The glow from the candlelight lit up the faces of Ohio University students and faculty gathered to remember those affected by suicide and the stigma associated with acknowledging the need for help.
In honor of World Suicide Prevention Day, OU’s Post-IT! organization hosted “Stop the Silence” and more than 40 students attended the event at Scripps Amphitheater on Tuesday evening.
OU’s Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones spoke and stressed the importance of supporting friends on campus and in Athens.
“Remind everyone here that there are outlets for help,” Hall-Jones said. “We are a Bobcat family. We need to take care of each other.”
As the night progressed, students sang and danced to songs and poems that took on an inspirational message.
One OU student, Taylor Baird, a freshman studying music education, shared her struggles with suicidal thoughts and the effects of being a sexual assault victim. She was admitted into a mental health care facility toward the end of her senior year of high school.
“Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re feeling,” Baird said. “Let people help you. You have to learn how to cope with it in healthy ways.”
Baird said her experience in the facility was impacted by an 11-year-old dealing with anorexia who “changed (her) life.”
“He told me, ‘You can make it through, Taylor,' ” Baird said. “It’s possible to recover, and it’s possible to make it through.”
When Baird finished, representatives from Counseling and Psychological Services gave its counseling hours. Walk-ins are accepted Monday through Friday, 9:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Students then lit candles, posted inspirational messages on sticky notes to a board and released yellow balloons into the air.
“I’ve gone through this. I’ve had friends who went through this,” said Halee Smith, a freshman studying communication sciences and disorders that participated in the vigil. “My best friend is going through this. Realize suicide is a real thing; be there for them, listen. Speak love, not hate.”
Another candlelight vigil took place near the Alumni Gateway hosted by Chi Sigma Iota, an international honors society in counseling with about 30 people in attendance.
“It indicates people do care,” said Christine Suniti Bhat, an associate professor of counseling education and chapter faculty chair of Chi Sigma Iota. “This needs our hearts and minds to be involved.”
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