Hadi Kasab, 23, a second-year graduate student in MIT’s program in Computation for Design and Optimization, was found deceased last evening in his room in Sidney Pacific. Kasab was a native of Saida, Lebanon.
As is standard procedure in such cases, an investigation led by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office is under way; the state Medical Examiner’s office has not yet given its determination of the cause of death. The MIT Police have determined that there is no threat to the community.
“In this painful time, our hearts go out to Mr. Kasab’s family and friends,” MIT President L. Rafael Reif wrote in a letter to the MIT community. “Moments of sadness like this one reveal the very meaning of community. We share sadness together as surely as we celebrate our successes. When we draw together, we gain strength from each other. As we absorb the news of this loss, I hope we will all take time to reach out to those around us.”
The Institute’s full range of student support and mental health services — accessible via together.mit.edu — is available to all members of the MIT community. Barbara Baker, the senior associate dean for students, says students can also turn to their housemasters and graduate resident tutors (GRTs) for support; to resident advisors in the Fraternities, Sororities, and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs); and to faculty advisors. Affected graduate students may contact the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education at 617-253-4860.
All members of the MIT community who feel affected by this death are encouraged to contact Mental Health Services at 617-253-2916.
President Reif urges members of the MIT community to support one another.
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