Student Suicide

4:10 p.m.

This morning I got on campus and the first thing I heard was that a student committed suicide in the dorms.

I know that these things are not completely unheard of on campuses across the country but it's something that I don't normally expect on a small campus like Shawnee.

So all professors were given the warning email to look out for students who appear to be at risk for suicidal behaviors. Unfortunately, most students exhibit such behaviors - it's only the rare few who take the next step and take things into their own hands. It's nearly impossible to predict who will cross that line with the limited interaction of a class room.

When I walked across campus to go work out, I saw a few students pause by the flag pole near the president's office to put bouquet's of red carnations as if an offering upon an altar.

It got me thinking that there needs to be some kind of central point for the campus - a fountain or a square or a statue. Something where students gather around for pictures and the like.

Just a thought.

-T