Laura DiMinno speaks to a group of students and faculty on suicide awareness day. Alec Williams | Criterion
Laura DiMinno speaks to a group of students and faculty on suicide awareness day. Alec Williams | Criterion

 

by Alec Williams

“We’re still here, we’re important, we matter,” Huffington Post writer Laura DiMinno said at an event that was held in the university center’s ballroom centered around suicide awareness and prevention.

CMU’s programming activities council was in charge of the talk Tuesday, Sept. 13 entitled “Learning to Love You: More Than Suicide Awareness” with guest speaker DiMinno. DiMinno is a frequent writer for the Huffington Post, often writing on topics dealing with mental health and suicide.

“There’s something here for you tonight,” DiMinno said. “and whether you get it right away, within these two hours, in the coming days, weeks, months… You will get something.”

DiMinno asked for participation from the audience on multiple occasions. At various times the students and staff were asked to “get up and move” to the music played and take deep breaths following.

“By a show of hands, myself included, how many of you have been touched by suicide?” DiMinno said, to the various audience members who raised their hands. “Awesome – not that they died by suicide, but that you’re here tonight.”

PAC was not the only organization in attendance at the event; CMU’s cultural diversity board, the western slope division of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Suicide Prevention Foundation, Albers’ Hall peer counselors and Theta XI were available at the event with tables offering pamphlets and resources for those seeking it.

Theta XI, another branch of CMU’s increasing greek life was in attendance in memory of a member they had lost to suicide.

“These gentlemen lost a brother to suicide, and so tonight is in honor of everybody who has gone before us and especially in honor of him,” DiMinno said to the fraternity members.

In attendance at the event was members of PAC, various organization members, Bob Lang, CMU’s director of diversity, advocacy and health, and ASG President Josh Dillinger. Dillinger had recently released a letter in The Criterion to the CMU student body advocating for students to seek the resources they need concerning suicidal thoughts and his own experiences with it.

“I think the content was great […] But, I don’t personally agree with everything she said on the topic. I think there were some things she went about differently than how I would,” Dillinger said. “But, that’s totally fine. I think that’s part of all of these conversations.”

Resources are available on campus for those in need of help. The student wellness center is located across the CMU tennis courts on Orchard Ave.