DAILY LOBO new mexico
Let’s do the Time Warp again see page 6
thursday
November 3, 2011
POLICE: SUICIDE ATTEMPTED AT UNM news@dailylobo.com A female jumped from the fourth floor of the Yale parking structure after contacting APD this morning, UNMPD spokesman Lt. Robert Haarhues said. Haarhues said UNMPD officers arrived on the scene but were unable to talk her down. She jumped and landed in a flower bed and was knocked unconscious, he said. She was then rushed to UNM Hospital, where she became conscious and alert almost immediately. Haarhues said she is not a UNM student. Agora Crisis Center spokesman Jeremy Jaramillo said suicide is a statewide problem, and that Agora has handled several suicide attempts and a few completed suicides in the past month alone. Jaramillo said the best way to prevent suicide is to simply pay attention to emotional and physical changes in others. “The truth is, we need to have campus-wide training so that we know what to look out for with our friends and family,” he said. “Isolation, change in weight, sleeping patterns, loss of interest in activities, general
hopelessness and change in mood — these all could be warning signs.” Jaramillo said Agora, in conjunction with UNM’s Office of the Provost, is working on a training program to help professors and advisers recognize suicide warning signs. He said the program is an online, at-yourown-pace avatar-based course that will be ready in the coming weeks. “It teaches them to look out for the signs of people who may be having an emotionally difficult time, and it teaches them how to approach them, how to speak to them and how to refer them to the right place on campus,” he said. Jaramillo also said Agora recently developed an online chat system for those who feel more comfortable chatting online than calling Agora’s crisis prevention line. He said the best thing to do for those who may be considering suicide is to talk to them. “The best thing to do is be straight with them, and talk to them upfront and say, ‘Are you considering suicide?’” he said. “People need to get to a counselor, they need to talk to a professional. Ask them to call us and see what it feels like to talk to someone. They can always hang up or press ‘end chat.’”
NEW MEXICO SUICIDE STATISTICS
Suicides by method
Unsuccessful attempts by method
Other 4%
Cut/Pierce 1%
Victim fell four stories, survived by landing in garden by Chelsea Erven and Luke Holmen
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Firearms 1% Suffocation 2%
Poisoning 18%
Other 6%
Cut/Pierce 16%
Firearms 56% Suffocation 21%
• • • • •
Poisoning 75%
Suicide is the eighth most common cause of death in New Mexico and the 10th most common cause of death nationwide. On average, 342 NM residents commit suicide each year. On average, 6.6 suicides occur per week in NM. Males account for 81 percent of all suicides in NM More men succeed in committing suicide, but more women attempt and fail. 60 percent of failed suicide victims in NM are female, while 40 percent are male.
• • •
On average, 1,456 New Mexicans are hospitalized after an attempted suicide each year. There are an average of 4 attempted suicides in NM every day. The average medical cost per attempted suicide case is $9,440.
Call the Agora Crisis hotline if you are considering suicide or just need to talk at 505-277-3013. 9 a.m. to midnight, 365 days a year
All information is according to the New Mexico Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Schmidly meets with protesters Protester Sebastian Pais says he asked Schmidly to resign from his post Continuing Coverage
(un)Occupy Albuquerque
by Luke Holmen holmen@unm.edu
Juan Labreche / Daily Lobo (un)Occupy protester and former hunger striker Sebastian Pais shakes hands with UNM President David Schmidly during a Wednesday morning meeting. Pais and other protesters met with Schmidly to discuss the future of the (un)Occupy movement on campus.
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 116
issue 52
Representatives from the (un)Occupy Albuquerque protest, including former hunger striker Sebastian Pais, met with President David Schmidly on Wednesday to discuss plans for the movement’s on-campus occupation. At the group’s general assembly meeting Wednesday Pais said he requested the resignation of the president, and said the movement should not be required to obtain a permit. “Everybody is allowed to pass out information and express themselves on campus every day,” he said, “So we feel there is no need for a permit.” Schmidly said he didn’t recall Pais asking for his resignation, but said that he worked with the group to provide an amicable solution. “I thought it went very well, it was a very frank exchange,” he said. “We made it clear that we are very supportive of their freedom of speech. We asked for their cooperation to make sure that we move forward in a way that ensures their rights and the safety of
Photo essay See page 2
see Meeting PAGE 3
TODAY Nations worry See page 4
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