The Elon University community will mourn the death of junior Trent Stetler at a Gathering of Friends on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the Lakeside meeting room.
UPDATE (1/12/15 at 11:30 a.m.): The Gathering of Friends will take place Monday, January 12, at 5:30 p.m. in Lakeside meeting rooms. The program was moved back half an hour to give some of Trent Stetler’s closest friends time to travel to campus.
Trent’s parents, Jim and Denette Stetler, expressed their appreciation for the outpouring of support from the Elon community. They send their gratitude and do welcome receiving cards, letters, pictures and remembrances of Trent either at their home address (534 Kenmore Road, Havertown, PA 19083) or at Denette Stetler’s email (djstetler@verizon.net).
Details of memorial service arrangements will be sent to the community once finalized.
Message to the Elon community from Smith Jackson, vice president for Student Life and dean of students, on Sunday, January 11, 2015:
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of the death of junior Trent Stetler. He was the son of James and Denette Stetler of Havertown, Pennsylvania. Trent was majoring in economics, with a minor in communications. He was active in the men’s rugby club and served as an intern in the Athletics department working with the Phoenix Club. He was also a member of Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity.
There will be a “Gathering of Friends” tomorrow, Monday, for all who wish to share their feelings of loss and reflect on fond memories and special moments with Trent. The gathering will be at 5:00 p.m. in the Lakeside meeting room.
While the Burlington police are still investigating, they informed us this morning that Trent appears to have taken his own life. The death of any student is devastating to our community, especially in situations like this, and we want to reach out to friends and acquaintances who knew Trent. The loss of a classmate, friend and student reminds us just how precious the life of each person in our community is.
Those who knew Trent may benefit from speaking with a staff member or counselor. Elon’s counseling staff and the chaplain’s staff are available as we begin the grieving process. Anyone who would like to talk about their feelings of loss or concern for others may contact Counseling Services at 278-7280 or the Truitt Center at 278-7729. Counselors are available after hours on call by contacting Campus Safety and Police at 278-5555. The Student Life administrator-on-call may also be reached at 278-5555 at any time.
If you have questions or if I can be of assistance, please email me at jacksons@elon.edu or call at 278-7220.