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A Scottish university student took his own life just three months after his school mistakenly reported that he didn’t have enough credits to graduate on time – and now his family is looking to ensure other struggling students don’t slip through the cracks.
Ethan Brown, a 23-year-old geography major at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, killed himself on Dec. 13, 2024 — the day he was supposed to graduate with honors.
Months earlier, in September 2024, the school “wrongly informed him that he did not have the necessary credits to graduate,” the University of Glasgow wrote in a statement obtained by People.
Brown’s mother, Tracy Scott, found her son dead in his bedroom, and said she still wakes up every day in disbelief he’s gone.
“You wake up and you think it’s a bad dream, but it’s not,” Scott tearfully told STV News.
Scott pushed the school to probe Brown’s supposed failing marks.
“Upon investigation, the University identified the error and commissioned an internal report by a recently retired senior professor into the circumstances; this was shared with Ethan’s family on its completion,” the school wrote.
Officials with the school met with “representatives of the family” less than two months after Brown’s death and offered “a sincere apology” and their “deepest sympathies,” according to the statement.
The school added that the “tragic” miscalculation “should have been picked up during the exam board process.” It also assured that the error was an isolated incident, according to the statement.
The oversight wasn’t just contained to inside the classroom, though.
Brown reportedly flagged his own “wellbeing concerns” to someone at the school, who didn’t report it to the campus’ mental health and support services.
The family’s attorney, Aamer Anwar, said that Brown’s family wants to fight and make sure the proper resources are offered to struggling students so that no other young lives are lost too soon.
“The University of Glasgow, the family believe, failed Ethan, and believe he took his own life as a result,” Anwar said at a press conference Tuesday.
The family was shattered to learn about Brown’s struggles after he was already gone.
But they’ve found comfort in remembering him as someone who had “a smile that would light up the room” and that he was someone whom others “would want to spend time with,” the lawyer said.
The University of Glasgow said it is looking back through its training programs for a variety of staff members, including those who oversee exam boards. It is also doing a “thorough review” of its academic and well-being practices, according to the statement.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
