Skidmore College will hold a memorial vigil at 7 p.m. Tuesday for the freshman student killed in an accidental fall from a roof on Saturday in Delaware.
College President Philip A. Glotzbach and others are expected to speak at the vigil for Willem “Will” Golden, 20, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, who was a member of the school’s hockey team. The service will be held at the Zankel Music Center.
Glotzbach said friends and teammates will also speak to celebrate Golden’s life.
“We’re trying to find ways to bring the community together and provide solace and consolation for his friends especially and other members of the class,” Glotzbach said Monday.
The death, which remains under investigation by police in Delaware, came on the weekend Skidmore students were returning from a break.
“Will had been a member of the Skidmore community for less than a year but had already made many connections with students, faculty, staff and teammates who will grieve his loss very deeply,” Glotzbach said in a letter to the campus community on Sunday.
Police in Newark, Delaware, where the University of Delaware is located, said Golden fell from the roof of a three-story building just before 4 p.m. Saturday. The Newark Police Department criminal investigations unit is still investigating, but no foul play is suspected.
“At approximately 3:55 p.m., Mr. Golden went out onto the roof of the residence,” police said in a statement Monday afternoon. “At the time, a light rain had occurred and the roof surface was wet. Detectives have determined that Mr. Golden was on the roof by himself and according to witness accounts, Mr. Golden appeared to have slipped and fell. No foul play is suspected.”
The Wilmington (Delaware) News-Journal reported that neighbors said the house was known for housing students and student parties, and that there were student parties taking place in the area because of the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Police have not said if alcohol was a factor in Golden’s fall.
At Skidmore, additional counseling services were already planned for this week in response to the death last Halloween night of 19-year-old freshman Michael Hedges. Thomas Gorman, the man who struck and killed Hedges and injured two other students, was sentenced in Saratoga County Court Monday afternoon. He received five to 15 years in prison, the maximum for vehicular manslaughter.
Glotzbach said the closeness of the events made for a difficult time on campus. “It’s obviously very sad, and to have it happen twice in one year is unthinkable,” he said prior to attending the sentencing in Ballston Spa.
Glotzbach also noted that the school counseling center will be offering same-day, 30-minute therapist consultations all week for students who wish to talk.
The Health Promotion Office will bring therapy dogs Tuesday afternoon to the Case Center, and Wilson Chapel will be open to students all week.
About 2,400 students attend the private liberal arts college.
Reach Gazette reporter Stephen Williams at 395-3086, [email protected] or @gazettesteve on Twitter.
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