Student suicide prevented by campus, local authorities

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A student intending to commit suicide from the seventh-level ledge of the Computer Science building was brought down to safety by campus and city officials this morning.

Chris Taylor, associate vice president of communication and marketing, said the student left a note describing his intentions with an academic advisor earlier that morning.

After the student rejected the advisor’s attempts to stop him, the advisor immediately notified campus police and Student Health Services. Police began a campus-wide search for the student before a faculty member spotted him at approximately 8:30 a.m.

Bill Erb, Student Health Services director and counselor, the advisor,

The student was escorted to safety after being talked down.

and campus police located the student and proceeded to speak to him. They were later joined by Orem City Police and firefighters. After roughly 30 minutes of conversation, the student was persuaded to lower himself with the aid of Orem firefighters.

According to Taylor, police transported the student to a local hospital for evaluation.

Taylor expressed relief concerning the resolution of the incident.

“It was a textbook response a situation like this,” he said. “From the advisor, to the faculty member, to Student Health Services, to UVU Police and Orem police and fire, they collectively prevented would have been a disastrous outcome.”

The Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available to those in need at 1-800-273-TALK as well as Student Health Services at 801-863-8876.

Additional reporting and writing was contributed by Celeste Rosenlof.