Freshman fell from Laws Hall on Sunday
Counseling center reps. have met with students at Laws Hall.
Published Feb. 28, 2006
Students in Laws Hall and all over campus are trying to cope with the apparent suicide of Kyle Masterson, a freshman Laws resident, over the weekend.
"Everyone is really shocked. No one saw this coming," Director of Residential Life Frankie Minor said. "People are in a state of shock or denial."
Christian Basi, an MU spokesman, said everyone affected by Masterson's death can receive support through the resources around campus.
Masterson fell from the eighth floor balcony of Laws Hall on Sunday morning.
Police reported to Laws Hall at 11:41 a.m. and found Masterson on the sidewalk outside the east entrance.
An initial investigation into his death showed that Masterson died from an apparent suicide.
A note was found in Masterson's room, according to police.
According to an MU news release, the final cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner at a later time.
It is unknown whether students in Laws will have a memorial for Masterson.
"It's too early to know if anything is being planned," Basi said. "Right now, we're focusing on supporting Kyle's family and friends. In the past, there have been memorials organized by students. We'll probably be hearing more about that in the next few days."
Minor said that any arrangements for a memorial would be left to residents.
"In situations like these, we try to leave that up to the students," he said. "We feel it's much more valuable if the students take ownership of that. There are already memorial posts on his Facebook page and things like that. It's common for students to have a memorial, and we'll try to facilitate that as much as possible."
Basi said university officials are focusing on providing support to those in need of it.
"Any time we have a tragedy such as this one, it affects the entire university community, and our goal right now is to help anyone who needs help and provide support to the family and to Kyle's friends," Basi said. "Counselors were called yesterday, and every student in Laws has been made aware that counseling is available, and they can request it if they need to talk to someone."
The MU Counseling Center will provide counseling to those affected.
"We are available during business hours for students who need any kind of support, so students can come over and talk to a psychologist," said Christine Civiletto, a counselor at the center. "A psychologist from the Counseling Center went over to the residence hall last night and talked to students, and (Monday) we will attend a meeting at Laws Hall."
Civiletto added that the Counseling Center offers these services all the time, not just in times of on-campus crisis.
"Any time there's a tragedy like this, we try to let students know that counseling services are available on campus for free, not just in times of crisis, but all the time," she said. "We also try to be present at meetings like this that might be particularly emotionally charged and where students might need our help."