Sunday, April 17, 2016 kicked off the Tau Mu Tau Sorority’s Annual Suicide Awareness Week. The week has included multiple events, all which are sponsored by the Tau Mu Tau Sorority. 

The first event held on Monday, was an educational lecture titled, “Suicide Awareness and Prevention” with the director of the SAVE organization, Dr. Dan Reidenberg. A second educational lecture titled, “Mindfulness in Mental Health” with Michele Rusinko was held on Tuesday followed by a sorority recruitment event on Wednesday and a chapel service and a candlelight vigil on Thursday evening. Upcoming events are a yellow-out on Friday, and partner yoga with Stephanie and Nate Otto on Saturday morning. All of these events lead up to the Suicide Awareness Banquet on Sunday, April 24, 2016.

“Our goal is to provide as much education and support we can on-campus, as suicide impacts so many of us” – Julia Rydberg

All of the events sponsored by the TMs for Suicide Awareness Week are open to anyone on campus. However, the banquet on Sunday has limited seating and an RSVP is required.

The final event hosted by the Tau Mu Tau Sorority for Suicide Awareness Week is Sunday’s  banquet. This event acts as a fundraiser, that will raise money through a silent auction and free will donations for SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) organization.

“SAVE is a non-profit organization that has the mission to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma, and service a resource to those touched by suicide,” Senior, Psychological Science and Scandinavian Studies major, and Co-president of Tau Mu Tau Sorority, Hannah Erickson said.

The Tau Mu Tau Sorority hosts other events throughout the year that also raise money for SAVE, but the banquet following Suicide Awareness Week is by far their largest fundraiser.

The philanthropy for Tau Mu Tau is Suicide Awareness/Prevention, a cause that is important to all of the members of the sorority.

“Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages 15-24 year olds. It’s a very pressing issue for those our age and also one of the most difficult issues to talk about as well. That is why I feel Suicide Awareness Week is so important,” Erickson said.

This philanthropy week for the Tau Mu Tau sorority is an important opportunity for the members to raise awareness and help everyone on campus become educated on the topic of suicide.

“Our goal is to provide as much education and support we can on-campus, as suicide impacts so many of us,” Junior, Communication Studies major and Co-president of Tau Mu Tau Sorority Julia Rydberg said.

This week is especially important nowadays, when suicide is such a pressing issue among young adults. Suicide Awareness Week not only provides the Gustavus community with opportunities to become educated on the topic of suicide, but also helps to reduce the stigma on mental illness, and give the means for open discuss on a topic that is often difficult for people to talk about.