TCU students work together to promote suicide awareness and prevention

By Anna Gasowski, Staff Writer

Published Sep 19, 2025

Members of the TCU Campus Recreation and Wellness Promotion, Olivia Jacob, Mama Susso, Lance Viscioni-Wilson and Janea McCoy, are pictured hosting a tabling event to give encouragement to students and share information about suicide prevention.

The 132 white chairs in the Campus Commons last week represented the average number of suicides per day in the United States.

The chairs were part of an effort to raise student awareness about the importance of suicide prevention and awareness.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college-aged young adults in the United States, according to a manuscript published by the National Library of Medicine.

In addition to the 132 chairs that were set up in the Campus Commons, many signs were also posted to share facts about suicide and QR codes leading to resources for students. (Anna Gasowski)

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. TCU recognized it by hosting events through the Campus Recreation and Wellness Promotion last week.

“The purpose of our event is to show resources and to let students know that people are there for them, and we want to spread awareness on campus,” Olivia Jacob, a Frog Life peer educator and sophomore strategic communications major, said.

Frog Life is a peer education organization within the wellness education department. Frog Life members educate others about wellness topics including stress management, sleep, fitness, sexual health, nutrition, substance use and relationships.

“I think it’s super important to raise awareness about issues regarding wellness,” Libby Bourland, a Frog Life educator and sophomore strategic communications major, said. “The fact that peers are the ones leading the outreach is great because students will listen to their peers more than adults.”

Frog Life stresses the importance of being educated on the warning signs and risk factors of suicide and intervening for a peer when needed.

“Any positive action, encouragement, care or even smiling at someone can be enough, and everyone has a role in preventing suicide,” Janea McCoy, a graduate assistant for wellness education, said. “Checking in on someone, if you notice something or you feel that tingling that something’s not right, can be enough to save a life.”

Graph of number of suicides per year from 2000-2023. (Data courtesy of the CDC, graph by Anna Gasowski courtesy of Microsoft Excel)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of suicides per year has steadily increased over time from 2000-2023 among all ages.

TCU provides multiple ways to address student mental health and crisis situations. The on-campus 24/7 phone counseling helpline number is 817-257-SAFE (7233). The TCU Counseling & Mental Health Center has a counselor on call Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Anyone can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, a free, confidential national hotline that connects callers with a trained crisis counselor, by calling 988.