As suicide prevention month and the University’s Student Government Association’s “End the Stigma” week come to an end, mental health deserves to remain the center of attention. UA sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, took mental health awareness into their own hands and dedicated their homecoming pomp to a message about suicide prevention, in memory of their fallen sister. This year alone our university has already lost one student to suicide and unless further action is taken by our administration and ourselves as students that number will continue to rise.
A way to prevent future deaths by suicide from our students is to increase awareness for the opportunities students have through the University. The Counseling Center is a hidden gem within the University, with low prices for students to get the help that they need around their class schedule. The first session to see a counselor is also free of cost. SGA and the Counseling Center paired together last week to create a week of awareness through different lectures, screenings and multiple other opportunities to show all of the options students have. The week ended with the seventh annual suicide prevention walk on Sunday.
Another method of prevention is to create a stronger campus bond. There is too much separation between individuals in different communities on campus. Each college student is going through similar stress, which is why students need to have more empathy towards each other. Different organizations try extremely hard to bring awareness about the issues, but are often ignored due to college students’ busy days. These organizations are not asking for much but for people to stop and pay attention to an extremely prevalent issue. Organizations like Crimson Kindness are always working to create this bond, but their mission cannot be accomplished unless they are supported universally.
While mental health is not an easy topic, the stepping stones to a solution are quite simple. Be approachable, be kind and show respect. Instead of focusing on the negatives and previous failures of our society, take a step forward towards a more positive future. Show your classmates that you care about them, and they will do the same for you. Remember that each individual is fighting their own battle – it may not seem that large of a problem to you, but it could seem like the end of the world to them. So often students go undiagnosed with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, which become much more prevalent in their lives once under the stressful atmosphere college entails. You never know the struggle one is facing.
We cannot respectably boast about how amazing and talented our university is without properly resolving the problems we currently have. This year began with a tragedy, yet we try to move forward without truly addressing the problem. We cannot continue to build up when we have a foundation with cracks. Once the problems are fixed, we will be able to move forward: quickly, strongly and together, however we cannot do so unless we give attention to the problems that happen when they happen. Our university has the potential to change and end the stigma around mental health, and that change can start today.
Jinnie Christensen is a junior majoring in political science. Her column runs biweekly.
