Tragedy likely means end of an Ohio State-Michigan week tradition

The Ohio State community is dealing with something much worse than losing a football game this week in the aftermath of a tragedy that occurred during an annual tradition that precedes the Michigan game.  After an unidentified young man who was found in Mirror Lake last night died at the university hospital, the university announced plans to discontinue the annual jump into the man-made body of water on campus.  In spite of significant efforts taken to make this event a safer one, this tragedy has occurred. We must come together and acknowledge that while this is a student-led tradition that has been passed down through the years, we cannot risk another tragedy. University leadership strongly agrees that we will work with our campus community to end this annual event. “We are heartbroken over this horrible tragedy,” university president Michael V. Drake said in a statement. “We have tentatively identified the young man as a student and are in the process of reaching out to his family. During this difficult time, counseling services will be made available throughout the holiday weekend for those who seek support.”  The annual tradition of jumping into the shallow, man-made lake during the week before Ohio State plays Michigan in football began in 1990 according to the university.  It began to fade in popularity toward the end of the first decade but made a comeback beginning with the Buckeyes’ run to the 2002 national championship, eventually evolving into an annual event involving thousands of students.  The school made some attempts to regulate the event in recent years without much success.  According to a statement from the school, an unidentified male was removed from the lake late early Wednesday morning. He was transported to the Wexner Medical Center after on-site emergency responders provided medical attention on the scene.  The Columbus Dispatch reported the student was in cardiac arrest when he was found. 

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