UVSC eyes suicide rate

OREM — Counselors at Utah Valley State College's Student Health Services have started a program they hope will prevent suicides.

During 2003 and 2004, eight UVSC students committed suicide. The school, which tracks such figures in two-year increments, is currently compiling figures for 2005 and 2006.

"This is the roll-out session," Health Services director Jack Jensen said of the program's first class Tuesday, where faculty and students learned about the suicide rate on campus and ways to help people who may be at risk. "Right now, the problem is funding."

In addition to the classes, Jensen hopes to screen more students for mental illness, establish research teams to investigate factors that contribute to suicide among UVSC students, and hire a program director to organize the effort.

Jensen and his colleagues have not yet determined why so many students took their lives in 2003 and 2004 — the years with the most current data available.

Even pinning down numbers of students who take their lives can be difficult. If parents seek a tuition refund, Health Services sends a sympathy card and offers grief counseling. Only if parents speak to counselors can they determine whether the death occurred because of an illness, accident or suicide.

Of the eight students who took their lives in 2003 and 2004, only one student had visited Health Services.

Another of the eight was Garrett Smith, son of Gordon Smith, a U.S. senator from Oregon. Smith had sought treatment off campus, according to his father, who wrote "Remembering Garrett: One Family's Battle With a Child's Depression."

"He was a UVSC student," said Maraia Weingarten, a counselor in Health Services. "We need to honor him by caring."

During the 1 1/2-hour class on Tuesday, counselors said 90 percent of suicides are associated with mental illness. An unexpected loss of a loved one, serious chronic illness and work or school stress are also factors that can contribute to suicide.

Students and faculty were encouraged to help people who may be experiencing difficulty in their lives. They should ask open-ended questions such as, "Will you tell me more?" Displays of acceptance and empathy are also important.

"Despite our best efforts, there are individuals who will attempt suicide. . . . But we need to do more," Jensen said.

Death estimates

Utah Valley State College health counselors say tracking student suicides is difficult. Most information comes from interviews with the parents of students who have died while enrolled at UVSC. Not all parents seek grief counseling through UVSC, and not all deaths are reported to UVSC officials. Numbers reported are estimates.

1999-2000: 2

2001-2002: 2

2002-2003: 1

2003-2004: 8

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com