In order to increase awareness of student suicide and depression, Frogs CARE planned a week of events devoted to mental health issues.

Yvonne Giovanis, associate director of the Alcohol and Drug Education Center, said the kickoff event for Never Walk Alone, a series of events related to mental health awareness, would begin Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. in the Campus Commons.

Tuesday night’s event will include guest speakers, food and prizes, as well as a moment of recognition for how suicide has affected the university, Frogs CARE peer educator Nicole Nava said.

The event will also encourage students to register for the pedometer challenge. Students would receive a pedometer to attach to their belt, which counts an individual’s steps and calculates the distance they have walked.

Throughout the week, student members of Frogs CARE also planned to put together a “pay it forward” event. Students would write encouraging words on a note and give it to a friend or even someone they did not know, Nava said.

“The idea is that you never know how far encouraging words will go for anyone on any given day,” Nava said.

Nava became inspired to partner with various on-campus organizations and organize the week’s events after attending a suicide prevention training hosted by the university’s counseling session, Giovanis said.

On Thursday, Frogs CARE will co-promote a health expo with Campus Life regarding mental health issues that affect college students, Nava said.

“It’s more just letting people know what resources that they have on campus,” Nava said. “But it’s also just educating them about how common things like anxiety and depression are.”

Although the week of events would shed light on suicides that had taken place in the university community, the events were intended to be uplifting and positive. None of the events were meant to make it seem as if there could be a suicide epidemic on campus, Nava said.

“We are not having a vigil or memorial, so much as reminding each other of our common struggles,” Giovanis said.

Having these conversations and being able to separate what is myth and what is fact, along with comparing experiences at other universities is instrumental in helping students get a better handle on these health issues, Eric Wood, assistant director of the counseling center, said.

“We certainly hope they will take away information about resources, knowledge about the issues members of our community struggle with and a feeling of hope and support,” Giovanis said.