John Morse, a Syracuse University senior from Beverly, Mass., died early this morning after he fell from the Irving Avenue parking garage near Sadler Hall, said university spokesman Kevin Morrow.

Morse, a 21-year-old senior in the School of Information Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences, was found at 5 a.m. and taken to Crouse Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Sgt. Tom Connellan of the Syracuse Police Department. The cause of death is still under investigation, but there is no indication of foul play, Connellan added.

‘We found evidence that he either fell or jumped from the top of the parking garage,’ said Connellan, who couldn’t confirm whether the death was accidental or suicide.

The time of the fall is still unknown, Connellan said, and there is no indication that anyone else was there with Morse.

There will be an informal gathering today at the Alibrandi Catholic Center on Walnut Avenue at 2:30 p.m., Morrow said, where professors, friends and people who knew Morse can come together to remember him.

Morrow added that a memorial service has not been planned yet, but that Morse’s family would set a date. He said Morse’s parents are out of town and plan to travel to Syracuse. Morrow said he doesn’t believe Morse would have graduated Sunday.

The university’s student affairs staff will provide support and counseling to those who had a personal connection to Morse, according to an e-mail from Chancellor Nancy Cantor to the SU community. The Counseling Center, Alibrandi Catholic Center, Hendricks Chapel and Faculty and Staff Assistance Program will be available to those who need support during this time, the e-mail said.

‘Our hearts go out to John’s family, friends, roommates, and the faculty and staff who knew him,’ Cantor wrote in the e-mail. ‘The loss of a student is painful for all of us, and during a commencement week filled with so much joy and promise, it reminds us how fragile life is.’

blbump@syr.edu

Published on June 2, 2009 at 12:00 pm