Police investigate possible suicide in residence hall

Police officers found a UA student dead yesterday in his room in Sierra Residence Hall.

Police said a student called them yesterday afternoon to report a suicide.

After police arrived at the scene at 4:17 p.m., Sierra residents were evacuated and invited to gather in the Pinal Residence Hall common room to discuss the death.

Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesman, said the death is being investigated as a suicide.

Police are withholding details about the student and his death until the family can be reached, Mejia said.

UA Counseling and Psychological Services were on hand yesterday afternoon and evening to provide grief counseling for students. Sierra residents were not allowed back into their rooms until after midnight.

Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life, was at the stadium dorms in the afternoon to discuss the situation with students and staff.

"There's no protocol for situations like this," he said. "Situations like this are unique and are handled accordingly."

Greg Digiulian, engineering and physics freshman, said residence hall staff gave a few details about the student's death, but there were a number of rumors that surfaced.

"It was mostly word-of-mouth," he said.

Sierra residents were somber after the evacuation, although many did not know the student very well, said Josh Jackson, a pre-business freshman and resident of Pinal Residence Hall.

"It seemed that the general consensus was that people didn't really know him that well," he said. "A lot of people knew of him, but weren't close to him."

People seeking additional counseling are encouraged to contact CAPS at 621-3334.