BCU community: Join us in writing a short note or memory about our teammate @_AndreaNorton_ https://t.co/ERSQXxA7Rp #battleon #livelikedre #twentytwo pic.twitter.com/h8mfsYCDgl April 16 (UPI) -- A 20-year-old college student died after falling from a cliff in Arkansas while attempting to photograph herself, authorities said. Andrea Norton was hiking Hawksbill Crag near Boxley Valley, Ark., with fellow students from Briar Clifff University in Iowa when she fell Saturday, Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said. Advertisement Wheeler said Norton's is the latest death in a string of several in recent years at the location, which is a popular with photographers. Norton was a native of Hot Springs, S.D., and junior at the university, her obituary said. She played women's volleyball and was on a symphony choir scholarship at Briar Cliff, where she was a triple major in biology, environmental science and global studies. In a Facebook post, the university described Norton as "a passionate environmental science major, exemplary student and dedicated athlete." Her volleyball team expressed its condolences. "We are saddened by the unexpected passing of our beloved teammate Andrea Norton. #22 on the court, #1 in our hearts," the team wrote on Twitter. Norton is one of two college students who died in a fall last weekend. Fordham University student Sydney Monfries fell about 30 or 40 feet from the campus clock tower. She was also trying to take a photo. Monfries was set to graduate with a degree in journalism next month.<doc-sep>A 20-year-old college student died Saturday after falling off a cliff in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas while reportedly re-positioning herself for a photo. Andrea Norton, an environmental science major at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, was hiking with classmates and a professor when she fell to her death, according to Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler. Norton slipped and fell around 100 feet at Hawksbill Crag at the Whitaker Point Trailhead while trying to take a picture, Wheeler said. More than 60 people responded to the scene, and it took almost five hours to recover her body. Our condolences & prayers go to the family & friends of Andrea Norton. Andrea was a passionate environmental science major, exemplary student & dedicated athlete. She lived BCU values in everything she did. Please keep her family, friends & BCU family in your thoughts & prayers. pic.twitter.com/VUBG1Mq1Mm — Briar Cliff (@briar_cliff) April 14, 2019 Norton, who was from Hot Springs, South Dakota, is the second person to fall from the crag — a popular hiking destination and picturesque spot — this year, officials said. She was on her school’s volleyball team, which shared its condolences on social media. “Thank you to everyone who has sent their prayers to the Briar Cliff community as we mourn the loss of a very special student-athlete,” Briar Cliff Athletics tweeted.<doc-sep>Andrea Norton was visiting Ozark National Forest with classmates when the fun outing took a turn for the worst College Student, 20, Dies After Plunging 100 Feet Off Arkansas Cliff: She's No. '1 in Our Hearts' A 20-year-old college student died on Saturday after falling about 100 feet off a cliff at Arkansas’ Ozark National Forest during a class activity, PEOPLE confirms. Andrea Norton, a junior at Iowa’s Briar Cliff University, was visiting the forest with classmates when she fell around 9:30 a.m., according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. More than 60 emergency personnel responded to the scene and worked to recover Norton’s body, authorities said. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “Norton was apparently moving from one are of the [Hawksbill] Crag to another when she lost her footing and fell approximately one hundred feet,” authorities said in a statement. “The fall proved to be fatal.” Some outlets have said Norton was trying to take a photo when she fell from the popular hiking destination, CBS News noted, but Norton’s mother, Tamara Norton — who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment — has denied the claims, saying that a previous ankle injury may have caused Norton’s fall. Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said the incident marked the department’s second call out to the area this year, “and the season is just beginning,” he said in the police statement. “We are, once again, reminded of how dangerous these wild places can be. Hawksbill Crag is a spectacular location that thousands of people visit and enjoy each year,” Wheeler said. “But, one stumble or misstep is all it can take to turn a great day into a tragic one,” he added. “I want everyone to enjoy our county, but use extreme caution and respect how dangerous these places can be. I don’t want any other families going through what Andrea’s family is now facing.” Leslie Heying, a spokesperson for Briar Cliff University, confirmed the death to PEOPLE. “Andrea embodied BCU’s values in everything she did including her compassion for all, a love for the environment and an openness to everyone she met,” Heying said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to Andrea’s family and friends during this very difficult time. Counselors are currently assisting Briar Cliff students, faculty, staff and all who knew Andrea.” Norton, from Hot Springs, South Dakota, was part of the school’s volleyball team. Her teammates remembered Norton in a moving tweet.