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Spectator Editorial: No suicide solution
Don't evict at-risk residents; require counseling instead
Spectator Staff
Issue date: 9/11/06 Section: Editorial/Opinion
A student determined to take his or her own life needs help, not an eviction notice.
But according to an Associated Press story, that's exactly what a Hunter College (NY) student came home to after recovering from a suicide attempt in which she had second thoughts and dialed 911. The school said she had violated her housing contract by trying to kill herself.
In all likelihood, removing suicidal students immediately from residence halls will only exacerbate their depression. But such students pose a danger to themselves and other residents, so housing officials should have the right to compel them to seek help.
Students forced to pack their bags after a suicide attempt would find themselves not only depressed, but homeless to boot. Such a precarious situation could make it more likely for them to try again, opening the door to liability for the university.
Fear of eviction could deter residents from confiding in their RAs and seeking help for depression before it's too late.
Depression is a mental illness, and removing sufferers from the halls sets a precedent for discrimination. Could other mental-health issues pose grounds for removal as well? What about drinking problems?
That being said, residents who attempt suicide need help to prevent them from trying again, and from potentially harming other residents in the process. Thus, campus housing staff should do everything in their power to make sure these students seek counseling, even if it means removing them from the halls if they refuse. Housing and Residence Life at UW-Eau Claire enforces such a policy in cases when a hall director and others determine that a student poses an extremely high risk.
Housing departments can, and should, make at-risk students get help. But flinging those who attempt suicide immediately to the street is not the answer.
But according to an Associated Press story, that's exactly what a Hunter College (NY) student came home to after recovering from a suicide attempt in which she had second thoughts and dialed 911. The school said she had violated her housing contract by trying to kill herself.
In all likelihood, removing suicidal students immediately from residence halls will only exacerbate their depression. But such students pose a danger to themselves and other residents, so housing officials should have the right to compel them to seek help.
Students forced to pack their bags after a suicide attempt would find themselves not only depressed, but homeless to boot. Such a precarious situation could make it more likely for them to try again, opening the door to liability for the university.
Fear of eviction could deter residents from confiding in their RAs and seeking help for depression before it's too late.
Depression is a mental illness, and removing sufferers from the halls sets a precedent for discrimination. Could other mental-health issues pose grounds for removal as well? What about drinking problems?
That being said, residents who attempt suicide need help to prevent them from trying again, and from potentially harming other residents in the process. Thus, campus housing staff should do everything in their power to make sure these students seek counseling, even if it means removing them from the halls if they refuse. Housing and Residence Life at UW-Eau Claire enforces such a policy in cases when a hall director and others determine that a student poses an extremely high risk.
Housing departments can, and should, make at-risk students get help. But flinging those who attempt suicide immediately to the street is not the answer.
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