Alex Palmieri – News Writer
Active Minds has been working with the Student Affairs Administration to have resources placed on the back of all student ID cards.
Denise Zack, coordinator of Active Minds, said one of the resources that will be initiated onto the student cards is an 800 number that students can contact anytime for suicide prevention. Zack said she is working with Dr. Tracy Tyree, vice president of student affairs, to determine which numbers would be best on the ID cards.
“We want it to be all inclusive,” said Zack. “We want it to meet the broadest needs for our student population.”
Zack said this has been approved, but she is just not sure when it will come into effect. She added Student Affairs has always been incredibly supportive of the process, but they just wanted to be sure they were doing it the right way.
“I think anytime a student has access to a resource, it increases the likelihood that they will seek services. If that number is on the back, [of the ID card] and it’s 2 in the morning, and they need help and they don’t know where to turn, and they know that number is on the back of their card, I think that’s a pretty good resource to have.”
Though this will not come into effect just yet, the process is moving forward. Alyssa Korzon, president of Active Minds, said they have been fighting to get the suicide prevention hotline number on the back of the Hoot Loot cards.
“It’s really exciting,” said Korzon. “But that’s all we know right now. I’m hoping this is something that’s going to be going through for next semester. But that’s my hope.”
This change would be a proactive way to get students the help they need. Korzon said though the population of students that are suicidal are pretty small, the suicide prevention hotline on the back of cards would be essential because this will help everyone that is suicidal.
“They have a whole website,” said Korzon, “There’s a million reasons to call for everyone who is struggling. Or even if you’re just concerned about a friend who is displaying concerning signs, you can call in order to ask what to do about your friend and how to get them help.”