If Kansas University ever builds a memorial to students who died during their college years — as has been discussed occasionally through the years — 2004 will provide a long list of names.

Last year was a tough one for the KU student body. Twelve students or incoming freshmen died during the year, twice as many as the previous year and the most in at least five years.

“It’s horribly unfortunate,” said Ann Eversole, associate dean of students. “It’s tragic. There are no words to express it, really.”

Automobile accidents took the hardest toll on the student body, claiming the lives of four students and an incoming freshman. Two of those occurred during Thanksgiving break.

Three students and an incoming freshman died from illnesses, one died in an accidental shooting and two died in what were believed to be suicides.

Add in the mix the deaths of three faculty members, two librarians, a former dean of women — Emily Taylor — and a former chancellor — W. Clarke Wescoe — and 2004 was especially hard on the KU community.

“I think when you have the numbers we have, you expect to have some tragedies every year,” Eversole said. “Some years are more tragic than others.”

Frank DeSalvo, who directs KU’s Counseling and Psychological Services, said his office kept busy meeting with friends and classmates of the students who died, especially toward the end of the year. Five of the 12 deaths occurred in November and December.

“We try to meet with the group that is affected and try to share some factual information about what happened,” DeSalvo said. “We tell them what we know and what we don’t know and assist them in expressing the feelings they’re experiencing.”

Early-stage plans are underway for a plaza to serve as a memorial for students who die while attending KU.

The plaza is included in the university’s master landscaping plan, which would cost approximately $21 million and includes improvements such as reconfiguring Memorial Drive, improving the look of Jayhawk Boulevard and adding a pedestrian walkway from 15th Street and Naismith Drive to Watson Library.

Preliminary plans would have the plaza — possibly with a fountain — at the intersection of Lilac Lane and Jayhawk Boulevard, near the front lawn of Fraser Hall.

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“The idea would be it would be an anchor to Jayhawk Boulevard on the east end, like the Chi Omega Fountain is on the west end,” said Warren Corman, university architect.

Corman said officials had discussed contacting the families of students who have died over the course of the university’s history to see whether they would like to contribute to the plaza’s construction.

“Nothing official’s been done on it yet,” Corman said. “We’ve been talking about it for years. We have war memorials, but adding this would be kind of a nice deal.”

But KU officials said they wished there wasn’t a need for such a memorial. They’re hoping 2005 results in fewer deaths than 2004.

“We always hope for zero,” DeSalvo said.