SAN ANTONIO — The University of Texas at San Antonio canceled classes on Friday as a “day of reflection” after a doctoral student was found dead in a “likely suicide” on Wednesday, the university said. the official said.
UTSA leadership announced the student’s death in a message to university officials Thursday and announced plans to hold a free assistance program on campus in place of Friday classes. The doctoral student was found dead in a campus parking lot Wednesday morning.
“We are committed to listening to you and taking faster and stronger action to address these needs.To support you and our entire campus community tomorrow, we will We are canceling all classes and sharing a day of reflection to pause, reflect, and care for each other,” the message said. “We encourage you to come to campus, take advantage of our resources, and participate in our free support programs throughout the day.”
The programs offered on Friday are:
Counseling sessions are available to all students at Wellness 360 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Suicide Prevention Bystander Intervention Training will be offered in-person in the Wellbeing Conference Room from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and virtually from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Join us for campus recreation from 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Mental health screening resources with peer and professional support will be provided in the student union NEST from noon to 2 p.m. space. The Mindful Coloring program will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Downtown Student Success Center. Graduate students may join their peers in the reflection space in the Biotechnology Science and Engineering Building from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Finally, UTSA will continue to host two athletic events that are free to students: a baseball game at 3 p.m., and a volleyball game at 6 p.m.
Starting Friday, the university announced it is committed to improving its wellbeing efforts, expanding its wellbeing campaign to include student listening sessions, daily mental health support resources at Sombrilla, and enhanced student programs.
“I mean it when I say reach out if you’re in trouble. If you’re feeling the pain, we’d love to hear from you. If you have any ideas that can help us improve our efforts in this area, we’d love to hear from you. If you have one, please share it,” the message to students said. “Let us continue to listen, lend a helping hand when needed, and address the well-being head-on for the growth, health, and care of the entire UTSA family.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, we encourage you to call 988 or head to the National Crisis Lifeline.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services offers a variety of resources to those facing hardship.
