Bates student seriously injured in fall

Bates College President Clayton Spencer wrote via email to the campus community the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 30, regarding first-year student Troy J. Pappas, 18, of Eliot, Maine, who was seriously injured in a fall down a stairwell Saturday night in Parker Hall, a student residence on campus.

Troy is being treated at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

The incident took place around 9:30 p.m. Saturday. A Bates student who was with Troy at the time called the Bates Office of Security and Campus Safety.

Bates security officers together with Bates Emergency Medical Services responded immediately, and Troy was transported by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center.

Troy’s parents were notified and have been at the hospital since shortly after the incident, along with members of his extended family. Members of the Bates community have been with the family as well.

A first-year student from Eliot, Maine, Troy is a member of the Bates football team. His studies are focused on science and math. He is a graduate of Marshwood High School in South Berwick where he attained highest honors. There, he was a captain and quarterback of the football team, a member of the varsity baseball and basketball teams, and a member of the math team and student government.

In her email to the community, Spencer wrote, “I would like to express my deepest concern and support for Troy and his family, and I hope that you will join all of us in the Bates community as we keep them in our thoughts and prayers.”

Bates staff members have been providing counseling and emotional support to Troy’s friends and other students since the incident.

The college will update the Bates community about any significant changes in Troy’s condition.