While student suicides at New York University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have shaken those campuses in the past few years, Boston University has been spared these incidents. BU should be commended for providing the nurturing environment and array of mental services that must have resulted in its low suicide rate.

Boston University aggressively takes on suicide, responding to every suicide threat sensitively. University psychiatrists will intervene as soon as a vulnerable student calls authorities, bringing the student to psychiatrist treatment for even the smallest threats. At the Danielsen Institute or University Chaplains, suicidal students can get psychiatric treatment for suicidal thoughts and other mental conditions, including substance abuse or eating disorders.

At the college level, the school combats suicide by focusing on students’ most vulnerable periods, such as the first few months of freshmen year. Schools like the College of Communication enforce intensive freshmen orientation programs to make sure freshmen have a support system while they adjust to college and do not succumb to the stresses of homesickness.

COM’s Peer Advisor program has proven to be successful over and over again by creating tiny communities that students can join as they undergo one of the most difficult transitions of their life. Other schools have similar programs, including the Freshmen Resource Advisor program in the College of Arts and Sciences. These programs create small, unified groups in a large and fragmented university. While BU and NYU are similar in size and caliber, BU has not reported nearly as many suicides as NYU has. The community binding BU groups may have made the difference.

Besides many programs, Boston University simply has a good atmosphere that does not bring students over the edge. Compared to schools such as MIT, BU has students who are not too competitive with one another. Professors do not pit students against each other. While BU may not have the reputation of MIT, its less intense, friendlier academic atmosphere is undoubtedly allows a healthier environment for its students.

On Jan. 6, 2002, Anthony Brucato, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, committed suicide while he was on his winter break. With the range of support students have access to, such a death should not happen. Students who are worried for their friends or worried for themselves should not keep their problems to themselves. They should immediately contact a university counseling center. Considering the low rate of on campus suicide, the school has proven that it will make the effort to reach out to such students.

Students often complain that BU is insensitive to them by prohibiting cable and enforcing a harsh guest policy. But when it comes to suicide, the school has shown to be remarkably sensitive. By treating even the slightest threats as possible suicides and offering an array of support services, the school has created a comfortable environment that has resulted in a low suicide rate.