Cal Poly ag business student died over the weekend, university says
Update, 4 p.m., Nov. 15, 2019: Brenden Nichols’ family has created a GoFundMe fundraising page to pay for expenses related to the Cal Poly student’s “unforseen loss.”
The page, created by Nichols’ aunt, had accumulated just over $45,000 of a $30,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.
“Because of the unforeseen loss, our family is encountering expenses no parent ever should experience,” the post reads. “If you feel in your heart you would like to help Julie and Dave and the Nichols family please donate. Every donation will go towards properly laying Brenden to rest, his memorial service, and retiring his student loans.”
The GoFundMe page can be found at https://bit.ly/3544Xhi.
Original story: A Cal Poly student from Orangevale died over the weekend, the university announced Monday.
As of Tuesday morning, neither police nor university officials had released a cause of death for Brenden Nichols, a second-year agricultural business student.
San Luis Obispo police Capt. Jeff Smith said Tuesday that emergency personnel responded to Cedar Creek Village, a complex of condominiums near campus, following a report for assistance at about noon Sunday.
Cal Poly President Jeff Armstrong and Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey wrote in an email statement to students and faculty Monday that during his time at Cal Poly, Nichols was involved in the Cal Poly community as a Week of Welcome leader and by participating in intramural volleyball.
The university says it is in contact with his family and “our thoughts are with them and Brenden’s friends during this difficult time.”
The university said that as additional information becomes available, interested parties are encouraged to visit the Dean of Students In Memoriam page at https://deanofstudents.calpoly.edu/memoriam.
Counseling services are available for Cal Poly students 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 805-756-2511.
This article has been updated to include info from the SLOPD.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Cal Poly ag business student died over the weekend, university says."
