Shibai Jia arrived at the Eastman School only four days before his death. Courtesy of Facebook.
Shibai “Victor” Jia, a freshman at the Eastman School of Music, died Saturday morning after a fall from Eastman Commons. UR President Joel Seligman informed the University community of the tragic loss in two special editions of the Weekly Buzz emails. Jia, 19, fell out of a 12th floor window in Eastman Commons around 3 a.m. He was found by students and a Security officer who heard the incident, and was then transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was soon pronounced dead.
“It is a shocking tragedy when young lives are cut short,” Seligman wrote in his second email. “The Eastman community is a close one. I know that its members take this loss to heart, even though Victor had been a member of the community for a very short time. The University, too, is a community, and we are all with you in this time of loss.”
Jia, who had planned to study piano at Eastman, had arrived on Tuesday, August 23 from Zhengzho, China. He is described as having had “tremendous promise” by Jamal Rossi, Executive Associate Dean at Eastman. Police are currently investigating the cause of the fall, and foul play has been ruled out as a factor.
Seligman noted that counseling services are available to all members of the University community.
The Campus Times extends our condolences to Jia, his family and all who have been affected by this loss.
