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Home ― Student Life ― Counseling Center ― Suicide Prevention ― Guidelines

Suicide Prevention Guidelines

I. PURPOSE

Dakota State University is committed to the safety and health of all members of the University community. The purpose of the Suicide Prevention Education Guidelines is to ensure that members of the DSU community are provided with educational opportunities, informational components, and outreach activities and events for suicide prevention education.

II.  CAMPUS EDUCATION EFFORTS

Maintain a Suicide Prevention Education Committee consisting of students, faculty, and staff who will ensure compliance in training, programming, education, and outreach by coordinating the tasks in the Suicide Prevention Education Guidelines.

III. CRISIS INTERVENTION INFORMATION

Students and employees will receive crisis intervention access information and mental health program resource information at the beginning of each semester including but not limited to: guidelines for referral, assistance, and immediate assistance; 24-hour assistance resources; and campus, local, and national resources. This information will be distributed through various means which may include web pages, campus news sources, and literature distribution.

  1. Inform faculty, staff, and students on crisis intervention access that includes national, state, and local suicide prevention hotlines as well as the intervention functions of Viking Shield.
  2. Inform faculty, staff, and students about locally accessible mental health programs that include clinics, campus student health services, and campus counseling services.
  3. Provide all incoming students with information on mental health services, support networks, and student organizations that address mental health topics including depression, anxiety, stress, and suicide prevention.

IV. EDUCATIONAL COMPONENTS

Students and employees will receive educational material and training opportunities that focus on identifying suicide warning signs, protocols for helping someone in a mental health crisis, campus support networks, local support resources, and peer helper programs.

  1. Distribute appropriate multimedia application information supported and/or developed from respective and credible sources such as the Jed Foundation and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center that are comprehensive and focus on educational components, helping components, national hotlines, local hotlines, suicide warning signs, and local resource information.
  2. Provide student and employee training that will help participants identify someone in crisis, engage with them appropriately, and find assistance.
  3. Brand a campus suicide prevention message that utilizes safe messaging techniques in the delivery.
  4. Develop a multifaceted collaborative educational campaign during Suicide Prevention Week.

V. OUTREACH

Maintain Suicide Prevention Education outreach and engagement efforts that encourage support from the student community, campus professional community, and the wider public.

  1. Create a dedicated web page for Suicide Prevention efforts on campus
  2. Utilize national and local initiatives to support on-campus efforts
  3. Collaborate to further initiatives with on-campus constituents that include but are not limited to student organizations, academic departments, centers, etc.
  4. Establish and maintain partnerships with local, community resources
  5. Provide printed material (brochures, etc)
  6. Maintain a dedicated student program that focuses on student mental health issues