Four is not a big number. But when there are student names and deaths associated with it, the impact on a small community and the University of Idaho is larger than many may realize.
In one semester the UI community has experienced four student deaths, and Dean of Students Bruce Pitman said the incidents have impacted the campus community.
The first incident occurred Aug. 22 when graduate student Katy Benoit was shot outside her home. Pitman said this situation was a concrete example of how the echoes of one tragedy can change the whole semester.
Meghan Walker, a friend and roommate of Benoit, said she was a genuinely nice person who was a lot of fun. Walker said the two shared an interest in psychology, and spent time cooking, catching up on the “Harry Potter” series and looking for furniture left near dumpsters.
“That was a morning routine,” Walker said. “We would have our morning coffee and then drive around to see if anyone left anything nice out by their dumpsters.”
She said Benoit liked to do her own thing, which made others not worry about what other people thought either.
“She really enjoyed dancing …” Walker said. “She would dance in the car while at stop lights, like I laugh at people who dance in the car, but when you’re sitting next to them it’s different.”
Pitman said an outcome of Benoit’s death is a heightened sensitivity to people at risk.
Pitman said there has been an increase in use of Support Services, and the Counseling and Testing Center is much busier than last year. He said these departments had to adjust how they accommodated requests for urgent attention.
“They re-engineered their schedules and strategies for first-time contact with students,” he said.
The three most recent deaths have continued to require the use of services provided by the Dean of Students office.
Freshmen Wyatt Smith and Benson Sternberg were killed in a rollover in Troy Nov. 12 when Smith lost control of his truck and went over a northbound embankment.
Michelle Aoi, a friend of Smith and Sternberg, said the two were a lot alike, always laughing and never stressed, and could almost always be found together.
“They were two boys that you really admired for their outlook at life,” she said. “No matter how bad it got, they always found something to laugh about.”
Aoi said she met Smith because they lived on the same floor in the Wallace Residence Center, and that she met Benson through Smith and their involvement in high school FFA.
“Wyatt was very down to Earth,” she said. “Quiet unless he had something to say, and it was always something pretty good.”
Sternberg, she said, was the louder one of the two and what he said usually made people laugh.
“He took school seriously, but not so seriously where it was a stress,” she said. “He was very intelligent, whether he liked to let people know or not.”
Within a week of Smith and Sternberg’s rollover, freshman Sarah Asmus was also killed in a car accident as she and her and Kappa Alpha Theta sister Katherine Bulcher were traveling home for Thanksgiving Break.
Bulcher and Asmus were traveling south of Smith’s Ferry on slush-covered roads when Bulcher lost control, fishtailed and was hit by an oncoming truck. Asmus died the next day from her injuries, and Bulcher is recovering from the injuries she suffered.
A candlelight vigil was held for Asmus when students returned to campus Dec. 2, after a service in her hometown of Blackfoot, Idaho.
Pitman said the accidents occurred so close together that they seem more impactful than if they had been spread out over time.
“Broadly, I think, it’s touched many on campus in reminding us of lessons we’ve been taught and need to relearn every once in a while, like safety,” Pitman said.
Pitman said he spoke at Asmus’ vigil, which was well attended.
“I said death is a very harsh and sometimes unexpected intruder on a college campus,” Pitman said. “It’s a very youth oriented place, so when it does come to campus it’s very painful and jarring.”
Pitman said his staff had spent part of the summer redesigning how they respond to routine student concerns and situations, and it was a task they didn’t realize would end up being so helpful.
He said routine concerns include medical withdrawals and family emergencies, and systemizing those processes involved creating short documents that outlined the information students need to know about what to do.
Pitman said in the past members of his staff met one-on-one with every student about repetitive and basic concerns that could be easily addressed. He said creating an easy way to hand out the information liberated his staff to focus on high-risk and urgent situations.
He said as a result of the deaths this semester they realigned services to better accommodate students. A team of individuals worked with the people affected by specific incidents.
“The staff in the Dean of Students office and the Counseling and Testing Center have worked to the limits of their energy and ability,” Pitman said. “And are in need of winter break to get rested up a bit.”