Suicide can be prevented through discussion between friends, family members and university officials, MSU health officials say.

And Olin Health Center, the MSU Counseling Center and the Department of Residence Life will use this idea to try to deter suicide with the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program.

"We're living in times with a lot of fear and we want to start a dialogue about that fear," said Dennis Martell, Olin Health Education Services coordinator.

Martell said suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 15-24, after accidental injury and before homicide.

The campus organizations will distribute display placards with information about obtaining help.

MSU's Yellow Ribbon project began a month ago when Martell was approached by Shelley Wieting, president elect of the auxiliary to the American Osteopathic Association.

The Michigan branch of the Osteopathic Association is funding the MSU Yellow Ribbon project.

"People who are considering suicide, they don't necessarily want to kill themselves; they want whatever pain is causing suicidal thoughts to stop," Wieting said. "Suicide is a long-term solution for a short-term problem."

The cards include a hot line number people can call if they are feeling suicidal.

Wieting said the cards are very important because they allow a person who is suicidal to ask - non verbally - for help from friends or family.

"All they have to do is present the card. It tells people what to do," Wieting said. "They don't have to a be a tremendously valuable resource person, they just have to realize that person needs them."

According to the 2004 National College Health Assessment 0.6 percent of students reported having attempted suicide.

When applied to the entire student population at MSU, this number comes to about 270 students who have attempted suicide, with about an additional 3,520 students that have considered suicide.

Martell encourages people to take a card when they see the display and give it to a friend or family member they are concerned about.

The displays will be set up in every residence hall and in other campus buildings. Forty-thousand cards and 75 display holders will be distributed across campus.

Paul Goldblatt, director of the Department of Residence Life, encourages all students and faculty to take cards, whether or not they live on campus.

"Suicide is an issue everywhere, for on- and off-campus students," Goldblatt said. "We want them to have access to this as a campus resource."

Martell said the cards and displays are aimed at starting a campus dialogue about suicide - a pervasive but largely ignored problem in society.

According to the 2004 NCHA data, 9.8 percent of students surveyed had ever received information about suicide.

MSU has one of the lowest suicide rates in the Big Ten, said David Novicki, a professional counselor at the MSU Counseling Center.

However, Martell said MSU is the first university in the group to implement the Yellow Ribbon project as a campus-wide goal.

Novicki said 1,000 suicides occur on campuses across the country nationally, but students have lower suicide rates than non-students in the 18-20 age group.

He attributes this difference to the resources available to students.

These facilities include the Counseling Center in addition to Olin Health Center and the psychiatry center in Fee Hall.

Off-campus resources also are available such the Listening Ear Crisis Center.

Wieting said multiple avenues of help are important when a person is facing suicide.

"As many options you can get before a person who might be considering suicide, the better their chances are," she said.