Moore spoke of her experience at a suicide prevention and awareness event organized by Theta Chi on Wednesday night. The event was the fraternity’s main health and safety event for the semester.
“I look back at those events and I wish I knew so much more,” Moore said. “After getting through that, I personally decided I could do better work here at IU with helping students.”
Moore is now a trainer for safeTALK workshops, which teach groups how to be aware of and help those who may be suicidal. She is also the chair of the Bloomington Out of Darkness Walk for suicide prevention and awareness, which raises money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“This is tough to talk about, and a lot of people don’t think it matters until it happens to someone you’re close to,” said Tyler Kacich, the vice president of health and safety for Theta Chi. “But one of my close friends from high school killed himself this summer, there was a suicide in Zeta Tau Alpha a year or so ago that shook a lot of people, and this is a growing issue on college campuses.”
Moore was one of three speakers at the event. Her cousin, Shari Allman, spoke of her own suicide experience.
“I’m a success story,” Allman said. “Or a failure story, if you want to look at it that way. I failed to kill myself twice. But if I hadn’t failed, I wouldn’t have ended up with four beautiful children, a huge family and the friends I surround myself with.”
One of the most important things to do was to find someone to talk to, whether that be a friend, a doctor or another trusted source, Allman said. She described suicidal thoughts as being in a dark hole, and it takes a lot of help to get out of the hole.
The final speaker at the event talked about how to find that help. Eric Samuels, a doctoral intern at IU Counseling and Psychological Services, spoke about the resources CAPS provides for students as well as strategies for helping students who might be suicidal. It is important to focus on instilling hope instead of being critical, even when asking difficult questions, Samuels said.
“You may have to directly ask someone if he’s thinking about killing himself,” Samuels said. “It’s really hard to ask, but it’s essential that you ask that question. Don’t beat around the bush.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students. This makes it even more important for everyone on campus to look out for each other and keep each other safe, Samuels said.
The event also raised money through donations for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The foundation funds research, educational programs and public policy initiatives for suicide prevention and awareness.
“I have no idea what the long-term benefits of having this event will be,” Kacich said. “But if just one person learns from it and knows who to go to and what to do now, then it’s worth it.”
All three speakers emphasized the importance of students helping the friends and classmates around them find support and hope.
“There is a future,” Allman said. “You might not be able to see it right now. But who knows what kind of impact you can make down the road if you stay here.”
