[1037] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Message from President Vest
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Matt Cain)
Mon Feb 4 18:11:23 2002
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Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 17:49:06 -0500
From: Matt Cain <mcain@MIT.EDU>
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 15:40:18 -0500
From: "President's Office" <pres_off@MIT.EDU>
February 4, 2002
To Members of the MIT Community:
As you probably know, the parents of Elizabeth Shin have
filed a wrongful death civil suit against MIT for their daughter's
death in April 2000 in an MIT residence hall. The suit alleges that
Ms. Shin committed suicide by setting herself on fire and charges
breach of contract, medical malpractice, and negligence on the part
of MIT doctors, staff, and members of our Campus Police.
It is a sad fact that in today's litigious society, the very
individuals who do the most to help our students can find themselves
the targets of such claims. We grieve for Elizabeth Shin and try to
understand the depth of her family's anguish, but we will defend
those at MIT who labored hard and appropriately to help her. We are
extraordinarily grateful to them, and the Institute will of course
provide them with legal services and our support during the
litigation.
A number of people have asked us why MIT has not discussed
the case more fully in public. There is obviously much more to the
story than what the lawyer and the public relations firm hired by the
family are saying in court papers and in statements to newspapers and
television. The place for MIT to respond to these unfair and
inaccurate allegations is in court, and not in the media. More
complete facts will come out as the legal process continues.
That process will allow us to explain the critical need for
confidentiality and trust between our students and the MIT staff
members who care for them, whether in the Medical Department, the
Dean's Office, or the residential houses. The quandary that they
face is balancing students' legal and medical privacy rights with the
obvious interests of parents in knowing how their sons and daughters
are doing. This quandary is worked through on a case-by-case basis
by professional judgment of how best to help each student. Such
judgments are especially complicated when students insist that
information be withheld from their parents as a condition for
accepting help. We strongly encourage our students to involve their
parents in their lives, and in almost all cases that is what happens.
For now, our response to the media has been a statement
issued by Jeffrey Swope of the law firm of Palmer & Dodge, which most
press reports have included:
The death of Elizabeth Shin was a tragedy - for this bright young
woman, her family and friends, and all those at MIT who tried to help
her. But it was not the fault of MIT or anyone who works at MIT.
According to information provided by the family's own lawyer, she had
suffered from serious emotional problems that began at least as early
as high school.
Many people at MIT had offered as much help and support as they could
to her. While MIT regrets the need to do so, it will defend against
the claims that have been brought against it and the members of its
community who had tried to help her.
In the meantime, I hope you will support those in our
community who have been touched most closely by this matter and that
you will continue to care for all those with whom you work, study,
and live here at MIT.
--Chuck Vest
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