Rutgers University, in conjunction with the Tyler Clementi Foundation, announced that it will be starting a new task force to help tackle difficult social issues that burden many of today’s students. The Tyler Clementi Center, named after the former Rutgers student who took his own life after his sexual orientation was outed by his roommate’s webcam, will look to bring attention to the challenges faced by students in similar situations.
The task list for the center covers a broad range of topics ranging from understanding social media usage, identifying and dealing with bullying and cyber bulling, to creating a safe and inclusive environment for students. The interdisciplinary team will be conducting research into the difficult subject of teen and young adult suicide, a terrible reality for many students struggling to find themselves and fit in.
Suicide is the third highest cause of death among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 and is a statistic that is painfully high in the LGBT community. Gay and bisexual teens are five times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual teens. What may be more shocking is the fact that a little education and support in the household drastically reduces those statistics for all children.
“This center will embody our shared commitment to breaking new ground to study the rapidly changing world our young adults live in and to lend them support, especially as they transition into adulthood,” the Clementi family said in a statement.
The center, which is located just off Rutgers campus (half a mile south of Rutgers University Health Services), will have its first seminar next month and will feature a lecture titled, “Growing Up Digital: Embodied Experience in the Virtual Age”. The following month’s seminar, “Trans Politics: Scholarship and Strategies for Social Change”, will feature Genny Beemyn, Ph.D. who is a board member of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute and Susan Ranking Ph.D. who co-wrote The Lives of Transgender People.
For more information regarding the Tyler Clementi Center, visit their website or contact them directly at admin@clementicenter.rutgers.edu.