2nd student dies from suicide within past 2 months at University of Houston

HOUSTON – Tragedy has struck the University of Houston again.

For the second time this semester, a student has died on campus in the same building. Campus leaders believe both deaths were suicides. It happened Monday at Agnes Arnold Hall and as this makeshift memorial points out, this isn’t the first incident.

The first campus death was on Feb. 15 at Agnes Arnold Hall as well. The university announced it will be canceling in-person classes at the hall Tuesday and possibly the rest of the week. They also said they are taking immediate action to limit access to the building, which was built back in 1964.

According to school officials, this is the third apparent suicide at this building since 2017.

READ MORE: Student’s body found on campus at University of Houston, police say; no foul play suspected

Renu Khator, UH’s president, tweeted that mental health is posing a serious challenge on campuses nationwide.

“I am making this a priority at UH and seeking help from our College of Medicine as well as city experts as I set up a special task force to deal with mental health in general but suicide prevention in particular,” Khator said.

Tuesday night, the university released a statement saying it is taking immediate action to limit access to Agnes Arnold Hall as they consider its future use in the short and long term.

Starting Wednesday, March 21, all classes scheduled for Agnes Arnold Hall and Agnes Arnold Auditorium(s) will be held remotely. Decisions on whether classes in the buildings will be held remotely or relocated for the remainder of the week will be made in conjunction with faculty instructors. All other activities— including CASA Testing services and student organization activities— will be relocated for the remainder of the week.

The full statement:

“Our campus community is deeply saddened by another death on campus. This is the second individual who has passed away on campus this semester, both are believed to have died by suicide.

Operations Agnes Arnold Hall Many in our community have expressed concern about Agnes Arnold Hall. We are taking immediate action to limit access to the building as we consider its future use in the short and long term.

Tomorrow (March 21) all classes scheduled for Agnes Arnold Hall and Agnes Arnold Auditorium(s) will be held remotely. Decisions on whether classes in the buildings will be held remote or relocated for the remainder of the week will be made in conjunction with faculty instructors. All other activities— including CASA Testing services and student organization activities— will be relocated for the remainder of the week.

We are working to secure access to the building, including limited access to faculty and staff offices. We are working directly with the impacted faculty and staff to instruct them on next steps.

The use of Agnes Arnold for the rest of the semester has not yet been determined. We are considering all options. Once a plan is finalized, it will be shared with our community.

Mental Health Services The building is only one aspect of these troubling events. The toll this can take on mental health cannot be overstated. We are committed to providing our faculty, staff and students with additional opportunities for mental health support. We will be providing more information on these resources in the coming days. In the meantime, we want to remind you of the resources currently available to you. If you are in imminent crisis, please call 988.

Students:

• UH Counseling and Psychological Services offers crisis support by phone 24/7 at 713-743-5454 or to make an appointment. CAPS offers a variety of services and opportunities at UH and UH at Sugar Land.
• UH students, regardless of whether you have the UH System Endorsed Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) now have 24/7 FREE access to complete assessment, counseling, individual crisis intervention, support for stress, depression, family and relationship concerns, and substance abuse.
• If you are having thoughts of suicide or feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately at 988. Counselors are also available to chat at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.

Employees:

• The Employee Assistance Program is available to all UH benefits-eligible employees and their dependents. EAP services are confidential and offered at no cost both virtually and in-person at several locations throughout the Houston area.

Many of you have taken the time to share your feedback and ideas on how to bolster mental health at UH. We have much work to do and are committed to making this an institutional priority with open dialogue addressing these issues. While in the beginning stages, UH recently became a JED campus. This is a 4-year, collaborative process of comprehensive programs and policies to build upon mental health, substance use and suicide. We will be sharing with you how, together, we can accomplish this important work.

We are a community that cares. Our thoughts are with each of you and we will have additional communications and updates in the days ahead.”

If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicide Prevention number is 9-8-8.