a0 Pag 86 - Te Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 5, 1985 PaueBigij des on campus remain low but steady By DAVID GOODWIN Suicide is up. More American youths are killing themselves in this decade than any other in this century, and the college q iuicidal thoughts; student is at great risk. will or other 'final "The incident reports that I know of probably say that we average about tle; t2.5 suicides on the U of M campus per losing or gaining year" said Evelyn Gauthier, clinical psychologist for Personal Counseling ap' wajor ehavioral Services. Gauthier added that this figure does not include students who ides or dropping kill themselves while on vacation or students who attempt to commit suicide. rts of anger, or Although suicide is still a relatively rare event on campus, emotions run high when it is reported in the press, so four years ago, the executive of- ficers at the University adopted a policy statement which states that the University feels a responsibility towards the mental health of students, Ielflfaculty, and staff. POSTERS WERE printed providing . .764-9312 telephone numbers and agencies 76GU IDE where professional help could be .7 4-.94- reached in suicidal and psychological f9 -4747.emergencies. .26 "I think it was a sign that the 485......president and the executive officers - have gone beyond the response 'of course we care, why do you have to ask' to a clear statement of 'we are a community and we have some in- teractive responsibilities'," Gauthier says. What motivates a student to end his or her own life is still as unknown as the statistics. Gauthier believes that although academic stress may trigger suicidal behavior, it is not the primary cause. "I THINK THAT academic pressure is a variable, but the inter- vening and important variable is the interpretation an individual makes of success or failure," Gauthier says. She believes it all hinges on a per- son's sense of self-esteem and hope about the future. "The thing a college campus presents is that when a person is so tied into a certain kind of academic achievement, status, or perfec- tionism, or performance and if they can't match it, it gets interpreted as 'my future is kind of hopeless, I'm ashamed of myself, I've disappointed people who care about me'," Gauthier said. BUT GAUTHIER is frustrated in the efforts of Counseling Services to prevent suicide. Accurate statistics on campus suicides are not main- tained, and suicide attempts often go unreported. "There really is an infinite amount that one could do and we never feel like we are doing as much as we'd like to," Gauthier said. In cooperation with other depar- tments, personal counselors at Coun- seling Services support educational activities that inform people about depression and suicide, as well as tell the warning signs to look out for. Counselors visit psychology classes and train campus housing personnel on how to deal with depression and suicide. THE AGENCY ALSO hopes that troubled students, or someone who knows of a student in trouble, will con- tact a personal counselor. Students can make an appointment or use the walk-in service available every weekday. Gauthier said that any student may be seen as an on-going client or referred to another resource at the University. If a faculty member expresses con- cern for the well-being of a student and needs advice on what to do, "What we don't do is say 'give me the student's name and I'll call him.' We figure out what people might do to reach out to depressed and potentially suicidal people," Gauthier said. UNFORTUNATELY, SUICIDE is still a fact of college life, and coun- selors often must help other students deal with the tragedy after the fact. It would be a great help if accurate statistics and records on suicidal behavior among college students were maintained, Gauthier said. At present, this group is still lumped under suicide statistics for youths from 15 to 24 years old. Counseling Services is presently trying to organize cooperation bet- ween the counseling services of the Big Ten schools to try to understand campus suicide better. "ONE OF THE THINGS I hope comes out of this effort is not only a pooling of resources about preventive programs, what works, 'what do you guys do to keep track of things?', but also some kind of data-based system where we can record events, both at- tempts as well as deaths, and then pool our data among the Big Ten schools," Gauthier said. Psychologists have attributed many factors to the rise of suicide among today's youth. Some cite population pressure as the cause, while others believe the nuclear threat contributes to suicidal despair. But the bottom line in coming to terms with suicide is an emotional issue. "You can't talk about suicide without yourself being truly affected by it, and so it's our own urgency to make sense of it and get control of it," Gauthier said. "I think there is an understandable urge to find out what makes people suicidal and then we can change it and stop it." al \I 4 NI Daily Photo By OWEN LONGSHOT Women march in the annual Take Back the Night march. PIRGIM helps sponsor the demonstration for the power of sisterhood. Support for PIRGIM wanes You can get two delicious pizzas for one low C L L special price! It's(0 *%, Domino's Pizza Doubles! Both pizzas are custom- made with your choice of top quality toppings, and DOMIN S they can be different on each one! We deliver to PIZZA your door in 30 minutes or less. So call now! DELIVERS DOUBLES ifyour pizza does not S inu e arrive within 30 minutes, 1 present this coupon to 1 guarantee the driver for $3.00 off 1 your pizza.