Students in psychology volunteer to draft handwritten notes for World Suicide Prevention Day, which is commemorated every Sept. 10. Credit: Courtesy of Laura Lewis and Ohio State’s Department of Psychology
The Office of Student Life’s Suicide Prevention Program will participate in World Suicide Prevention Day — or WSPD — Tuesday in an effort to raise on-campus awareness for suicide prevention.
Students, faculty and staff can create a “culture of care” by adding stickers to campus food orders, requesting WSPD swag bags and/or ordering a delivery via a Food-Delivery Robot for the chance to get a free T-shirt, said Laura Lewis, assistant director of the Suicide Prevention Program in the Office of Student Life. The Buckeye Campaign Against Suicide, Ohio State’s psychology department and Ohio State Dining Services worked together to maximize outreach as much as possible, Lewis said.
“As I thought about what we could do that would kind of broaden the range of our messaging for students, staff and faculty, I was thinking about some of the major touch points that students, staff and faculty have on our campus,” Lewis said. “It jumped into my mind that food is a pretty big one. I thought, ‘Well, I wonder if we could work with dining services to do something that would reach everybody that orders food that day.’”
Lewis said she worked with Abby Hertzfeld, interim senior director of Dining Services, to propose her ideas. Through collaboration, the stickers — designed alongside the Student Life marketing team — will be dispersed throughout the day. Students can request “swag bags” by sending an email to the university’s Suicide Prevention Program.
In addition to the to-go orders, delivery orders will come with surprise items on WSPD, Lewis said.
“I know that some people are returning to campus, or maybe even coming to campus for the first time, maybe already dealing with some mental health challenges and some anxieties, worries and fears,” Lewis said. “If I was one of those people, perhaps I might not be leaving my room, and I might not be as inclined to go out and order food and be around people that I don’t really even know yet.”
Lewis said she wanted to show students — some of whom may need to be connected to resources — that despite feeling isolated, they have a community around them. She said she reached out to Max Sfeir, president of the Buckeye Campaign Against Suicide — or BCAS — to bring up the idea of giving out shirts through delivery orders, as well as information about how to get involved with BCAS.
“When [Lewis] originally brought up the idea of BCAS being integrated into an on-campus initiative for WSPD, I was ecstatic, and even more, was thankful that she thought of our organization,” Sfeir said in an email.
BCAS is the same organization that hosts an annual R U OK? Day, which is one of the largest events Ohio State holds in the Ohio Union, Lewis said. Last year’s event yielded some leftover T-shirts, so rather than letting them go to waste, they will be distributed in the Food-Delivery Robot, Lewis said.
Lewis said these robots will also include letters of affirmation, which have been handwritten by representatives from Ohio State’s Suicide Prevention Program, the Department of Psychology and Dining Services.
The “swag bags” — which include magnets, stress balls and resources — include materials from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Line, Ohio State’s own Suicide Prevention Program and other university partners, Lewis said.
BCAS and the Suicide Prevention Program hope these WSPD resources will encourage students to participate in the REACH program — a suicide prevention training offered for free at the university — and engage in creating a “culture of care,” Lewis said.
Sfeir agreed.
“At BCAS, we work to make a welcoming environment for all, dealing with tough topics like suicide and mental health problems, but also strive for a balance where it is digestible and open for conversation,” Sfeir said.
To learn more about BCAS and how to get involved, visit its Instagram page. To stay informed about future suicide-prevention events and programming, visit the program’s website.
