Losing one of his best friends to suicide this fall didn’t stop Jeff Melanson from stepping up to do something about it.

Melanson, senior social sciences major, began the 2007 fall semester with one of his closest friends committing suicide on the first Wednesday.

He and his friends were devastated.

“I’ve seen what happens afterwards to the victim’s loved ones, and I can sympathize,” Melanson said.

Because he is a Student Senate member, he had the opportunity to make a difference.

Melanson planned to start small and eventually draw support to his cause. He decided in early fall of 2007 to form a Suicide Awareness Initiative Committee in conjunction with Eastern’s Counseling Center.

A Center for Disease Control and Prevention study cites suicide as the third leading cause of death among 18 to 21-year-olds.

Often, whenever suicide comes up in discussion, or when people talk about depression, they don’t feel comfortable talking about it, Melanson said.

“It’s a sensitive issue, obviously – but our age group is under attack,” he said. “It can’t afford to be a sensitive issue any longer.”

Melanson wants students to be able to make a change.

“We need to raise awareness about suicide, why and how people choose it, and do more than just acknowledge it exists,” he said.

He has many ideas to implement this year – and little time to do so.

Because Melanson will begin student teaching in spring 2008, he will be unable to see his new vision through on his own.

He needed help.

Melanson sought aid for the initiative through the counseling center and the creation of a committee of students.

Drawing on members of student government, as well as concerned students from across Eastern’s campus, he formed the Suicide Awareness Initiative Committee in late October. The committee had its first meeting Oct. 25 to discuss events for the rest of the year, as well as what kind of research Melanson needed help with.

The committee comprises nine non-senate members; however, Melanson has recently recruited more Greek members and other members of student government to help boost membership.

“I’ve known people close to me who have committed suicide,” said Hannah Morgenroth, junior therapeutic recreation major and committee member. “I’ve felt helpless at times like those, and this program will help make a big difference.”

In the last month alone, family members of suicide victims who have been touched and inspired by his commitment have contacted Melanson.

Many of these speakers have offered to meet with him and other students on campus in the future.

Tom Smith is one such speaker.

Tom is the father of Karla Smith, who committed suicide in 2003 after struggling with bipolar disorder. Melanson initially planned to have Tom come from St. Louis and speak on campus Nov. 16, but he chose not to because the day was the Friday before Thanksgiving break.

Melanson also spoke with the father of Thomas Bonine, a former Illinois student who committed suicide in 1998. Bonine’s father recently contacted Melanson about the possibility to meet with him.

The committee also has an advisory committee that helps coordinate and improve ideas. Student Life Director Ceci Brinker and Counseling Center Director Sandra Cox play significant roles in the committee.

Melanson also met with Eastern President Bill Perry on Oct. 30 to introduce him to the initiative and its plans for the semester. Melanson said Perry is “on board.”

While many events on Eastern’s campus are coordinating with the committee, some have been moving separately.

Although the counseling center began the Suicide Awareness Month in the first week of October, Melanson said his committee’s events are completely different than the center’s.

Melanson said he hopes to attract more students to the committee, especially as he prepares to hand it off to a new leader.

“I have this big vision for the program, and not just here at EIU,” he said. “Any student who wants to help lead or even just make a difference – this is the place to do it.”

The committee is not yet an official part of Student Senate, even though the senate approved the committee’s executive positions of vice president and secretary Oct. 31.

Melanson has plans to make the committee an ad-hoc, or unofficial committee permanently within student government, and is drafting a bill for submission to be possibly tabled by next Wednesday’s senate meeting.

At last Thursday’s Apportionment Board meeting, he was approved $554 to pay for advertisements, binders, paper and the first planned event of the fall 2007 semester.

In addition to teen suicide education and awareness events, Melanson also wants to create focus groups – opportunities for students to meet with Eastern counselors on a regular basis.

“If we’re going to do focus groups, it would be kind of a good idea to have a counselor at them, since it’s their expertise,” he said.

Melanson is looking for a counselor from the counseling center to attend the committee meetings regularly. Although Sandra Cox is on the advisory committee, she has been busy lately with the events and has been unable to come, he said.

Melanson hopes to involve more departments across campus and Charleston.

He encourages non-academic organizations to contact him if they want to help, talk with him or have him speak about his experiences and ideas.

“It’s not just something we’re focusing on for campus,” said Amber Longtin, sophomore elementary education major and committee member. “We’re trying to make a difference across the state, too, and at the capitol.”

Melanson has paid several visits to Springfield this semester as part of a lobbying campaign to do more than present facts to the Illinois House.

“The last thing I want is a message with no action in the state,” Melanson said. “We need more than just awareness.”

He hopes after speaking with State Rep. Chapin Rose-R, they both can coordinate stronger programs throughout the state with an emphasis on suicide prevention and mental health.

Melanson said the committee covers other issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and mental health.

Speaking for himself and not for the committee, Melanson said he was displeased with the outcome of Jill Manges’ mental health and judicial affairs case.

“I am not happy at all with what happened,” he said. “I haven’t had a lot of time to do more research on the whole event, but I expect the committee addresses it in the future, even when I’m gone next semester.”

On Dec. 2, 2006, former Eastern student Mark Apa was found dead in the Phi Kappa Alpha house as a result of asphyxiation, or by hanging. Following an investigation, his death was ruled a suicide by a Coles County jury Jan. 10, 2007.

Although Mark Apa’s death is an example of why Melanson wants to do something about teen suicide, Melanson said that particular case is not his primary motivation.

However, Lindsey Sayre, junior psychology major on the committee, said among her motivations for joining was her connection to Apa.

“I was friends with him and his family members,” Sayre said. “We need to let people know that they aren’t alone and that EIU has help for them.”

Melanson and the other members of the committee strongly encourage everyone to stay friends with people who may be acting unusual or suicidal.

“If you know someone who’s thinking about it, it’s up to you to break that trust and tell someone who can help. Let the counseling center know,” Melanson said. “Ask yourself: Would you sooner be a friend to someone who’s alive now, or a friend to someone who’s dead?”

The Suicide Awareness Initiative Committee meets every week at 8:15 p.m. Thursday in the Bridge Lounge of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.