Purdue offers resources
to help students grieve
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
In the last week, three Purdue students died unexpectedly.
For those who need help coping with the loss, Purdue has resources available.
"There are several things we can offer students,"
said Susan Prieto-Welch, the assistant director of Counseling and Psychological
Services.
"Any student who wants to can talk individually
with someone on campus; we have somebody on call every day. The student
can call and make an appointment or come in (to a counseling office),"
said Prieto-Welch. "We'd be more than happy to meet with any student."
Groups of students can also talk with a counselor
together. "We have a liaison relationship with the residence halls so
if there is a group of students who want to sit down and talk with our
counselors, we would be more than happy to meet with them," said Prieto-Welch.
Students who are grieving need to realize that
it's OK to grieve and that they should let it happen, said Prieto-Welch.
"I think it's important to recognize that (grieving)
is going to be time limited. It's the body's and mind's way of letting
you know that something important has happened," said Prieto-Welch.
"It takes energy to deal with it, to adjust to it, to let it happen."
Prieto-Welch said that those who are grieving should
focus on what the loss means. "For some people it's really important
to touch base with other important people in their lives. For others,
their faith or spiritual life can be really important and turning to
that can be helpful."
One of the best ways to deal with the grief is
to keep to a routine, said Prieto-Welch. "Try to get as much of your
routine as possible done, realizing that it's not going to be the same
as it was before. Balancing both of those, grieving and realizing (the
loss) happened and keeping some momentum going in terms of more routine
tasks (is important)."
Some students on campus who were friends with Matthew
Cahill and Jacob Cushman, the two students who died in an auto accident
on Friday, are grieving in different ways.
Tyler Cushman-Wells, Jacob and Matthew Cushman's
sister, said that 30 people were at her house praying. "We're trying
to keep it positive," said Cushman-Wells.
Michele Miller, a junior in the School of Liberal
Arts, said a group of people visited the Cushman and the Cahill families
over the weekend to help comfort them and to pray. "It's been a really
emotional weekend. At times it would hit (people) and they would cry.
I'm thankful that I had so many friends there," said Miller.
Memorial funds will be set up for Jacob Cushman
and for Laura Williams, the Purdue student who died last weekend.
The Cushman family will set up a fund in memory
of Jacob and the money will go to Purdue's Campus Crusade for Christ.
The Laura Williams memorials will go to a children's
fund, which will be specified at a later date.
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