“You can do this,” “It’s OK to not be OK,” and “Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing” are some of the quotes that can change a negative thought into a positive one.
Cassidy Tippets, a senior business administration major from Mapleton, has had friends confide in her about their suicidal thoughts and told her she was their “saving grace.”
“When I was a senior in high school, I had a friend attempt, and I had texted her and her mom heard her phone ring,” Tippets said. “It was me sending the message, and that was what saved her because [her mom] was able to get her to the hospital in time.”
Tippets was approached about the Mirror Project the beginning of October after a Dixie State University alumna contacted Dean of Students Del Beatty about the project. See Your Strength, owned by DSU alumna Amber Murray, is a mirror decal company that creates stickers with empowering quotes. As part of the project, a selection of 10 quotes will be placed on mirrors in bathrooms across campus. Below the sticker will read, “If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide text the word HELP to 741-741.”
She automatically took the project on because of her passion for suicide awareness and prevention, which she used as her platform when she competed in the Miss Dixie Pageant on Tuesday. Tippets received the first batch of stickers on Monday and has already put a few of them up on the mirrors of the bathrooms in the Gardner Student Center.
Beatty hopes students will utilize the text service if they need to.
“Sometimes just talking to a therapist maintains balance again,” he said. “The therapist is trained to know whether or not [someone] needs additional intervention.”
Beatty had to go through facilities management to approve the project and talk to everyone who cleans the restrooms to make sure the stickers aren’t taken down. Beatty said the agreement with facilities management was to test out the stickers for a couple of months to see how long they last and how well they hold up when cleaned over. After those things are tested, he said he hopes to leave the stickers up for as long as possible.
As Student Body President, Ezra Hainsworth, a senior communication major from St. George, he recognizes that all students experience tough times.
“College is tough,” Hainsworth said. “Not everyone has thoughts of suicide, but everyone has bad days, so our hope is to change any negative thoughts into positive ones, even if it’s for a quick second.”
Tippets said the rest of the stickers will be placed this week.
“I hope that by putting these quotes up, it will help [people] realize these small quotes can help them get through the day,” she said.