MORE THAN 150 MEMBERS of the Lafayette community paid respects to the family of Everett Glenn ’15 at a viewing and funeral service for the universally liked first-year student May 12 in Orange, N.J.
Glenn was pronounced dead at Easton Hospital in the afternoon on Saturday, May 5, All-College Day. He had been transported there from his campus residence hall room by ambulance after the Northampton County Dispatch Center and the College’s Office of Public Safety had been alerted about a possible medical emergency.
President Daniel H. Weiss informed the campus community of the tragedy that evening. “My thoughts are with Everett’s parents and other family members at this extremely difficult time. I extend to them my heartfelt condolences,” he said. “My thoughts are also with our students and all members of our community who share in this tragic loss.” That night, students, faculty, and staff participated in a vigil and joined Glenn’s parents, Leonard and Joanne Glenn, other family members, and friends for a prayer service in Colton Chapel, which was filled to overflowing. Hundreds of memories have been shared by those who knew Glenn at Lafayette and before he entered the College on a special website, rememberingeverett.com.
In a message to the campus, the Glenn family said, “Our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have so beautifully supported our family with an outpouring of love through prayers, attendance at the vigil, chapel service, and funeral for our beloved son Everett. As you can imagine, this has undoubtedly been the most challenging experience of our lives. We have therefore truly appreciated your support throughout everything. We know Everett loved Lafayette, and your actions have demonstrated that you loved and continue to love him too. His spirit is very much alive, and so we pray that you continue to love as he loved, laugh as he laughed, and smile as he smiled. God bless you all.”
A graduate of Montclair Kimberly Academy, Montclair, N.J., and a member of Lafayette’s varsity fencing team, Glenn was an immensely popular student on campus. The cause of his death remains under investigation by the Northampton County Coroner’s Office and the Easton Police Department, assisted by the Office of Public Safety. Investigators indicated that there was no sign of foul play involved.
In his State of the College address on the opening night of Reunion, Edward W. Ahart ’69, chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, said, “We have a high degree of confidence that [Glenn’s] death was alcohol-related.” On June 18, Weiss announced that a new Alcohol Policy and Procedures Review Group will re-examine the College’s policies and practices with respect to alcohol on campus. Led by Celestino Limas, vice president for campus life and senior diversity officer, it will include faculty and staff and will draw from alumni, parent, and student groups.
The panel will meet several times this summer to look at alcohol issues with respect to student conduct, policies and procedures, law enforcement, treatment and counseling, educational programs, community efforts, and alternative programming.
“I know we share a common concern about the role of alcohol at the College,” Weiss said. “We are committed to doing all that we can to manage this complex issue.”
“While we have examined our policies in the past and have a program in place . . . I believe it is important to begin the work of critically assessing our policies now, rather than waiting for the fall.” The aim is to enable the College to “move forward early in the next academic year with a roadmap of options to consider as we address these ever-present challenges.”