From Campaign to Culture Change: How Boise State’s Annual Suicide Prevention Week Is Building a Community of Care

By Molly Touger

When Boise State University kicks off Suicide Prevention Week on Sept. 9, puppies and a giant inflatable brain will be part of the action.

The unique features aren’t just fun and games — they’re intended to make mental health and suicide prevention resources more accessible and engaging to students. 

“We know we won’t solve suicide in one week, but what we can do is host events that make resources readily available, build a community and culture where we care about each other, and make it known that we want to hear from you if you’re not doing OK,” said Michelle Tassinari, LPC, NCC, Assistant Dean of Students for Outreach and Prevention at Boise State. 

Tassinari spearheaded Boise State’s first Suicide Prevention Week campaign in 2021, as students returned to campus after grappling with increased loneliness and mental health challenges during the pandemic.

“COVID fundamentally changed the way folks navigate social connections, and we looked at Suicide Prevention Week as an opportunity to model connection and create spaces where we can foster a sense of belonging,” Tassinari said. 

The first year, Boise State saw just over 300 students participate in Suicide Prevention Week activities. That number jumped to about 1,200 a year later, and in 2023 Boise State had a remarkable 2,800 students engage in suicide prevention efforts. 

The 2023 suicide prevention campaign, named Here for You, featured events such as Here for You Fest, which included an obstacle course and other interactive games, snacks, and tables from campus and community mental health organizations. Resource cards were given out at every event, so students could easily scan a QR code to get information about counseling services, crisis hotlines, and more.

Tassinari attributes the increase in participation to the formation of a planning committee, composed of representatives from the athletic department and wellness services. The committee began planning Suicide Prevention Week months in advance to increase engagement from key stakeholders, including faculty and staff, as outlined in Boise State’s new strategic plan, which it made in conjunction with JED. 

Boise State began its four-year partnership with JED through the JED Campus program in 2022 to better support student mental health and create positive systemic change. With JED, university officials created a strategic plan that prioritizes screening opportunities and prevention programming; developing life skills and social connectedness among students; mental health trainings and increasing help-seeking behaviors; and substance misuse support.

Just a year after beginning its partnership with JED and configuring a strategic plan, Boise State launched a number of key initiatives, including: 

• A mental health screening day, during which students can receive confidential mental health evaluations and get connected with support services if needed.
• Broncos Act, a medical amnesty policy that encourages students to get help if they or a friend need medical attention after drug or alcohol use. The act ensures that students who reach out for help can do so without worrying about getting in trouble with the university.
• ScreenU, an online tool that provides students with confidential screenings and personalized feedback about their alcohol, cannabis, and prescription drug use. The tool will provide the Office of the Dean of Students, wellness services, and other partners with useful data to inform future prevention efforts at Boise State. 

Since partnering with JED, Tassinari said she has noticed students taking a more proactive, rather than reactive, approach to mental health. “We’re seeing an increase in early interventions instead of students reaching out in crisis,” Tassinari said. “There’s been a shift. We are seeing more students reaching out for help and asking for support with problem-solving barriers they’re facing. This means we’re succeeding in making resources more accessible to students.”

Students themselves have noticed a change, especially in campus culture. “Suicide Prevention Week is definitely helping Boise State take a huge step in the right direction,” said Madison Leon, a 2024 Boise State graduate who assisted in planning Suicide Prevention Week. “To this day, I still see students with Here for You pins on their backpacks, and it makes me smile.” 

With the help of students and departments across campus, the Suicide Prevention Week Here for You campaign has become one of Boise State’s most visible initiatives. Tassinari hopes 2024’s campaign will bring out even more students. This year’s lineup includes several beloved events from years past, including Puppies and Popsicles, during which students will get to hang out with therapy dogs, try a sweet treat, and pick up information on whom to contact if they or a friend are in crisis. The group Idaho Helping Dogs will bring five dogs to an event that drew 550 people last year (when it featured only two dogs!). 

Students will also get to participate in You Donut Know How Much You Matter, an event at which mental health counselors hand out donuts and resource cards. “It’s a chance to see counselors outside of a clinical setting and involved in campus life,” Tassinari said. “The goal is to normalize therapy and show students that counselors are relatable humans.”

Collaborations with faculty at other JED Campuses have led to innovative ideas for how to engage students. It was a conversation with a JED Campus connection that inspired Tassinari to facilitate more campus activities at which students get something to take home, to serve as a physical reminder that hope and help are available to them. The university’s Educational Access Center and TRIO Academic Coaching and Educational Support, for example, sponsored an activity at which students planted a succulent and talked with staff about staying “rooted” during times of stress. Students were able to keep their succulent and were encouraged to practice a mindful moment after the event.

The student buy-in is there, Tassinari said. But building a community of care is a collective effort — from staff, students, faculty, and sometimes even therapy dogs. The commitment from all angles at Boise State, including university president Marlene Tromp, is what has made Suicide Prevention Week — and the institution’s approach to mental health — an increasingly successful venture.

“I’ve been at Boise State for over four years now, and folks are more willing to engage in conversations about mental health, specifically mental health in the classroom and the intersection of learning and supporting student mental health,” Tassinari said. “As a faculty member or instructor, you come in with your own line of research and specialty — mental health isn’t in everyone’s specialty. But folks are willing to get into that space and connect students to the right resources.”