Passing of a Student

Yesterday morning I was reading the local paper and learned of a Purdue student who had a horrible motorcylce accident and passed away on a bridge near campus.  It was sad to read.  Then last night one of my TA's e-mailed me to inform me that the student who died was a student in our department.  That was when the motorcylce accident I had read about in the morning instantly became an even greater tragedy.

Ethan Donohue was a student of mine.  He was a Teaching Assistant in my Human Resource class last spring.  He was a Teaching Assistant this fall in my large intrroductory class of 200 kids.  Not many students get to be a Teaching Assistant for me which means Ethan was a GREAT KID. 

He had a quiet confidence about him that made him a special and talented kid.  We often had conversations abuot his role as TA and life in general.  He wanted to be the best he could be and respected him for that.  Which is why he was a TA.

He was to be in his other classes today.  His chair will be empty.  He probably had plans to meet with others to study for class, grade papers for my class, have a meal with friends, and so much more.  Those plans will have to be changed, too.  The Dean of Students will offer grief counselling for students who had class with Ethan or knew him personally.  The counselling will not bring him back to us.  Tomorrow in the large lecture one of the other TA's has requested time at the end of class to have a moment of silence for Ethan to reflect on his loss and count our blessings.  We will attend his funeral so the family knows we thought well of Ethan.

Perhaps you or others you know have enountered the serious illness or passing of a student.  When all is said and done, was that student treated in a fair and just manner so there are no regrets that something more could have been done?  I was pretty tough on Ethan as a TA on some occasions -- like I am on all those who TA for me as they are held to a pretty high standard given the important role they are playing in the education of their peers in support of what I am trying to accomplish in class -- and would not have gone back to change that even though he has met with an untimely passing at the tender age of 20.  I would not go back because it was the right thing to do at the time.

So in memory of Ethan Donhue, a great kid who passed away while out riding motorcyles with friends on a beautiful Midwestern fall day, do right by your students.  You just never know what lies ahead for them -- or YOU.