Memorial fund established for Stanford volleyball player Samantha Wopat

Samantha Wopat

While a student at Dos Pueblos High School, Sam Wopat played for the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club.


Now, the club has established the Sam Wopat Memorial Fund. The club's website reports that "All contributions to the fund will go directly to the Wopat family."


Wopat was taken to Stanford Hospital on March 17, where she stayed until she died March 25. Stanford officials--apparently respecting the wishes of the Wopat family--have not revealed the cause of death.

Stanford University is on spring break this week, so the student paper, the Stanford Daily, is not publishing daily editions. Nonetheless, the paper posted an online report Monday. Wopat's death briefly became a major internet story; at one point it was among the top trending stories on both Yahoo News and MSN.com.

Because Wopat was hospitalized while on campus, many in the Stanford community have a pretty good idea why she was hospitalized. A few journalists--including, apparently, at least one reporter for the Stanford Daily--have elected not to publish Wopat's cause of death unless or until either the university or the Wopat family make that announcement. The decision not to publish details--a dilemma that most newsrooms have faced in other circumstances--has sparked passionate commentary on the Stanford Daily website.

see also: Stanford volleyball player Samantha Wopat dies