Message from President Barchi

September 21, 2014

To the Rutgers Community:

We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Caitlyn Kovacs, a sophomore at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, majoring in animal sciences.  Her passing over the weekend is a tragic loss to her family, her friends, and the entire Rutgers community.

Francis and I join all of you in offering our thoughts and prayers to Caitlyn’s family, and our support to those who knew Caitlyn best and who, today, are suffering the most.

This is a time, too, when we need to reach out to one another and show our love, support, and compassion.  This is a time to let each other know that we care and to share our strength and understanding with those in need so that we come through this tragedy with a deeper commitment to each member of the Rutgers community.

I know this is a difficult time for everyone.  We are offering grief counseling at two locations today at 7 pm.  Staff will be available for counseling at the Student Activities Center (College Avenue Campus) and in the College Avenue Student Center.  Should you feel a need to seek one-on-one counseling to better deal with this enormous sense of loss, please know that grief counseling is available at the university.  Call or visit Counseling ADAP & Psychiatric Services (848) 932-7884 or visit http://rhscaps.rutgers.edu.  Our counselors can provide support services, understanding, and assistance to help anyone in the student body better cope with this situation.

We will be in communication with you as soon as we learn more about this tragic event. 

Sincerely,

Bob Barchi