TCNJ campus lawn strewn with 1,100 backpacks in suicide awareness display

EWING -- More than 1,100 backpacks were scattered on the grass outside The College of New Jersey's Green Hall Tuesday to signify the number of college students who commit suicide each year.

Some bags had names and stories written by family and friends of the deceased.

"They say 'The good die young.' However, I think it was too soon for you to go," one said. Another said, "There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him, my heart aches for him and I wish he was still here to hug."

The backpacks were part of a national traveling awareness exhibit called Send Silence Packing from a nonprofit called Active Minds. It was started in 2003 by Alison Malmon, a then-University of Pennsylvania student who lost her brother, Brian, to suicide and wanted to change the culture on campus.

TCNJ was one of 12 stops on Active Minds' Northeast tour. The display coincides with TCNJ Cares Week, which features events around care, wellness and suicide awareness, and included information about mental health, suicide prevention and where to find help.

Madeline Dec, a member of TCNJ's Active Minds chapter, said that in the past three years, three TCNJ students have taken their own lives.

"It's a really good event to put a name and a face to the statistics because every single backpack has a story," said freshman Jessie Geevers, 19, who is also part of the group. "It's something that we don't think about every single day, but looking at the backpacks is definitely a day to bring your minds around to these kinds of issues."

The group hopes to raise awareness and encourage students who need help to seek it early, said Dec, a 20-year-old sophomore.

"There's this stigma surrounding mental health that if you have something mentally wrong with you, it's not appropriate for you to reach out and seek the treatment you need," she said. "Our mission is to rip down that stigma."

Junior Giannella Todaro, 20, said the display was a necessary reminder.

"It breaks my heart just because I know that it represents people who commit suicide so it makes me really sad, but I also feel hopeful that we're doing something like this to maybe help people."

Sophomore Samantha Selikoff, 20, who helped set up the display, said the backpacks leave a strong visual impression.

"When you have that many of something, it's really powerful and it shows that something needs to be done," she said.

Selikoff said she hopes the display can help bring attention to mental health issues.

"Suicide can often be an elephant in the room and no one really wants to talk about it," she said. "This TCNJ Cares Week has brought a lot of attention to it and has made a lot of people aware of the situation."

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

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