-1 One coupon per pizza. _ Fast, Free Delivery 1 1 1 Limited delivery area.; Our dnvers carry less U 1 than $20.00. 1 1 @1985 Domino's Pizza. Inc. 1 .. Only Get two10" cheese ; S$5 3 pizzas for only $5.93. $ 5.93 One coupon per pizza. I I I Fast, Free Deliverym E Free ® extra cheese on all pizzas. I I Limited delivery area I ~ Our drivers carry less - - -than $20.00. I ' © @1985 Domino's Pizza. Inc. ' L...........- ............. ....1 By STEVE HERZ Student support for the Public Interest Research Groups in Michigan (PIRGIM) has dwindled so much over the past few years that many students don't even know it exists. The crux of the group's work, which is part of a nation- wide organization of PIRG, is to address environmental concerns. PIRGIM is actively supportive of the Right to Know Act, which requires employees to inform their employers and the community of the potential harms of toxic waste. THE RESEARCH groups also are involved in several aspects of community life. In the past decade, PIRGIM studied ways to improve women's safety and has co-sponsored several "Take Back the Night" marches. On this march, hundreds of women walk without the accompaniment of men to demonstrate their independence and the power of sisterhood. PIRGIM is also at the root of a proposal to install emergency telephones throughout the campus. EVEN WITH its work around Ann Arbor and the University community, PIRGIM was unable to maintain enough student support to remain on the Student Verification Form (SVF). For the first time since 1971, students registering for classes will not be able to mark off a spot on their SVFs and allocate two dollars to PIRGIM. The Regents voted 6-1 last February to remove PIRGIM from the SVF. The group tried to abort the action by gathering signatures on a petition drive, but only 11 per- cent of the students signed the petition. THE BYLAWS of an agreement between the organization and the University in 1972 require that PIRGIM maintain 50 percent of the student support to remain on the SVF. That number was lowered over the past few years, and later the requirement was waived altogether by the University. But PIRGIM is continuing to serve the consumer through donations. PIRGIM recently conducted a com- prehensive survey of local banks and grocery stores, and has done considerable work on researching textbook prices at local book stores. PIRGIM IS also concerned with tenant rights and set up a grievance committee to serve renters in the community. The group also opposed local utility rate hikes. Other PIRGIM projects include efforts to register student voters, reviewing area physicians and compiling a directory on them, and fighting in 1983 for a $5 penalty for minors between 18 and 21 years old who consume alcohol. Now that the Regents have pulled the plug on PIRGIM, the group must come up with the support of 50 percent of the students to be restored to the SVF. At the regents' decision, PIRGIM's campus coordinator, Kristen Haas, said she believed the group could get the necessary 50 percent support of the student body. At this time it is unclear whether PIRGIM has gained more student support. Whether its name is on the SVF, PIRGIM will continue to research community concerns. i Don't Let a Bad Break Disrupt Your College Budget Whether it's an intramural football injury or a surprise attack of appendicitis, an unantici- pated sickness or accident can result in large medical bills. And if you're like most college students, your budget doesn't allow for any "bad breaks" That's why it's a good idea to help protect yourself against the medical expenses of an unex- pected sickness or accident by enrolling now in the 1985-1986 Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan, approved by the UMIC* for University of Michigan Students and their dependents. Underwritten by Mutual of Omaha, this plan provides hospital-surgical-medical benefits - even major medical benefits up to $100,000 - for both outpatient as well as inpatient S- Can You Fill Our Order? Do You: " want a schedule to fit yours? " want FREE MEALS while working? " want regular RAISES based on performance? " want to have FUN while earning some extra CASH? " enjoy working with people?