Odum Village law student remembered fondly

Eric Bryant, a law student who was set to graduate in December 2010, was described by classmates Thursday as a friendly, kind individual.

Bryant, who also attended UNC as an undergraduate, was identified as the individual who died in an Odum Village apartment Wednesday. He was 25.

Bryant spent his first year of law school at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University and transferred to the UNC School of Law in 2008.

David Brown, a second-year law student and president-elect of the law school’s Student Bar Association, described Bryant as “a good, friendly, all-around nice person.”

Brown, who shared a class with Bryant, said that other students had not seen him in class this week and that he was shocked by the news of Bryant’s death.

“It completely caught me by surprise,” he said.

Brown said the Student Bar Association has been speaking with Bryant’s family about how best to respect his memory.

“We’re all torn up and want to do something,” he said.

Members of the Student Bar Association will meet with law school administrators Monday to determine the best course of action for remembering their former classmate, Brown said.

Bryant’s body was found in his apartment Wednesday. Alert Carolina released a statement at 11:46 a.m. that day announcing the death.

A statement released by the law school said the death appears to have been a suicide, although the investigation has not been closed.

Personnel from the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said an autopsy will not be performed.

Although the office’s guidelines recommend that suicides be reported to medical examiners, the guidelines do not expressly recommend autopsies for cases of apparent suicide.

As of Thursday afternoon, an incident report had not been released by UNC’s Department of Public Safety.

Winston Crisp, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, said that suicide is not a common problem at the University and that UNC has lower rates of suicide in comparison to peer institutions.

“We stay under the national average,” he said.

Crisp said the Division of Student Affairs sends information about suicide prevention out to students in anticipation of exam-related stress.

Crisp encouraged students to find resources on campus if they are distressed or looking for help.

“If anybody is experiencing emotional difficulty because of this or any other reason, they should seek assistance,” he said.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.