In his hometown of Altadena, California, Cal Poly business administration junior John Robert “Jack” Ruder passed away on Jun. 18, according to an email sent out by President Jeffrey Armstrong on Jun. 29.
According to a GoFundMe campaign established by Ruder’s family in his honor, Ruder suffered from symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, although Ruder was given no official diagnosis.
The campaign described Ruder as an entrepreneur pursuing business ventures in his free time. Ruder was the founder of SpaceBound, a Youtube channel with over 665,000 subscribers as of July 3.
All proceeds from the GoFundMe campaign will fund the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. The organization is dedicated to funding research grants focused on mental illness, according to its website. The GoFundMe page referenced grants from National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression specifically.
As of July 4, the page raised $27,079, surpassing its initial goal of $1,000. The Cal Poly community has been encouraged to donate to the page as indicated in Armstrong’s email.
Counseling services are available for Cal Poly students 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 805-756-2511. To speak with a counselor at any other time, call their 24-hour support hotline at 800-367-7474. More information about EAP’s confidential services is available at https://afd.calpoly.edu/hr/worklife.asp. For additional support, please contact the Dean of Students office at 805-756-0327 or email deanofstudents@calpoly.edu.