One week into the fall semester and tragedy has already nearly struck campus. A sophomore, who has requested anonymity, spoke about a harrowing experience that occurred on the afternoon of August 28.

“I was just trying to stretch my back. It all happened so fast,” he said.

The student in question was sitting in Coleman Hall 217 when the almost-accident occurred. In the middle of class, he dared to lean back in his chair, unknowingly tempting fate.

“I didn’t think I was that far back,” he said, tears still fresh in his eyes, clutching his value-pack of Kleenex to his chest. “My tippy toes were still on the ground, but it wasn’t enough.”

According to the student’s report, it was only a matter of seconds before he felt his toes leave the ground. It was in that moment that he knew there was no going back.

“I watched so many of my childhood memories flash before my eyes: the first time I fell off a swing, the first time I fell off a bike, the first time I fell out of my bed,” he said. “They were all connected, and in that moment, I truly thought that death had come to claim me.”

Once his feet returned to the surface, the student’s heart raced. He had narrowly avoided heading into the bright blue light which shone in his eyes.

“People are always saying it’s a white light, but let the record show, it’s blue. I saw it,” he said.

A guest lecture on chair safety has been scheduled for late September. Hopefully, this near-tragedy will serve as a warning to all students and faculty who overconfidently lean back in their chairs during class.