Originally Posted by
MargaretGo
Dear Caltech parent,
Yes, one of my son's Caltech friends said that in the past, students whom she knew who simply ideated were sent to the hospital. That is why I believe they do not have a consistent protocol in place. Do you know why our lawsuit can't go through, Caltech parent? Because my son's friend and her mother will not come forward. Their testimony is pivotal for any law firm to take the case on a contingency basis. Do you think Caltech may have "gotten to them" to ensure their non-cooperation? Parents could also be protecting daughter, but from what? Does she fear Caltech would retaliate against her daughter? I do not care about monetary damages. NOTHING could compensate us for the loss of our son. I want the decisions Caltech personnel made to be exposed in order to help other students and prevent other deaths by suicide and the devastating effects (in this case copycat deaths) it had on a small college community of young people. I would also want legal precedent to be set so colleges notify and bring in parents in cases of suicide attempts. We are not their enemies, but they treat us as such. I agree with the guidelines in the pdf I linked to about bringing in parents in the case of a suicide attempt to consult with college mental health personnel and deans and the student to come to best course of action.
If I could only contact you somehow, I would have you rally together like-minded parents to protest the danger that Caltech's handling of my son's suicide attempt and death put YOUR children under. Many had to be given extensions on their work, many had post-traumatic stress symptoms (nightmares, etc.). According to some blog posts, people are saying that the risk of a suicide in the student body at Caltech is still high in the wake of the mishandled suicide of my son. Is there someone or a group of you who could help us?