Sad news about a member of our community
To the members of the MIT community:
I share the sad news that a member of our community, Hadi Kasab, a 23-year-old graduate student in Computation for Design and Optimization, has died. A citizen of Lebanon, Mr. Kasab lived in the Sidney Pacific graduate residence at MIT. In this painful time, our hearts go out to Mr. Kasab's family and friends.
Moments of sadness like this one reveal the very meaning of community. We share sadness together as surely as we celebrate our successes. When we draw together, we gain strength from each other. As we absorb the news of this loss, I hope we will all take time to reach out to those around us.
The Institute's full range of student support and mental health services -- accessible via the MIT Together site -- is available to all members of the MIT community. Students can turn for support to their faculty advisors, their housemasters and graduate resident tutors (GRTs) and their resident advisors in the Fraternities, Sororities, and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs). The Office of the Dean for Graduate Education -- 617-253-4860 -- can offer particular support and advice for graduate students. I encourage anyone in our community who feels affected by this death to contact Mental Health Services at 617-253-2916.
As plans to commemorate Mr. Kasab develop, we will share them through the MIT News site.
In sympathy,
L. Rafael Reif