Active Minds, an organization on the UW-La Crosse campus promoting the discussion of mental health on college campuses, held Light Up A Life: Suicide Awareness at Hoechler Clock tower for the second year in a row.
Lighting up the clock tower in shades of purple and blue Wednesday night, Active Minds offered students the chance to ask questions regarding suicide as 1,100 college students lose their lives to suicide every year.
Ali Roberts, a UW-L Junior and Active Minds member discussed the stigma of mental illness and why everyone should face the issue head on. “We’re just trying to bring light to a hard topic. The stigma is that suicide is a hard thing to talk about. People might be afraid to share what they’re actually feeling. With suicide, it is hard to find help and take that first step. But these types of events help break that stigma down.”
In addition to the clock tower drawing students in to ask about the event, Active Minds also gave students the opportunity to create luminaries, commonly seen at events like Relay for Life, for those who have lost their lives to suicide or for those currently struggling. Many of the luminaries made had inspirational messages or names of those who students wanted to remember and honor.
The La Crosse Area Suicide Prevention Initiative, whose mission statement reads “Raising Awareness and hope in the community”, also were in attendance at the event, to help promote the preventability of suicide.
Running the table for the La Crosse Area Suicide Prevention Initiative was Matt Pogee, a licensed state counselor who fights to prevent suicide on college campuses. “Suicide on college campuses are prevalent because this is the first time when young adults are fully on their own. With a credit card, there’s buying power and new freedoms and there’s all these different stresses without all the checks and balances they once had. At the end of the day, it has everything to do with what we say to ourselves and how we interpret those things. But there is hope out there.”
Informational cards provided by the La Crosse Area Suicide Prevention Initiative offered warning signs of suicide, including: Taking unnecsasry risk, giving away prized possessions, loss of interest in personal appearance, increased use of alcohol and/or drugs, and trouble eating or sleeping.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from stress, depression or suicidal thoughts the Campus Counseling and Testing Center offers a variety of services to students. The Counseling Testing and Center Office can found in 2106 Centennial Hall.