More than 100 SUNY Cortland students wrote messages of encouragement for their peers on a “hope wall” during a campus suicide prevention event earlier this month.
The Sept. 10 event outside Cornish-Van Hoesen Hall marked World Suicide Prevention Day, according to a Sept. 29 release from the university. Conley Counseling and Wellness Services organized it to share information about mental health support and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Students lined up to leave notes that others could take with them, said Jennifer Talarico, the university’s assistant director of counseling services. Some also shared personal experiences while writing messages, she said.
“So many students came out to write an inspirational message in hopes that other students would take them,” Talarico said. “We were flooded.”
Students share encouragement
Talarico recalled students reflecting on what they wished they had heard when they were new to campus. One senior, she said, wanted a freshman to know “that I mattered or things would get better.”
She said connections with counselors, friends, loved ones or others can help students see a path through difficult periods. The university described the event as part of SUNY’s systemwide Suicide Prevention Awareness Month effort in September.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said the system wants students to know what support is available throughout their studies. The university also used the event to point students toward 988, which provides crisis support.
Support beyond September
Conley Counseling and Wellness Services holds events throughout the year on grief and loss, body image, academic stress and other concerns. Talarico said conversations about suicide prevention should continue beyond the awareness day and month.
Students can reach SUNY Cortland’s Counseling Center at 607-753-4728, visit Cornish-Van Hoesen Hall, Room C013, or find information at cortland.edu/counseling. Anyone in immediate emotional distress can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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