USF won’t install more physical protections following recent on-campus suicide

A view from the seventh floor of the Interdisciplinary Sciences building, which has a wide opening in the middle that’s protected by a railing. USF says it has no plans to install additional physical protections. ORACLE PHOTO/CLINTON ENGELBERGER

USF will not be implementing additional physical safety measures over a month after a student leapt from an upper floor inside the Interdisciplinary Sciences building, USF spokeswoman Althea Johnson said.

The incident marked the third on-campus suicide since fall 2022.

A week after a student fell from an upper floor of Beard Garage in 2022, USF announced a multi-million dollar initiative to install protective fences and signage to upper levels of each on-campus parking garage. Buffering landscape, including large trees and shrubbery, were also added around their perimeters.

Last month’s death was the first since then to not occur at a parking garage. The seven-story Interdisciplinary Sciences building features a wide opening in the middle of each floor similar to that of the Marshall Student Center.

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Johnson didn’t comment on whether campus infrastructure was a safety concern at the time of publication.

The Oracle first contacted Johnson at the end of March asking who, if anyone, from USF administration is overseeing suicide prevention efforts.

After repeated follow-ups, Johnson did not answer at the time of publication.

In her initial statements to The Oracle, Johnson didn’t clarify if USF was considering new suicide prevention measures in response to the death.

However, she reiterated on Tuesday what Wellness had told The Oracle last week – early plans could see a designated suicide prevention coordinator or a peer-facilitated support program.

The student who recently died did not seek university mental health resources, a police report said.

After last month’s death, a USF leader has not made any public comments about the suicide, a break from what leaders have previously done.

In response to the September 2022 death, Dean of Students Danielle McDonald sent a universitywide email offering supportive words to students and linking university resources.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the individual,” McDonald wrote in her email at the time. “Please take care of each other, and please use our resources if needed.”

McDonald did not send a universitywide email following last month’s death. She said on Wednesday one isn’t usually sent out after an on-campus death to respect the privacy of the victim’s family.

To honor that privacy, she said her outreach is dependent on purpose – not to inform those with “morbid curiosity.”

“We have to balance the community ‘Wants to know’ with the community ‘Needs to know,’” she said.

However, since the death in 2022 was more public and involved many unknown witnesses that presumably left the scene, McDonald said a statement was necessary to ensure everyone impacted was supported.

There were no witnesses during last month’s death, according to a police report.

McDonald said USF has effectively responded to on-campus suicides, and it has the resources to support the community.

The next step? Finding ways for students to normalize using them, McDonald said.

“I think we do a really good job with the response,” she said. “What we all hope for is to prevent.”

Here’s a list of some mental health resources USF offers:

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.