Senior passes away Wednesday

The Duke community was notified of senior Billy Dwight’s death through an e-mail Wednesday night.

The circumstances surrounding his death have not been made public, though it did not occur in Durham County and foul play is unlikely, Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta noted in the e-mail, sent at 10:12 p.m. An investigation regarding the cause of death is being conducted by local site authorities, Moneta said.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss and offer our deepest condolences to Billy’s friends and family,” he said.

Moneta said in an interview Wednesday that the incident did not pose a threat to the Duke community. He was notified of Dwight’s death at approximately 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“The critical thing is that no one should be concerned that there’s any danger to any members of the Duke community,” Moneta said. “That is not the case, there is no reason to be concerned.”

Dwight, a native of Kernersville, N.C., was a psychology major and conducted an independent study research project on “Measurement of Stress Reactivity in Different Virtual Environments.” He was advised by Zachary Rosenthal, an assistant professor in the Duke University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Dwight graduated from North Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem, N.C. in 2005. 

Moneta said he spoke to Dwight’s father Wednesday evening prior to notifying the Duke community. Information regarding arrangements for memorial services will be discussed later today.