Man dies after falling from UCLA Biomedical Library

It’s been ruled a suicide

Friday morning, a 63-year-old man was reported dead after falling from the roof of UCLA’s Biomedical Library.

According to the Daily Bruin, Los Angeles police responded to calls about the incident at around 11:30am. They are not releasing the name of the man, but he does not seem to be affiliated with UCLA. His death is not being investigated as a homicide.

The library reopened at around 2:30pm on Friday, and class is resuming as usual. However, this is the second tragic incident to occur on campus recently, and UCLA is reaching out to students who may be affected.

On October 18, a UCLA student passed away after falling from the roof of Boelter Hall. His death was ruled as a suicide. In light of both these events, a Community Healing Space was organized last Friday evening.

The event took place in Royce Quad, where 15 students gathered around candles to express their feelings in a safe space. There were two boards on display, one titled “Say What You Need” where students could write a message to other students about how they were feeling. The other was titled “Take What You Need” and offered sticky notes to students with encouraging messages.

The Community Healing Space was hosted by the Active Minds committee, whose goal is to educate students about the stigma surrounding mental illness. Though some argued that the event was sadly under-publicized, others saw it as a step in the right direction towards offering peer support during difficult times.

The students placed the candles at the Bruin Bear, Boelter Hall, and the Biomedical Library to honor those who have recently passed. Our thoughts go to the families and friends of these individuals.

If you or someone you know needs extra support during this time, the Counseling and Psychological Services center (CAPS) has a 24-hour hotline at (310) 825-0768. They also have drop-in Brief Screen hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. Furthermore, UCLA’s Consultation and Response Team is available by email at [email protected] to tend to students in distress.

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