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More than just faces in the crowd National Suicide Prevention Week raises campus awareness
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BY EDWARD GATHERCOAL STAFF WRITER
he Engineering Quad was dotted with over 1,10 0 white flags on Monday, representing the approximate number of college students that commit suicide each year. The event was held to start off National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW), held from Sept. 7-13. The campaign strives to raise awareness about the issue and reduce the stigma that surrounds it. They also aim to support those who have attempted suicide and encourage people to seek mental health assistance. “Mental health, in general, is something that often goes unacknowledged as being difficult for college students,” said Ryan Nemethy, paraprofessional graduate assistant at the Counseling Center. “Anyway to help other students
and acknowledge that there are people out there that care. It may be just a little thing that affects a few people, but I think it’s really helpful.” Students passing through had the opportunity to show their support by writing encouraging messages on the flags. “It is estimated that annually over 1,000 students commit suicide on national campuses, and of those, a number of them never seek help at their college counseling center,” said R.J. McNicholl, clinical counselor at the Counseling Center. “(This event) is not only for students to understand that they can offer support and be supportive, but also for those students who may be experiencing those thoughts to realize that they have a large support network here at our University.” The Suicide Prevention Team is a collaboration between the Counseling Center, McKinley Health Center and the Office of the
Dean of Students. “Our goal is to provide them (the students) with support and helpful resources but also to ensure their safety and the safety of the campus,” McNicholl said. At the Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Hall, the Counseling Center hosted a workshop where students could take part in an online training program called the Kognito At-Risk Suicide Prevention Training program. Stephen Edwards, intern at the Counseling Center and graduate student in social work, said that through this online system, students can interact with avatars and learn how to better identify, support and connect distressed students with campus resources. These booths will also be set up at the Student Dining and Residential Programs (SDRP) Building on Wednesday, Sept. 10 and Thursday, Sept. 11. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for college students, according to the
Unique stories, diverse perspectives
Breaking down suicide stigma:
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Flags flap in the wind on the Bardeen Quad during an event sponsored by the Counseling Center for National Suicide Prevention Week, which started Monday. Workers from the Counseling Center placed 1100 flags on the quad yesterday.
“It may be just a little thing that affects a few people, but I think it’s really helpful” RYAN NEMETHY
Counseling Center. Nationwide, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death annually in the U.S. as of 2011, According to the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), which sponsors NSPW. “When it comes to suicide prevention, I think it is one of the most impor-
Salaita to speak publicly for 1st time DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
After months of silence, Steven Salaita will make his first public comment during a press conference Tuesday to address his rescinded job offer at the University. The press conference will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the University YMCA,
1001 S. Wright St. and is open to the public. This is Salaita’s first time speaking publicly after his position was not forwarded to the Board of Trustees in early August, after tweeting about Israel’s invasion of Gaza . Salaita had accepted a tenure position in the
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American Indian Studies Program before the incident; however, his approval was not final. Since the incident, multiple departments cast votes of no confidence in Chancellor Phyllis Wise, and many professors around
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tant topics on college campuses today,” said McNicholl. “Really I think it is about getting involved in a cause that saves lives.” The Counseling Center is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and on call after 5 p.m. seven days a week. World Suicide Prevention
Day is hosted on Sept. 10th and is hosted by the World Health Organization, the World Federation for Mental Health and the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Edward can be reached at gatherc2@dailyillini. com.
ILLINOIS STUDENT SENATE
Illinois Student Senate prepares to voice opinion STAFF WRITER
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAI-LIN POON
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY’S COUNSELING CENTER
GRADUATE ASSISTANT AT THE COUNSELING CENTER
BY ELEANOR BLACK
The Intercultural Horizons interns sit in front of the #WeAreIllinois art exhibit sponsored by the Asian American Cultural Center on Monday. #WeAreIllinois was inspired by Humans of New York and tells the stories of UI students.
• More than 1,088 college students complete suicide each year • Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students • Almost 7 percent of students seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months • 18 to 24-year-olds attempt suicide more often than any other group • Roughly 3,100 students at the University have considered suicide in the past year
The Illinois Student Senate’s Committee on Campus Affairs will hold a special session Tuesday, to discuss a proposed resolution regarding whether or not they support Chancellor Phyllis Wise’s decision to rescind Steven Salaita’s job offer. The resolution was introduced at last week’s meeting in a statement written by Student Body President Mitch Dickey in support of Wise’s decision, but is pending senate approval. “We recognize the situation for its entirety, so the fact that the hiring process had basically been completed, that (Salaita) was going to be on campus with housing,” Dickey said. “But we also recognize that the Inclusive Illinois principles ... would say that (Salaita) crossed the line of what we would consider for a faculty or potential faculty member.” Dickey said he does not
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believe Salaita would have created a comfortable and inclusive environment on campus. During Tuesday’s meeting, the committee will discuss the resolution and make any changes they find necessary. If the resolution is approved out of the committee meeting, it will be put on the agenda for Wednesday’s ISS meeting and discussed in an official capacity. The purpose of the resolution, Dickey said, is to give an official voice to the student body because so far, there has not been any formal action taken by students, only faculty. “My hope is that we can have some really great discussion on this; that we as students can voice our opinions,” he said. “Aside from the few students that are doing the protesting, there really hasn’t been an official voice of the students on this issue, and one that’s been really well thought out and taken both
sides into consideration.” He added that he hopes the resolution is passed out and approved to be voted on at the board meeting, so that board members know there is an official student statement on the issue that they can take into consideration. Matt Hill, Vice President-External, also shared his hopes that the resolution will positively impact University students. “My hope is that the student body can see that the student senate is really dedicated to our campus’s Inclusive Illinois initiative,” Hill said. “My hope is that the resolution will help facilitate and encourage more dialogue about issues that students care about on this campus and that we can effectively weigh in on this issue.” The resolution has also added one important aspect since its introduction last week: a suggestion from
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