Matthew Friedman ’26, a first-year student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was found unresponsive in his residence in Court-Kay-Bauer Hall on Wednesday, April 12 and was later pronounced dead, Dean of CALS Ben Houlton and Dean of Students Marla Love wrote in a Thursday afternoon email obtained by The Sun.
A biology student, Friedman had a deep interest in neurobiology and behavior and planned to become a doctor after graduating from Cornell. He recently became a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. His sister is also a Cornell student.
Originally from Marlboro, New Jersey, Friedman volunteered in his hometown Emergency Medical Service before coming to Ithaca this fall and was exploring ways to use his EMT experience on the Cornell Campus.
The cause of his death is unknown at this time. The Ithaca Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Cornell will hold a community support meeting today at 5 p.m. in Willard Straight Browsing Library. An additional community support meeting will be held for residents of CKB today at 8:30 p.m. in the Donnelly Formal Lounge and for CALS students on Friday, April 14 at 4:30 p.m. in Stimpson Hall room 206.
Students in need of professional mental health support can call Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 607-255-5155 and employees can call the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) at 607-255-2673. Whenever these services are closed, calls are answered by Cornell Health’s on-call mental health provider. The Ithaca-based Crisisline is also available at 607-272-1616. A wide range of supportive resources is also available at mentalhealth.cornell.edu.