Seven student deaths in the last eight months have left the Worcester Polytechnic Institute community grief-stricken. Compounding that tragedy is the fact that at least three of those lives were lost to suicide; two deaths are under investigation, according to the university.
WPI is hardly the only U.S. campus that has experienced an increase in student mental health issues as a result of the pandemic.
John Seeley, an education professor at the University of Oregon whose research includes school-based mental health interventions, said the issues that arose during the pandemic are unsurprising given the sudden changes, including social distancing and isolation.