The Bronco community suffered a loss on the early morning of March 28 as 19-year-old Caleb Lee was found unresponsive in his room located in Sicomoro Hall (Building 73) and was pronounced dead shortly after.
“L.A. County Fire personnel responded to the call and confirmed that the student had passed away,” said Eileen Sullivan, interim vice president for Student Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona.
As reported by San Gabriel Valley City Watch on March 29 and confirmed by Sullivan, Lee’s death was ruled a suicide, according to the public coroner records.
“While the cause of death is a matter for the coroner, we can assure the community that the campus remains safe,” Sullivan said.
The Poly Post reached out to Lee’s family for a comment; however, the family declined to do so.
An email to only students living in the residence hall was sent out on March 28, informing the residents of the student death and to explain the reason behind the extra emergency personnel on and around the area.
With the university only informing residents, this seemed to raise some concern. The CPP official Twitter (@calpolypomona) responded to a concerned student voicing frustration regarding the lack of university-wide communication of the on-campus tragedy.
“When a member of our community dies, it is distressing. We notified the students who live in Sicomoro Hall that morning. In the interest of family privacy and because there was no threat to campus, the email was not sent to the entire campus,” stated the CPP tweet posted on April 2.
@Drewmo26 When a member our community dies, it is distressing. We notified the students who live in Sicomoro Hall that morning. In the interest of family privacy and because there was no threat to campus, the email was not sent to the entire campus .
— Cal Poly Pomona (@calpolypomona) April 2, 2020
Students in need of guidance regarding this tragedy can reach out to the CPP Counseling and Psychological Services at (909) 869-3220 for support.