Cause of death revealed for 19-year-old Conn. student found inside Ohio State’s football stadium – New York Post

Report on Student Fatality at Ohio State University in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Incident Summary

An official autopsy report has confirmed that the death of William Meyers, a 19-year-old student at Ohio State University, was a suicide. The incident occurred on September 26th at the university’s football stadium. Mr. Meyers was a third-year accounting student noted for his community involvement, including co-founding a charity to donate sports equipment. This event, along with a similar incident in May 2024 involving another individual at the same location, highlights critical challenges related to public health and institutional responsibility, which are central to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

2.0 Primary Alignment with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

This incident directly relates to SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. The tragic loss of a young life to suicide is a stark reminder of the urgent need to address mental health challenges, a key component of this goal.

• Target 3.4: This target explicitly calls for a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment, and the promotion of mental health and well-being. Suicide is a significant contributor to premature mortality among young adults, and this event underscores a failure to meet this objective.
• Mental Health Services: Achieving SDG 3 requires accessible, affordable, and comprehensive mental health support systems. This incident raises questions about the adequacy of such services within large institutions and the need to destigmatize mental health issues to encourage help-seeking behavior.
• Preventative Measures: The recurrence of such events at a specific location points to a need for proactive and targeted prevention strategies, aligning with the preventative focus of SDG 3.

3.0 Implications for SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The context of the incident within a major educational institution brings SDG 4 and SDG 16 into focus. A holistic educational environment must prioritize the well-being of its students to be considered truly effective and sustainable.

1. SDG 4: Quality Education: The goal of providing quality education is undermined if students’ mental and physical health is not protected. A safe and supportive learning environment is a prerequisite for educational attainment. Institutions must integrate comprehensive wellness programs into their frameworks to fully realize the ambitions of SDG 4.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: This goal emphasizes the development of effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. In this context, universities have a responsibility to create and maintain safe campuses. This includes implementing physical safety measures and robust mental health protocols to protect their community members, thereby strengthening their institutional integrity.

4.0 Broader Connections and Recommendations for SDG Alignment

The student’s background and the nature of the event also connect to other SDGs, suggesting a multi-faceted approach is necessary for prevention.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The student’s work with a charity to provide sports equipment to local centers exemplifies the positive community engagement envisioned in SDG 11. Fostering a strong sense of community and purpose can be a protective factor for mental health. Institutions should promote such activities as part of a holistic well-being strategy.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: To effectively address the complex issue of mental health, universities must form strong partnerships with local health organizations, government bodies, and non-profits. A collaborative approach is essential to creating a comprehensive support network that can prevent future tragedies and advance the overarching goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article’s central theme is the suicide of a 19-year-old student, which is a critical public health and mental health issue. It explicitly mentions the cause of death as suicide and references another suicide at the same location, directly addressing the importance of mental health and well-being. The inclusion of the National Suicide Prevention hotline further reinforces this connection.
2. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The incident involves a student at a major university (Ohio State) and takes place on university property. This connects the issue of mental health directly to the educational environment, raising questions about student welfare, the safety of learning facilities, and the responsibility of educational institutions to support the mental well-being of their students.
3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • This goal aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, which includes reducing all forms of violence and related death rates. Suicide is a form of self-inflicted violence, and deaths resulting from it are a component of the mortality rates that SDG 16 seeks to reduce.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
   • The article directly discusses a “premature mortality” case—the death of a 19-year-old. The cause, suicide, is a direct consequence of a mental health crisis. The article’s mention of a previous suicide and the provision of a suicide prevention hotline number explicitly relate to the “prevention” and “promotion of mental health and well-being” aspects of this target.
2. Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
   • The suicide occurred within a university’s football stadium, an educational facility. The article notes, “It’s not clear how he got inside the stadium,” highlighting a potential lapse in the security and safety of the facility. A learning environment where students can access a location to die by suicide is not a “safe… learning environment.” The repeated nature of the event at the same location underscores this connection.
3. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
   • The death of William Meyers is a “related death” that this target aims to reduce. Suicide is an act of violence, and tracking and reducing the suicide rate contributes directly to the overall goal of reducing violent deaths.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator 3.4.2: Suicide mortality rate.
   • This is the most direct indicator. The article provides the core data points used to calculate this rate: a confirmed death by suicide (“died by suicide,” “jumped to his death”) and the age of the victim (19). The mention of another suicide by a 53-year-old woman provides another data point. These specific instances are what constitute the overall suicide mortality rate.
2. Implied Indicator for Target 4.a: Incidents of self-harm or suicide on educational premises.
   • While not a formal UN indicator, the events described in the article serve as a critical qualitative indicator of the safety of the learning environment. The fact that two suicides occurred at the Ohio Stadium within 18 months implies a failure to provide a completely safe and supportive environment, which is the goal of Target 4.a.
3. Implied Indicator for Target 16.1: Death rate due to self-inflicted violence.
   • The article’s confirmation that the student “died by suicide” provides a specific cause of death that would be categorized under Indicator 16.1.2 (Conflict-related deaths per 100,000 population, by sex, age and cause), as it measures death rates by specific causes, including intentional self-harm.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nypost.com