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Bowdoin College Will Cover Tuition Of Slain Cop's Son
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 22, 2014
Modified Dec 23, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 22, 2014
Modified Dec 23, 2014
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While the Yankees offered to pay for the education of an executed police officer's college-age son, the young man's school says they will take care of it. Bowdoin College announced today, "At President Mills’s direction, Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster informed Justin [Ramos] early Sunday morning that the College will provide full financial aid to enable him to complete his Bowdoin education."
Justin's father, Police Officer Rafael Ramos, and partner Police Officer Wenjian Liu were fatally shot in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon. The killer, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, killed himself on a subway platform after being pursued by police.
Justin Ramos is a sophomore at the Maine college, and President Barry Mills wrote an email to the school's community, "We learned last night that one of the New York City police officers killed Saturday in Brooklyn is the father of our student Justin Ramos ’17, who is now with his family in New York. This is an unspeakable tragedy, and our hearts go out to Justin and his family. We are a close community, and we share in Justin's pain and anguish. I know you join me in offering heartfelt condolences to Justin and the entire Ramos family, and I am sure you will respect their privacy as they and we support one another in the days and weeks ahead."
In a statement about Justin's tuition today, the college said, "This is in keeping with Bowdoin’s practice of meeting the full financial need of each of our students for all four years. We are grateful for the Yankee Silver Shield Foundation’s offer to assist, but Bowdoin has it covered... We are eager to welcome Justin back to campus for the start of our second semester in January, or whenever he is ready to return, and we will do everything we can to support him through this period." Tuition, room and board at Bowdoin is about $59,000 an academic year.
Justin's brother Jaden, 13, wrote on Facebook, "This is the worst day of my life. Today I had to say bye to my father. He was their [sic] for me everyday of my life, he was the best father I could ask for. It's horrible that someone gets shot dead just for being a police officer. Everyone says they hate cops but they are the people that they call for help. I will always love you and I will never forget you. RIP Dad." The Yankees Silver Shield Foundation will provide for Jaden's educational costs.
Tagged
Bowdoin College
ismaaiyl brinsley
Jaden Ramos
Justin Ramos
rafael ramos
wenjian liu
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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