Kolina Stieber
Exponent

The death of close friend and UW-Platteville student Jill Uppena has prompted a group of students to join together and form a UW-P Yellow Ribbon Chapter.

Yellow Ribbon is an organization that was developed in 1994, when Mike Emme, a 17-year-old boy, committed suicide. Yellow was chosen because it was the color of Emme's car. The organization has worked to develop suicide prevention education for all ages, Jennifer Mason, a graduate student leading the organization's development, said.

This year the group would like to get a chapter established in Platteville, create awareness and set up support groups for people with depression, Chris Badtke, Sigma Phi Epsilon member, said.

"Personally, I think a lot of people on campus don't feel good about themselves or their situations and we want to do something about it," Badtke said.

Kimberly Tuescher is the faculty adviser for Yellow Ribbon and a counselor education professor. Training for suicide prevention is available for members through the national branch, Mason said.

The goal is that by the end of next year, the group will have widespread suicide prevention training on campus, Mason said.

Yellow Ribbon has also developed a yellow card system for people who think they might harm themselves. A person puts their name on the card and leaves it where they want a friend to find it, Mason said. Individuals who receive a yellow card from someone are supposed to look on the back and follow the instructions given.

"Many who are affected by suicide are at a developmental stage of having a fear of being judged by our peers," Mason said. "The card offers a non-confrontational way to ask for help without having to find the words."

Already a nationally- and internationally- recognized organization in about 50 countries and over 2,000 campuses, the UW-P chapter is in the process of becoming a recognized student organization on campus, Mason said.

The membership process has not yet been determined for the UW-P chapter, but there are other ways to help. The group is asking all student organizations to donate $5 each and all campus departments to donate what they can from their budgets, Mason said.

"Donating gives people the ability to say 'I'm part of that campaign'," Mason said.

Uppena's sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, donated some startup money. The group will be asking SUFAC for funding once the constitution is established, Mason said.

"We chose to support Yellow Ribbon because it hits close to home," Via Simenz, Gamma Phi Beta vice president, said. "We feel that if we can get the word out about suicide awareness and prevention, we can help other people avoid the pain we went through."

For more information, please contact Jennifer Mason at 608-342-1798 or masonje@uwplatt.edu.