Today, the Penn student body has two fewer students than it did last time regular classes were held. College senior Kambili Mouwka and Engineering sophomore Ryan Smith both passed away unexpectedly in the last few weeks. Compounding the losses to the greater Penn community was the death of Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania trauma surgeon John Pryor, who was killed in Iraq.
It's difficult to quantify these losses through words, and equally tough to measure the ramifications throughout the Penn community. Because these tragedies occurred over break, when many students turn their thoughts toward family, it was harder to feel the impact on Penn as a cohesive whole. Now, as daily life at Penn begins to churn again, it's important that we remember their lives and note their absences.
Our thoughts go out to the friends, family and acquaintances of the young men. Death is tricky to rationalize, and sometimes relying on friends and family is not enough. Penn offers many services, ranging from the Reach-a-Peer help-line to Counseling and Psychological Services, to help tackle challenging issues. We urge you to take advantage of them if you feel you need them.
