A male Syracuse University freshman was found dead in his room in DellPlain residence hall early Wednesday morning, police said.

Jordan Schaffer, 18, a freshman in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management from Montville, N.J., was discovered by his roommate around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, said Sgt. Tom Connellan of the Syracuse Police Department.

An emergency call was made, and the SU Department of Public Safety and Syracuse Police both responded to the fourth-floor room, which is in the Whitman Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Learning Community.

Schaffer was pronounced dead at the scene, and an investigation was initiated. The final cause of death is currently under review by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner, but it is being treated as an apparent suicide, Connellan said. Any criminal behavior has been ruled out.

A final cause of death will be determined after an autopsy is completed, which should take about a day, Connellan said.

Schaffer’s parents, who were on vacation, were notified, he said.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor was at DellPlain by around 8:30 a.m., said Kevin Quinn, SU vice president for public affairs. Throughout the day, Cantor met with several students who had known Schaffer. She also met with staff in the Division of Student Affairs.

‘She’s been talking with Student Affairs staff and getting updated on the response in terms of ensuring that the resources are available for students,’ Quinn said.

Early Wednesday afternoon, Cantor sent out an e-mail alerting the campus community to Schaffer’s death, describing him as ‘a promising member of the first-year class.’

‘Our hearts go out to the student’s family, friends, roommates, fellow Learning Community members, the Whitman community and the faculty and staff who support our first-year students,’ Cantor wrote in the e-mail.

Counseling services were made available for any students and faculty who feel affected by Schaffer’s death, Quinn said.

Later in the day, Thomas Wolfe, the interim dean of Student Life, sent out another e-mail alerting the university community Schaeffer’s death was an apparent suicide and emphasizing the availability of counseling services.

‘This has been a difficult day for many in our University community, and we will continue to reach out and extend care,’ Wolfe said in the e-mail.

By late afternoon, Schaffer’s Facebook page was filled with messages of loss.

‘RIP Jordan,’ one friend wrote. ‘Watch over us. You will be missed.’

mghicken@syr.edu

Published on September 10, 2008 at 12:00 pm