UC Merced student recovering. Officials won't say if he fell or jumped
.JPG "A construction crew works on Classroom and Office Building 2 on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, At UC Merced.")
University officials will not say whether a man fell or jumped from a UC Merced building last week, but have confirmed the student is alive and recovering, an official said Monday.
Officials said he suffered unspecified injuries after falling or jumping from a stairwell open to foot traffic, according to Charles Nies, vice chancellor for student affairs.
"We are greatly saddened by last Friday’s incident and our thoughts are with our student and his family during this time," Nies wrote in an email. "The individual remains in the hospital."
The undergraduate was flown to a Modesto-area hospital for treatment on Friday.
Officials would not comment on whether that incident was intentional or an accident, but have confirmed it happened on the last day of final exams for the fall semester on campus.
Counseling services are provided year-round and free of charge through Counseling and Psychological Services to all UC Merced students, according to Nies.
Assistance is also available for free after hours and during breaks, according to Nies, including after-hours emergency clinical services with a licensed counselor at the number 209-228-4266.
Counseling groups are also free to UC Merced students and address topics such as grief, loss and trauma, Nies said.
"UC Merced has been and continues to be committed to promoting positive mental health," Nies wrote. "Through programs and services, we will continue to expand the net of resources in order to help students respond to the stress of college life."
UC Merced, which now enrolls nearly 8,000, has seen students hurt themselves in the past, including a 19-year-old who hung himself in public in 2011. The student climbed to the top of a 75-foot electrical tower off North Highway 59 and used a rope to hang himself, the Merced County Sheriff's Office determined.
This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 5:04 PM with the headline "UC Merced student recovering. Officials won't say if he fell or jumped."