Send Silence Packing, a national traveling suicide awareness exhibit, came to College Green Tuesday.
Send Silence Packing features backpacks laid upon the ground, each representing a college student who died by suicide. Many backpacks represent a memory or story told by friends or family about the individual who was lost. Many stories mention resources and encourage others to seek help.
The exhibition set up at 8 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m. Send Silence Packing was displayed outside Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on College Green. Survivor Advocacy Program, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and others were represented in resource booths up nearby.
The exhibit came with signs that featured suicide resource emergency numbers as well as trigger warnings posted further out on the green, so students were made aware of the display.
Students walked through College Green to get to class, Uptown or home. The exhibit found itself in an area of heavy foot traffic with curious students on the go.
Lizzie Szabo, a junior studying nursing, was one student who found herself in the midst of the exhibit. She noted how many people were stopping at the exhibit.
“It’s cool to see people who are stopping and reading these stories,” Szabo said.
The convenience of the exhibit was also enhanced by the natural beauty of College Green. With autumn beginning, the exhibition found itself under falling leaves in a gentle breeze.
The exhibit was very accessible to students. Many were moved as they read each backpack. Students unexpectedly found themselves respectfully observing as they walked to class and read stories.
“For me, it’s important that the exhibit gives people the time to stop and think and read the stories,” Stephanie Rinaldi, a junior studying music therapy and the secretary of the Ohio University chapter of Active Minds, said.
Rinaldi said the exhibit is about suicide prevention. Send Silence Packing made sure to promote and provide access to suicide prevention resources.
“I don’t want to see myself become a backpack,” Rinaldi said. “It just shows that asking for help is an option. Don’t be afraid to ask.”
Some students found the display especially striking, believing that its presence on College Green was needed.
“It’s a crazy good thing to share stories and provide resources to those who might be dealing with things like suicide and depression,” Sarah Curl, a junior studying retail fashion and merchandising, said.
According to a previous Post report, Send Silence Packing began in 2008 in an inaugural display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Since then, approximately 946,710 visitors have visited the site.
Active Minds, a student organization supporting mental health awareness, was founded in 2003 by University of Pennsylvania student Alison Malmon after losing her brother, Brian Malmon, to suicide. Several colleges have formed their own Active Minds organizations since then, including OU.
Hudson Health Center has drop-in hours for mental health on the third floor from 9:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. Regular therapy session appointments can be made during a drop-in, free of charge.
The Living Learning Center has “Let’s Talk” weekly with counselors from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Friday. The after-hours hotline is 740-593-1616.
If you’re feeling suicidal, please talk to somebody. You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255; the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860; or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or in Ohio, text “4HOPE”. If you don’t like the phone, consider using the Lifeline Crisis Chat at www.crisischat.org.
