Monday, March 13, 2006; A14

FOR AN EXCELLENT lesson in how not to respond to serious depression, consider George Washington University's handling of the case of former student Jordan Nott.

Mr. Nott, then a sophomore, checked himself into the hospital one night in 2004, saying he was considering suicide. Within days, as Post staff writer Susan Kinzie reports, the university informed him that he faced charges of "endangering behavior," which violated student rules and could lead to his suspension or even expulsion. In addition, pending adjudication of the "charges," the university notified him that he had been suspended on an interim basis and was "barred from entry" to campus; "if you come onto campus for any reason, you will be trespassing and may be arrested," the letter said. The university graciously allowed him to defer the charges by pulling out of school while getting treatment -- which he did.

Since when does being sick constitute a disciplinary problem? Mr. Nott, who later left the school entirely, has sued. And it seems to us that the university has a lot of explaining to do. To be sure, campus suicides can raise serious liability concerns for universities. And it may be reasonable to ask a suicidal student -- to the extent that ensuring his or her safety is beyond the school's ability -- to take a leave of absence. But disciplinary proceedings? Charges? No school would use such language about a student with cancer or some other life-threatening physical illness.

In a statement Friday, the university emphasized that it does not kick out the vast majority of students who exhibit suicidal thoughts, that some cases are extreme and require temporary leave, that its "foremost concern is for the student's life," and that it cannot legally disclose the details of Mr. Nott's case that made it "one of those few situations that requires that the student take time away from campus." But that doesn't explain why the school treated this case as a disciplinary matter -- potentially compounding an already acute psychiatric crisis with an accusation of wrongdoing that carries stigma, banishment and an explicit threat of arrest. If the university wants to encourage ill students to seek timely treatment, this is a strange way to go about it.