A man has died after jumping into a lake as part of a student-led tradition at Ohio State University. The student suffered cardiac arrest while in the water in a 25-year-old annual event in which thousands jump in Mirror lake, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The man has been identified in an OSU press release as Austin Singletary, a 22-year-old third-year student from Dayton. He was taken out of the lake at approximately 12:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning but died later that morning after being taken to Wexner Medical Center in critical condition, according the The Lantern, Ohio State's student newspaper.
Singletary's actions were borne of a longstanding student tradition in which students jump in the lake in the week of the Ohio State-Michigan football game. Many students have taken part in the jump, with fourth-year Nicholas Joseph Klein telling Lantern TV that he and others jumped in the lake after security attempted to close off the area by "walking around the perimeter with horses" and that they were unsure of what was happening at the time.
The university stated in their release that it "cannot risk another tragedy" and that "university leadership strongly agrees that we will work with our campus community to end this annual event." Some students already seem doubtful of the tradition truly disappearing, with fourth-year Nick Sampsel telling The Columbus Dispatch that the decision came too soon from the university, claiming that "it seems that it's mainly about P.R. and liability".
Michael V. Drake, president of Ohio State, took to Twitter shortly after the incident to express his regrets, saying that "we are heartbroken over the horrible tragedy at Mirror Lake" and stating his intent to reach out to Singletary's family. Drake also informed students that counseling services will be available over Thanksgiving weekend for those who may be in need.