Archives: March 2008
Wed Mar 26, 2008
Living Routes Mourns the Loss of One of Our Students
March 26, 2008 Amherst, MA
It is with great sadness that we report that Katherine "Katie" Sherman, a member of Living Routes' spring 2008 India program, died last Thursday while studying abroad with us. Katie's unexpected death was neither due to any program-related activities, nor was it in any way associated with the site or country in which she was studying. Medical and police authorities have determined that there was no 'foul play' involved.
Katie, a University of Massachusetts Amherst junior from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, was in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program with a concentration in photography. We are devastated by the news and extend our heartfelt condolences to Katie's family and friends.
The week following was fully devoted to creating a support system for the students (and faculty and staff) in India, dealing with the many logistical details, and aiding Katie's family in any way we could. We have brought in two local psychologists, one of whom has worked as a crisis counselor with the Israeli Army. He has been working continuously with the whole student body, both individually and as a group, and with the faculty/staff. While of course there are diverse reactions to such an event, the students are being closely held, and seem to be dealing with their emotions and reactions in a healthy way. Katie's father and aunt flew to India for three days and there were many opportunities for sharing with the students. A memorial ceremony was conducted on Wednesday, March 26.
Executive Director Daniel Greenberg interrupted his site review of our Findhorn program and flew immediately to Auroville along with Katie's family representatives. He spent a week there supporting Katie's family and the students, leading an assessment and constructing a thorough understanding of the events.
All students have been given a free international calling plan to have regular contact with their loved ones. We have also set up a parent listserv for parents of all current Auroville students and are supporting them to the best of our abilities.
With Daniel's support, our faculty have restarted normal program activities. The semester was just entering the service learning portion of the program. Due to circumstances, there will likely be changes to the itinerary, but students will be able to complete the program.
Living Routes is a nonprofit charitable organization based in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. It offers college-level programs (credit is awarded through the University of Massachusetts Amherst) based in ecovillages and intentional communities around the world to help students gain the knowledge, skills and inspiration to build sustainable lifestyles for themselves, their communities, and the planet.
Living Routes has run semester-length programs in Auroville, India, since its founding in 1999, with a strong record of health and safety. The program is led by 4 resident faculty (M.A, or PhD-level), and assisted by 3 coordinators and several other facilitators. Each semester, the Auroville program has approximately 24 students who come from colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. All Living Routes students receive an academic transcript and 16 credits from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Living Routes' Institution of Record.
Image posted to the Auroville program's student blog by Katie on 2/24/2008
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Living Routes Mourns the Loss of One of Our Students
March 26, 2008 Amherst, MA
It is with great sadness that we report that Katherine "Katie" Sherman, a member of Living Routes' spring 2008 India program, died last Thursday while studying abroad with us. Katie's unexpected death was neither due to any program-related activities, nor was it in any way associated with the site or country in which she was studying. Medical and police authorities have determined that there was no 'foul play' involved.
Katie, a University of Massachusetts Amherst junior from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, was in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program with a concentration in photography. We are devastated by the news and extend our heartfelt condolences to Katie's family and friends.
The week following was fully devoted to creating a support system for the students (and faculty and staff) in India, dealing with the many logistical details, and aiding Katie's family in any way we could. We have brought in two local psychologists, one of whom has worked as a crisis counselor with the Israeli Army. He has been working continuously with the whole student body, both individually and as a group, and with the faculty/staff. While of course there are diverse reactions to such an event, the students are being closely held, and seem to be dealing with their emotions and reactions in a healthy way. Katie's father and aunt flew to India for three days and there were many opportunities for sharing with the students. A memorial ceremony was conducted on Wednesday, March 26.
Executive Director Daniel Greenberg interrupted his site review of our Findhorn program and flew immediately to Auroville along with Katie's family representatives. He spent a week there supporting Katie's family and the students, leading an assessment and constructing a thorough understanding of the events.
All students have been given a free international calling plan to have regular contact with their loved ones. We have also set up a parent listserv for parents of all current Auroville students and are supporting them to the best of our abilities.
With Daniel's support, our faculty have restarted normal program activities. The semester was just entering the service learning portion of the program. Due to circumstances, there will likely be changes to the itinerary, but students will be able to complete the program.
Living Routes is a nonprofit charitable organization based in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. It offers college-level programs (credit is awarded through the University of Massachusetts Amherst) based in ecovillages and intentional communities around the world to help students gain the knowledge, skills and inspiration to build sustainable lifestyles for themselves, their communities, and the planet.
Living Routes has run semester-length programs in Auroville, India, since its founding in 1999, with a strong record of health and safety. The program is led by 4 resident faculty (M.A, or PhD-level), and assisted by 3 coordinators and several other facilitators. Each semester, the Auroville program has approximately 24 students who come from colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. All Living Routes students receive an academic transcript and 16 credits from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Living Routes' Institution of Record.
Image posted to the Auroville program's student blog by Katie on 2/24/2008
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