There are no good words. Whenever we have a tragic loss on campus, that is what comes to mind, that there are no words big enough to encompass the enormity of losing a student.
Early Saturday morning, we learned of the passing of first-year student Maggie O’Sullivan. Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts and prayers are with Maggie’s family and her many friends.
Please know that there are many avenues of support available for students who might be grieving, whether they were friends of Maggie’s or if her passing is a reminder of another loss they had suffered (and that grief has resurfaced). You can help reinforce to your students that self-care is smart and asking for help is a good thing.
Students can get support from The University Counseling Center (336-758-5273) and the Office of the Chaplain (336-758-5210), and they can also talk to other trusted mentors who can help direct them to available resources. Please urge your students to seek help as they need it.
The University Counseling Center also has an excellent page about grieving. There is no right way to grieve, and we all do it differently.
In the event that there are any updates or mention of funeral services that get emailed to students, those would be posted on our Family News page.
I hope you will join me and send your thoughts and prayers to Maggie’s family, friends, and loved ones.
