This letter is in response to Boston University Police Department Officer Matthew Bouras’ Perspective (“University office can help combat student depression” April 10). As president of Fearless, a new student group aimed at combating depression, I commend Officer Bouras for taking such initiative. However, I feel there are some specific points within his article which need to be addressed.
In his letter, Officer Bouras encourages students to contact the BUPD in cases of stress or when “not feeling like themselves.” He also encourages calls from students who “may want to hurt themselves.” As a survivor of depression, I can partially echo Officer Bouras’ exhortation: if you are considering suicide, it is absolutely essential that you seek immediate professional help.
However, students need to be aware that seeking help from the BUPD in particular can carry some potentially serious repercussions. In his letter, Officer Bouras also states that “these calls may turn into a medical emergency if callers admit to wanting to hurt themselves or to attempting suicide,” thus necessitating an immediate BUPD response. Suicidal statements always constitute a medical emergency — and indeed they should — but it might be better for the suicidal student if this response did not come from a BU affiliated organization, especially if he/she lives on campus.
In the BU Lifebook, there is no clause protecting suicidal or mentally ill students from discrimination or action against them by the University. There is, however, a clause that states, “The University may reassign a resident to a different accommodation … if the University, in its sole discretion, deems such reassignment necessary or advisable. Reassignment may occur as a sanction for a resident’s failure to comply with any rule/regulation, in the interests of health or safety, or for the more prudent use of resources or efficient administration of the residential system.”
Furthermore, Daily Free Press columnist Amy Margolius attempted to answer the very pertinent question, “Can a student be asked to leave housing because of depression?” (“What you really pay for at college” Feb. 23). BU spokesman Colin Riley told Amy that while a student cannot be asked to leave because they are depressed, “specific behavior” in connection with depression “may constitute grounds for dismissal.”
On March 22, our organization held a teach-in during which Fearless Secretary Jen Stanger and I explained how these specific facts may combine to impact the BU student. If you would like further information, feel free to contact us at our respective e-mail addresses (Lizzyq99@aol.com or jstanger@bu.edu) or to obtain The Daily Free Press stories at www.dailyfreepress.com (search under “fearless”). You may also visit us at the George Sherman Union Link this Thursday from 11-3 p.m. or at our meeting in the Link that evening at 7 p.m.
Despite my personal reservations, I would like to emphasize that Fearless is not dissuading students from contacting the BUPD in case of an emergency. I am advocating quite the opposite, as the main objective in these situations is always to save a life. Fearless simply wishes for students to know the particulars before they call Officer Bouras with their suicidal feelings.
Students should also be aware that they have a wide range of alternatives. Officer Bouras mentions the BU Counseling Center (353-3540), which is very effective in long-term treatment of depression. For immediate help, however, students also may want to call The Samaritans (274-8050), a crisis-intervention hotline specializing in suicide prevention or just plain 911.
All in all, I would like to applaud Officer Bouras for his concern and initiative in battling campus depression. It is important for students to know that they can count on their administration to acknowledge and assuage general concerns. In this sense, he and Fearless are on the same page: we both wish to combat the loneliness and isolation of depression by bringing it into the popular sphere.
It is our hope that in the future kindhearted officers like Bouras won’t be put in such a delicate position: Fearless hopes to collaborate with the administration to draft a more helpful, protective policy. To help us in this endeavor, please attend our meeting this Thursday where you can also learn about the fun, educational events Fearless is planning for fall semester.
Elizabeth Churchill President, Fearless CAS ’03
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