The Penn State student body lost one of its own early Tuesday morning when 18-year-old freshman Timothy Kulp of Pottstown, Pa. committed suicide while being held at the Centre County Prison in Bellefonte.

Prison officials found Kulp hung on a shoelace attached to a metal bar on the window at the back of his cell shortly after 11 p.m. Monday.

Police arrested Kulp Saturday after he allegedly assaulted at least three women in their Mifflin Hall dorm rooms early Saturday morning.

According to police documents, Kulp entered the unlocked rooms of the women on the first and third floors of the hall between 2 and 5 a.m. that morning and touched the women intimately, without their consent, while they were sleeping.

According Timothy D. Kulp, the young man's father, his son had never experienced any emotional problems until a few months ago, when he began his decent into depression "like lightning."

During police questioning, Kulp told police he was depressed and worried about the charges, but not suicidal.

Although police contacted a counselor from the Meadows Psychiatric Center in Centre Hall, he was not seen because regular counselors were not available at the time of his arrest.

A jail counselor then made the decision not to put Kulp on suicide watch.

Hopefully, Timothy Kulp's tragic story sheds some light on the dangers of depression and emotional problems in our society.

Although Kulp faced charges for the alleged assaults, perhaps friends, family, or campus organizations could have prevented him from taking his life.

According to Stefanie Morris (senior-psychology), Kulp should "be remembered as a person who didn't get help when he needed it."

Students, please remember that depression and emotional problems warrant help from proffessionals.

Numerous facilities on campus can help students deal with these conditions.

If you're feeling depressed, seek help from a friend, family, professor or a resident assistant.

If you know someone who you believe to be showing any signs of depression, offer them your support.

Depression is a serious illness and no one should feel that they must deal with it alone.

Also, the Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services, located at 221 Ritenour Building, offers students intake appointments, group therapy sessions, individual counseling and crisis intervention.

CAPS can be reached by calling 863-0395.

According to Mary Anne Knapp, a CAPS staff therapist, counselors are offering special crisis hours for students who need to talk about the assaults or the suicide.

If enough students request the help, CAPS will offer a larger group meeting to accommodate the demand.

Remember that all these people can help you get through a rough emotional time in your life.