The SigEps at Marquette have rallied behind a cause championed by their university’s first lady, Amy Lovell. Lovell is executive director and president of REDgen, a nonprofit focused on delivering mental health support and resources.
Brothers saw a strong connection between SigEp’s values and REDgen’s, a group whose mission is to “foster active community conversations around what it means to live a healthy, balanced life with authentic success.”
The chapter asked Lovell to attend a meeting and provide training in the QPR technique of suicide prevention. QPR, which stands for Question Persuade Refer, empowers trainees to identify and refer those at risk of suicide. Today, 23 Marquette SigEps are QPR-trained Gatekeepers, and open conversations about mental health have become a core component of weekly chapter meetings.
The chapter is also raising awareness about mental health at Marquette. This fall, it partnered with Active Minds, a student-led mental health advocacy group, to set up hundreds of backpacks around campus representing the lives of college students lost to suicide.
A video documenting their efforts will be available this fall.
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