UPDATE: Jacob was found dead Saturday afternoon
Online efforts to raise money for Jacob Marberger, the missing Maryland college student who may be armed, set off a discussion that brought out the good, bad and ugly in people — and shut down the gofundme page, at least for the moment.
The fundraising idea was launched Thursday by an alumni group at Washington College “to support Jacob’s needs when he returns,” the group explained. Their post on the school’s Facebook page sparked a heated debate — was it right to raise money for a student whose actions prompted the school to shut down for two weeks? Even though he never made a threat, wasn’t it clear he was a threat?
“I'm not sure this gesture, however well meant, is very well timed. And nowhere is it mentioned what "needs" Jacob will have when he, ah, returns.”
“How about raising money for students that rely on work studies to pay their tuition and for books?”
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“Have you no compassion for his parents and family? Boohoo, you missed work. Chances are, they've lost a son.”
Washington College, a small private liberal arts school located in Chestertown, Maryland, went on lockdown Monday after a call from Marberger’s father, who said his son — distraught after a month of turmoil at the school — had come home abruptly overnight and left before dawn with a gun case and possibly a gun. Two days later, when the school found out Marberger bought a small case of ammunition from a Wal-Mart about halfway between his home and the school Monday morning, administrators took the unusual step of sending everyone home and canceling classes until Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving break.
“Maybe the money should be used to pay for overtime for public safety, police officers, and the dining hall staff.”
“How about if everyone stops arguing and starts praying for all of the WAC community, including Jacob and his parents?”
“To think of the parents who don’t know where their son is right now, it just takes your breath away,” Sotereas Pantazes, who helped organized the gofundme effort, said Friday. The 34-year-old father of two defended the idea as one that embodies the spirit of his alma mater’s community. “It goes hand in hand with the work we're trying to do and the message we're trying to get out there. . .If I could drive anything home, it’s to step in before anything really bad happens and address it.”
Someone flagged the gofundme page and the company took it down (standard policy) while they evaluate the complaint.
“What about the other people who are sick? Can they get money too?”
“The good thing is we were trying to raise $2,500 and in the 7 hours we were live, we raised $3,500 from over 40 donors,” Pantazes said. Donors will be refunded if gofundme doesn’t put the page back up. But Pantazes isn’t worried.
“I received a dozen phone calls and if gofundme decides to cancel everything, there are countless people who’ve said, ‘Forget gofundme. Give me your address. I’ll send you a check.’”
Whatever money the group ends up with will be used for Marberger’s medical and emotional assistance.
“Mental health is a big issue all across the country right now. And it needs to be addressed.” Pantazes, who served for a time as the alumni adviser for his fraternity says college kids don’t always realize they can hit the pause button.
“Many of us were foolish in our post-adolescence and did things we later regretted. In those times, we had people to turn to for help and support.”
“I used to tell them all the time, ‘When you’re 18, 19, 20 years old, there’s a lot of learning to be done.’ And when you’re someone like Jacob, who’s going through so many tough things, he needs to know there’s a pause button. If Jacob hits the pause button he can turn himself over, call his family, seek help and he’ll have a long, beautiful life ahead of him and that’s what we want to see.”
“Perhaps the funds raised could be used for a motivational speaker or some kind of symposium that would help the entire college community- recognizing anxiety, consequences and benefits of setting expectations of ourselves, where to go for help, etc. I would venture to say that Jacob is not the only student that is facing darkness and despair.”
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