ALLENDALE, Mich. — On her first day on campus at Grand Valley State University, Reagan McLaughlin was told by a tour guide that students had jumped off the Little Mac Bridge passing over a campus ravine. She was astonished, hopeful something like that would never happen in her time as a Laker. Last December, that hope would end.
Freshman Quinn Campbell took his life jumping off the same bridge as tragically too many Lakers have before. Less than 20 feet from the bridge entrance is a tree with a memorial on the base to Patrick Ripper—another GVSU student who died by suicide on that same bridge in 2005.
"I remember seeing somebody comment someone jumped off the bridge again," said GVSU senior Logan Congdon. "And I thought, again?"
Congdon and McLaughlin teamed up to try and change the tragic trend. The pair started a Change.org petition with a simple goal—put up a safety net under the bridge. As of Thursday at 6 p.m., they are a bit more than 100 signatures away from 35,000, a mark the duo didn't think possible a few months ago.
"I was excited when we hit 100 signatures," Congdon said. "It's just really cool to see how the campus has come together and rallied around this cause."
More than just garnering support, the petition has done its job. Congdon and McLaughlin are meeting with a faculty senate member Friday for an update on the project, and a statement from the university says that "structural analysis is underway to determine if additional weight for safety barriers can be accommodated."
The results are exactly what the pair hoped for, but they are also ecstatic at the amount of community support and engagement it has provided.
"Just talking about the issue is huge," Congdon said. "A lot of people, when they're having suicidal thoughts, they don’t go see a therapist, they don’t talk about it, and then they're gone. It's really important to break the silence about it."
"People want you to get help," McLaughlin said. "They want to put up a barrier so you are likely to seek help before you do. This is so important."
More than just a physical barrier between the bridge and the chasm below, supporters say adding a net sends a message. Christy Buck, founder and executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, said the work of McLaughlin and Congdon is a first step in creating a supportive campus, and saving lives.
"I think right now what the students are starting is a conversation," Buck said, "starting a movement about something they are very worried about—that they will lose another to suicide."
Buck says a simple conversation is enough to save a life. She called the idea of a net "visibility"—acknowledgement of an illness that can be helped and provide hope, not something buried and taboo that creates more sadness and isolation.
We did reach out to GVSU, and a spokesperson sent back this statement:
Grand Valley State University is a community, and we do a great deal to tend to the mental health of our students. GVSU’s University Counseling Center offers a comprehensive array of short-term mental health services, including prevention and education programs, peer education, consultation, mental health screenings, crisis drop-in, and group and individual therapy services. In addition, the center offers monthly evidence based QPR (question, persuade, refer) suicide prevention trainings for students, faculty, and staff to form a network of support across the university. Students may also follow the University Counseling Center on social media to receive daily mental health coping skills and self-care tips.
The Little Mac Bridge on GVSU’s Allendale Campus remains safe for pedestrians. Structural analysis is underway to determine if additional weight for safety barriers can be accommodated.
If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, anxiety, mental illness or suicidal thoughts—you're not alone. Help is just a call or text away. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is callable 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255, or you can text HOME to 741741.
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