By Melissa McIntire
Faculty Advisor
On Monday, Sept. 9 Aaron Taylor, a junior at Washington College, was found dead in his dorm room from an apparent suicide.
There is a debate taking place in newsrooms across the country: whether or not to cover suicides. In the aftermath of Aaron’s death The Elm was tasked with the difficult decision of deciding where it stands on the issue. The staff had two choices, do nothing or record how Aaron’s death has impacted the WC community. The decision came after a long process of staff meetings and emails to the administration and Board of Publications. It has not been entered into without guidance and thought and a lot of soul searching amongst the staff.
Much like the rest of campus, the staff first heard about Aaron’s death through word-of-mouth. A staff member was on their way to get dinner when they ran back to the Pub House to tell everyone what had happened. Monday night is layout night for The Elm so the majority of the staff was sitting in the main room proof reading pages. The news that a student had apparently killed themselves was met with stunned silence. Within 45 minutes we knew even more information, including who it was. I watched as stunned silence turned into grief as members of the staff realized it was their friend.
As faculty adviser to The Elm I never thought I would be faced with having to guide the paper through covering a suicide. Even the most hardened journalist will tell you that it is difficult and gut wrenching and all those other words we use to describe something painful. I spent countless hours in my office and in The Elm office meeting with editors and staff members, both as a group and individually, offering advice, an ear for listening, and a shoulder to cry on. It has not been easy.
I always tell people that the favorite part of my job is working with Washington College students. I found that to be even more true in the aftermath of Aaron’s death. The Washington College Mission Statement says, “We share these values of our founding patron, George Washington: integrity, determination, curiosity, civility, leadership and moral courage.” I have seen this integrity and determination first hand from the editors of The Elm in their desire to cover Aaron’s death in the most respectful way possible and to make sure they get it right. I have seen this leadership and moral courage from Editor-in-Chief Kay Wicker as she has led the staff through some of the longest and most grueling weeks in the paper’s recent history. The decision to cover Aaron’s death was not an easy one, but it was a necessary one.
According to the most recent data from the American Association of Suicidology, there is one suicide in the U.S. every 13.7 minutes. It is the third leading cause of death of 15 to 24 year olds, behind accidents and homicides. So why don’t more newspapers cover suicide? There is a fear that by covering a suicide the media may inadvertently spark copycat suicides. By not covering them though, the media has helped to continue the stigma surrounding suicide.
It is the job of a newspaper not only to inform the public, but also to spark debate. It is the staff’s hope that by covering Aaron’s death, The Elm will start a much needed conversation on campus about suicide; where can someone go for help, what are the signs that someone might be suicidal, what services are available for students who may be struggling.
The day after Aaron died ShoremenStrong started trending on Twitter and Facebook as a show of solidarity. If we really want to be ShoremenStrong then we must not back down from the lessons that Aaron’s death taught us. We must start the conversation, no matter how difficult, to help remove the stigma surrounding suicide. To help those that need help get help. And to remember Aaron, not only for the human being that he was, but what he taught us about ourselves.
By Kay Wicker
Editor-In-Chief
In our next edition of The Elm, we have decided to cover the events surrounding the week of Sept. 9; a decision that was not made lightly. After countless conversations everyone on staff has decided that it is our responsibility as journalists, to the student body, and to Aaron Taylor. As a student newspaper we are constantly faced with whether or not to cover something. It’s part of the learning experience. The real moment of deliberation for us on staff came when we realized how many stories in the history of us that haven’t been told and never will. Whether it was because of the social themes at the time, or the staff at the time given into their fear, these stories are lost now. This is a small school and whether you knew Aaron or not, you are most likely no more than six degrees away from him. Given the nature of our student body, the size and how close-knit we all actually are, word travels fast and sometimes details get speculated, exaggerated or even forgotten. That’s where we realized where our job with this story truly lies.
We do not want this story to seem like a salacious news story, we are not in the business of exploiting his friends, family, or anyone that may be grieving at this time. We are setting out to tell the truth. Part of the process involved in the planning was figuring out the most appropriate way in which to proceed. Next week won’t just have one story but it will also feature other helpful resources. You will find a story of reflection from Aaron’s friends, a story on new services available for the student body should anyone need them, and further advice on how to get help for yourself or anyone else you may know in need.
Since Aaron’s death the headlines across the globe has been plagued with tragic events. In such bleak times it can be hard to trust in humanity. I always find at first the fear of what horror people can inflict upon one another can be so great that I don’t want to move forward. Sometimes it can make a person feel as though humanity has failed; it can make a person feel hopeless. That’s the nature of a tragedy. It’s giving in to such feelings of defeat that the ill willed win. I also find that amongst all the distraction of the terror if we pay attention we can see just how truly great humanity really is that keeps me going. En lieu of this idea, there will be stories next week highlighting ways in which we can get back to our lives, not to say that we should simply sweep these moments under the rug, but so that we can continue with our entire selves. It’s so easy to let things derail us, but we simply cannot.