All around the country the week of Sept. 5, individuals are discussing mental health and suicide as part of National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 5-11) and World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10. Here at Georgia Tech, the conversation started months ago with the undertaking of a new campus initiative, Tech Ends Suicide Together. 

The 2015 National College Health Assessment estimates that 9.6 percent of college students experience suicidal ideation and 1.6 percent attempt suicide each year. More alarmingly, approximately 1,100 undergraduate students die by suicide each year. Given these numbers and the devastating impact of loss, colleges across the country have diligently and intentionally worked to prevent suicides on their campus — with success being measured by the ability to maintain the national average, or slightly below.

As a leading technological university known for its innovative solutions, it seems only fitting that Georgia Tech would be bold and aspirational in establishing an initiative that shifts the classic paradigm from "suicide reduction" to "suicide elimination."

Spearheaded by the Counseling Center and the Division of Student Life, the Tech Ends Suicide Together initiative is based on the international Zero Suicide campaign enacted in community healthcare systems around the world. At the heart of the initiative are two foundational beliefs: every member of the Georgia Tech community is a caregiver that has a role in suicide prevention, and even one life of our Georgia Tech family lost to suicide is too many. Tech Ends Suicide Together aims to bring the entire campus community — students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni — together through a commitment and call to action to work together to end suicide on our campus. As President Peterson remarked during the launch of the initiative at the 2016 Institute Address two weeks ago, “the more engaged and informed we are, the more effective we will be in creating a healthy and safe community for everyone.”

Get involved now by visiting the website endsuicide.gatech.edu to learn more about your role in suicide prevention at Georgia Tech. You can also join the national conversation this week by posting your commitment to end suicide at Tech using #jacketsendingsuicide.