Vigil to honour UW students who have died by suicide
WATERLOO — Students at the University of Waterloo are organizing a vigil on Friday to commemorate the two students who died by suicide at the school.
The Vigil of Lament and Consolation will be held at the Student Life Centre at 11:30 a.m.
Nikki St. Clair, one of the vigil organizers and the student behind the petition asking the university to foster student mental health on campus, said the vigil is being held to “honour the lives we have lost to suicide and bring together the community as a whole.”
“Let’s be here for each other and support each other,” reads a Facebook page for the event.
St. Clair, who had an aunt and an acquaintance in high school die by suicide, said she was touched by the two deaths of students on campus.
“When I heard about what happened, I wouldn’t be OK if I didn’t bring awareness to what had happened,” said the second-year political science student. “I know the importance of talking about it and having the conversations that might be difficult,” she said.
On March 20, a 19-year-old first-year student died by suicide at a student residence. In January, an 18-year-old female student took her own life at a student residence.
St. Clair’s petition garnered 15,003 signatures and was presented to the associate provost of students earlier this week.
UW president Feridun Hamdullahpur announced he was creating an advisory committee on mental health. Hamdullahpur said the university will hold three open houses and plans to prepare a report to be made public in the fall.
St. Clair said she hopes the university can be more proactive by connecting with students “before they get to the stage where they are really struggling.” St. Clair said some measures to be considered include creating peer support groups for students and having professors speak openly about mental health in class. “Ask people how they are doing. Don’t be afraid,” she said.
“It’s a huge transition from high school to university,” said St. Clair, who grew up in Timmins and left home and her family to attend Waterloo.
“I reached out to my (residence) don and made friends. I was comfortable,” she said. But not all students are able to feel at home while at school, she added.
“Most students know coming to UW means it competitive and it will be tough, but they need extra support,” she said.
St. Clair said Hamdullahpur’s advisory committee and open houses are “a great place to start.”
“As students, we have ideas on what we need and what would be best for us,” she said.