Rutgers University’s newly-founded Tyler Clementi Center, named in honor of the freshman student who took his own life in 2010, represents a university’s recognition of the challenges that college-aged students face when transitioning into life beyond high school. The center is a product of a partnership between Joe and Jane Clementi, Tyler’s parents, and Rutgers officials.
At age 18, Clementi took his own life after discovering that his roommate set up a webcam in their dorm room and watched him during private moments with another man. The roommate posted messages on Twitter, sharing details and telling others to watch. Originally, Clementi’s parents filed notices soon after their son’s suicide to reserve their right to sue Rutgers, but they later became allies with the university, entering into conversations about the center after participating in a 2011 symposium.
According to a recent New York Times article, the center’s work will focus on studying bullying, youth suicides, and abuse of new technologies by young people. Its goal is to form policies and strategies that will aid vulnerable students in their transition into college life and adulthood, and to share them with other colleges and universities. The center will host conferences and sponsor academic research on these topics.
In 2013, the center will host a March lecture on “growing up digital” and an April conference on transgender issues. The center will make its home in New Brunswick, NJ near the Rutgers campus.
