UPDATE (8:00 p.m.): Penn officials identified the student who was struck and killed this morning by a SEPTA subway train as 21-year-old Ao “Olivia” Kong. She was a Philadelphia native and a graduate of Central High School, Philly.com reports.
UPDATE (2:44 p.m.) The University of Pennsylvania has confirmed that the woman struck by an eastbound Market-Frankford line train and killed this morning at the 40th Street station was a Penn student. Penn President Amy Gutmann indicated in an e-mail to students and staff this afternoon that the student was a junior. Her name was not released. Police have said there was no indication that she was pushed onto the tracks. The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that the woman was a student in the Wharton School.
An eastbound Market-Frankford Line train struck and killed a woman at about 7 a.m. on Monday at the 40th Street station, according to reports.
Service was suspended between the 30th Street and 52nd Street stations until 9:40 a.m. and shuttle buses were provided along Market Street.
There was no indication that the woman fell or was pushed onto the track, according to SEPTA.
April 11th, 2016 at 2:47 pm
“We are deeply saddened to report that a Penn undergraduate student was struck and killed this morning by a SEPTA train at the 40th Street Station. She was a bright, well-liked and successful member of our junior class.” – President Amy Gutmann
April 12th, 2016 at 9:21 am
This is a horrible, senseless tragedy.
Is it just the media coverage, or does Penn have a higher suicide rate than average? The university seems to have more than enough money on it’s hand to hire more counselors and take care of its students.
Blessings to the victim’s friends and family members.
April 12th, 2016 at 4:20 pm
I used to work for Penn in a capacity that put me in daily contact with undergrads (2005-2010). It was my impression then that Penn’s student body struggled more than most with mental health issues, and it was widely accepted by undergrads (though I have no evidence) that the administration frequently covered up news/stats on attempted suicides. Speaking to people there now, I think things have gotten significantly worse since I left.
It’s worth noting that the Daily Pennsylvanian’s article about the tragedy had comments closed from the get-go, and was pushed off the front page in short order.
April 12th, 2016 at 7:00 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/upenn-mental-health_n_5127850.html
April 12th, 2016 at 11:27 pm
RIP to this girl. 🙁
I don’t know what she was dealing with, but Penn really fails to provide adequate and sensitive mental health care. All of the “initiatives” after the last several suicides have been window-dressing at best. I’m a current Penn graduate student. The wait times for CAPS (counseling and psychological services) are simply unacceptable, two weeks or more. The procedure for even being seen is ridiculous. First, you have to schedule an intake phone call, where you have to spill the beans to a receptionist about whatever is bothering you in some depth. What undergraduate has a private place for that kind of conversation? And what graduate student who also works has business hours free for that kind of conversation? And they will only see you for a few visits, and then you get referred to another provider (which would be fine if it were timely, but it’s not). They’re also unforgiving about missed appointments.
Everyone I know who’s sought mental health help at CAPS has been really put off by it. Older and graduate students generally have enough experience and strong enough off-campus connections to see that it’s a waste of time and to skip straight to seeking other kinds of help. But undergrads? You have more money than God, as an institution, and you’re gonna tell a 19-year-old kid who’s so depressed she can barely make it to class that she has to trek all over town and ask her parents for more money just to talk to a qualified psychologist semi-regularly?
The only options at Penn are emergency ones, which will likely get you hospitalized involuntarily or at least set you on a path towards a less-than-voluntary leave of absence, or very long-term. For students dealing with substantial mental health challenges that don’t quite rise to the level of suicidality, there’s simply nothing for you at CAPS. It’s a shame and tragic.