told Imprint.
“And that if they are having struggles, if they are having certain thoughts to make decisions, that they have the necessary supports — whether that be through agencies, or whether it be through family or friends — available to them to hopefully not end up in [these] situations like we’ve seen from two individuals at 108 Seagram.”
Matthew Grant, director of media relations and issues management for the University of Waterloo issued the following statement to The Cord:
“This week our university community is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our students. This tragedy leaves our campus community in mourning and we offer our deepest sympathies to the student’s family and friends. We encourage anyone who needs support at this time to take advantage of the university’s counselling services and peer support programs or to contact the post-secondary student helpline, Good2Talk. This matter is currently being investigated by the Waterloo Regional Police Service.”
The Cord encourages students to utilize resources such as the Laurier Wellness Centre or Waterloo Regional Suicide Prevention Council if they are seeking resources at this time.