This semester, UNI saw two of its students take their own lives on campus. In light of this, the UNI Counseling Center urges students to reach out to get support and help with whatever mental and emotional struggles they may be dealing with.

Last week, Kyle Raarup, a sophomore business marketing major, died in his dorm room. Raarup was from Wyoming, MN and was actively involved in Dancer Hall where he worked as a desk assistant and served as the  Senate Treasurer.

Claire Collins, UNI sophomore communications and public relations major, met Raarup in 2014 and considered him to be one of her closest friends.

Collins said her favorite memory of him took place after Christmas break last year, when Raarup helped her unpack and began imitating her while trying on clothes that she brought back from home.

“He was just one of those people that literally lifted my spirits no matter what,” Collins said.

Sophomore business administration major, Malia Gudenkauf, also met Raarup her freshman year at UNI.

“Kyle was probably the most kindhearted, genuine guy that I ever came across here at UNI,” Gudenkauf said.

Gudenkauf and Collins have been looking into mental health-related issues and attempting to get their questions answered through the UNI Student Health Center.

David Towle, licensed psychologist and director of the UNI Counseling Center, encourages students to take advantage of the services provided by the UNI Counseling Center.

According to Towle, the UNI Counseling Center tends to see a heavy demand for their services from midterms through the end of the semester.

“A factor, in terms of counseling center work, is the academic calendar,” Towle said. “It kind of affects when people seek counseling.”

Towle mentioned that overwhelming feelings caused from college finals can potentially add to depression that may already exist. He also believes the holidays may create stress and expectations that are hard to meet for some individuals.

According to Towle, the Counseling Center does not always have enough staff to meet the demands of the students. However, according to Towle, the Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS), in which they must meet the standard ratio of counselors to students.

Towle went on to say that the IACS requires one counselor for every 1,000 – 1,500 students, meaning the university must have eight to 12 counselors on staff during the academic year.

“We have had eight counselors, full-time, for a few years now,” said Towle. “But thedemand for our services continues to grow and the number of people that we provide services to continues to increase.”

For the past few years, the Counseling Center has hired part-time temporary counselors to offer more appointments to the students.

“But even with the additional help, we probably don’t have enough resources to meet the needs of students,” Towle said.

At the beginning of the fall semester, the Counseling Center began offering after-hours crisis counseling to students. Students are able to call the Counseling Center and get connected to a Crisis Counselor to discuss their immediate concerns.

In the past, students were asked to call the Public Safety Dispatch number and would then wait for a call back from a counselor.

“I think that probably some students were reluctant to call Public Safety,” Towle said. “So we’ve had an increase in the number of people who are receiving after hours crisis counseling now compared to previous years.”

Collins also plans to visit with her counselor over Thanksgiving break.

“I just think it’s important that people know that coming to terms with your feelings is extremely important, and just because you’re going to seek help does not mean that there’s something wrong with you,” Collins said. “It means that you’re wanting to get your emotions and everything straight.”

Towle also feels that student organizations on campus can continue to be beneficial to students who are grieving or are in need of help and support.

“The more that we can talk about the issue, the better it is for all of us,” said Towle.