<doc-sep>A senior at Fordham University died on Sunday after falling from a clock tower on campus. The 22-year-old and her friends reportedly climbed the tower’s stairs in the Bronx, N.Y. at roughly 3 a.m. Sunday morning, and was later rushed to the hospital after getting critically injured. Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo’s newsletter. The college senior was just weeks away from graduation. (Photo: Facebook/Sydney Monfries) “It is with great sadness that I report that Sydney Monfries, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, died today after sustaining a fall inside the Keating Clock tower in the early hours of the morning,” university president Joseph McShane wrote in a letter to students, according to the New York Post. “There are no words sufficient to describe the loss of someone so young and full of promise — and mere weeks from graduation.” Monfries was reportedly trying to get photos of the city from the top of the tower and sent a Snapchat video before her deadly fall. The police found her unconscious, with trauma to her head and body, the New York Times reports. First responders reportedly had to use a rescue basket to lift her out of the tower because it was so narrow. Sydney Monfries, FCRH ‘19, has died after sustaining injuries from a fall from Keating Clock tower, according to a statement from Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university. Information on funeral arrangements will be forthcoming. — The Fordham Ram (@thefordhamram) April 14, 2019 The clock tower is supposed to be off-limits for students, but the Times reports that other students heard rumors about people finding a way inside. Just awful 🙏🏽 A senior at #Fordhamuniversity fell from the top of the clock tower at Keating Hall. The 22 yr old was with a group around 3 this morning . She was critically injured. Tonight at 6, an exclusive look inside the structure @ABC7NY @NYPDnews pic.twitter.com/yiTk7OEXFh — Kemberly Richardson (@kemrichardson7) April 14, 2019 President McShane said the school would award Monfries’s bachelor’s degree posthumously. She was slated to graduate next month with a major in journalism. Story continues Flowers and palms on the steps of #Keating Hall at #Fordham University, after 22-year-old senior Sydney Monfries fell to her death from Keating’s clock tower yesterday morning 💔 @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/fXKwZsKVB0 — Katie Corrado (@KatieCorradoTV) April 15, 2019 People began posting on her Facebook page on Sunday, mourning the loss and offering their condolences to her family, who flew in from Portland, Ore. “RIP beautiful angel, so terribly sad,” one person commented. A childhood friend told WABC-TV‘s Kemberly Richardson that Monfries “was a genuinely beautiful person inside and out. She truly was a bright light in this world taken way too soon.” Read more from Yahoo! Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.<doc-sep>
A Fordham University student died on Sunday night following a 40-foot fall from the campus' landmark clock tower. "It is with great sadness that I report that Sydney Monfries, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, died today after sustaining a fall inside the Keating Clock tower in the early hours of the morning," Joseph McShane, the university's president, wrote in a letter sent to students, according to the New York Post. "There are no words sufficient to describe the loss of someone so young and full of promise — and mere weeks from graduation, Fordham will confer a bachelor’s degree upon Sydney posthumously, which we will present to her parents at the appropriate time." Monfries, a 22-year-old Portland, Ore., native, and her friends reportedly climbed the stairs of the off-limits Keating Hall clock tower around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning to take photos at the top of the structure. The senior student fell through an opening in the stairs and plummeted 40 feet, sustaining trauma to her head and body, according to the New York Times. The area she landed in was reportedly so narrow that first responders had to lift her out with a rescue basket while performing chest compressions. Keating Hall, one of Fordham's most iconic buildings, which houses the clock tower (Photo: Getty) Monfries flat-lined at the scene but was revived and rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she was placed on life support. She died on Sunday evening, one month shy of graduation. While the entrances to the tower are supposed to be locked, thrill-seeking students often find a way inside, the Times reports. Lili Huang, a 21-year-old senior studying communications, told the outlet that climbing the tower has become somewhat of a rite of passage for Fordham students. "There's the three things you have to do at Fordham. You have to ride the ram," Huang said of a statue of the university’s mascot, which students climb on to take pictures. "You have to go into the tunnels underground and you have to go into the bell tower." School officials are investigating how Monfries and her friends gained access to the tower.