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help ot hers dea l w it h t he issue of suicide. “If suicide is 100 percent preventable, t hen why is it ra n ked t he t hird leading cause for deat h? ” del Pila r sa id. “I decided to become a pa r t of t his event to sha re my ex perience w it h ot hers who a re suf fering a nd to ma ke it k now n to ever yone t hat t hey a re not a lone.” The wa l k, which w ill be held t his Sunday at Not re Da me, is intended to honor t hose lost to suicide, suppor t t hose dea ling w it h suicida l t houghts a nd ra ise awa reness for t he issue. Not re Da me senior A ma nda Br uening, event cha ir, was a lso draw n to t he project by persona l ex perience. “Someone once told me t hat menta l i l lness is somet hing you lea rn about on ly because you have to,” she sa id. “I probably wou ld not have sta r ted t his cr usade if my life had not been turned upside dow n by suicide.” Li ke del Pi la r, Br uening suf fered t he loss of a sibling to suicide before coming to col lege. “Two weeks before I g raduated high school, my litt le sister took her life at t he age of 12. There were no sig ns of menta l illness — just a g irl st r uggling to nav igate t hrough sevent h
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g rade, Br uening sa id. “Losing my sister spa rked my ow n spira l into depression a nd batt le w it h suicida l t houghts t hroughout my f reshma n yea r.” A f ter ta k ing pa r t in a n A merica n Foundat ion for Suicide Prevent ion (A FSP) wa lk in Mia mi, Br uening was inspired to devote herself to t he cause. “A f ter I t ra nsferred to Not re Da me as a sophomore, it seemed like no coincidence t hat Not re Da me was t he on ly school in t he state of India na to be w it hout a student orga ni zat ion dedicated to suppor t ing t hose w it h menta l illness,” she sa id. “Unt il last yea r, t here a lso had never been a n A FSP suicide wa lk in Sout h Bend.” This yea r’s wa lk w ill benef it severa l loca l menta l hea lt h-related nonprof it orga ni zat ions, Br uening sa id. “I was inspired f rom a Socia l Concerns Semina r where students went to Por tage Ma nor a nd v isited w it h residents who a re homeless due to chronic menta l illness,” Br uening sa id. “Memoria l Epwor t h Center a nd t he Oa k law n Foundat ion a re t wo menta l hea lt h facilit ies students may use as resources if t hey ever need to use resources of f ca mpus.” As suicide a f fects people of a ll ages a nd backg rounds, del Pila r sa id she
hopes t he event w ill connect t he colleges a nd loca l communit y behind a single cause. “I t hin k t his w ill g ive a good oppor tunit y for Not re Da me, Sa int Ma r y’s, Holy Cross a nd our surrounding communit y to come toget her a nd suppor t one a not her,” del Pila r sa id. “People who suf fer f rom menta l illnesses or have lost loved ones f rom suicide a re not a lone a nd t he pur pose of t his event is for ever yone to k now t hat a nd to g ive t hose who a re st r uggling hope.” Br uening sa id t he event is mea nt to remind t hose st r uggling w it h menta l disorders or suicida l t houghts of t he suppor t resources ava ilable, a nd to high light t he need to ex pa nd upon t hose resources. “By creat ing a communit y a round t hese issues, we ca n generate a conversat ion t hat lead to more prevent ion prog ra ms, more lives saved, a nd more illnesses in cont rol,” she sa id. “Ma ny resources f rom t he communit y a nd onca mpus w ill a lso be at t he event to a nswer a ny quest ions a nd prov ide informat ion on t heir ser v ices.” Reg ist rat ion for t he wa lk w ill beg in Sunday at 12 :30 p.m. outside t he Rock ne Memoria l Gy mnasium. Contact Jillian Barwick at jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu
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larger population of the students at Notre Dame.” Bates said these disorders can be difficult to distinguish from a healthy diet or exercise regimen. “We’ve been ta lk ing a lot in class about how sometimes it can be a blurr y line bet ween norma l behav ior, tr y ing to live hea lt hf ully, and stepping into t his zone where you’re engaging in a disordered way of liv ing,” Bates said. “There sometimes can be a f uzz y line bet ween doing t hat and hav ing t hat be a supplementa l way to live hea lt hf ully and having t hat ta ke more control of our lives.” Bates said she hopes t he Notre Dame communit y learns more about t he resources available on and of f campus for t hose struggling w it h a disorder. “The goa l of t hese activ ities is t hat we’re doing somet hing to get attention and to give people t he opportunit y to get more information to help t hemselves or t heir friends,” Bates said. “A lso, a lot of t hese activ ities w ill have eit her more information from t he nationa l eating disorders awareness website or from t he Universit y Counseling Center.” Bates said she encourages any student struggling to
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maintain a positive body image to v isit t he Counseling Center. “It’s free, completely conf identia l, and you can go in any time w it hout being diagnosed w it h any t hing,” Bates said. “You can ta lk to someone about an x iet y, stress or whatever’s bot hering you … You can learn great techniques for students struggling w it h ever yday stresses as well as students w it h somet hing more serious going on in t heir lives.” Coordinator of Eating Disorder Ser v ices at t he Universit y Counseling Center Va lerie Staples said t he Counseling Center tailors its aid to f it t he specif ic needs of students. “The Counseling Center prov ides indiv idua l and/or group counseling ser v ices to students struggling w it h eating or body image concerns … That may be experiencing disordered eating or may have a serious eating disorder,” Staples said. “For many students, t hese eating behav iors may be a sy mptom of ot her concerns as well t hat must be addressed: dif f icult y w it h emotiona l expression, stress, perfectionism, relationship/ family issues … Therapy can help students develop hea lt hy ways of managing t hese concerns and develop an improved sense of self.” Contact Nicole Michels at nmichels@nd.edu
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Pakistan leaders disavow bounty Associated Press
ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani government on Monday distanced itself from an offer by one of its Cabinet ministers to pay $100,000 to anyone who kills the maker of an anti-Islam film that has sparked violent protests across the Muslim world. The film, “Innocence of Muslims,” has enraged many Muslims for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a child molester. At least 51 people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, have been killed in violence linked to protests over the film, which also has renewed debate over freedom of expression in the U.S. and in Europe. Adding to the anger in the Muslim world was a decision by a French satirical magazine to publish lewd pictures of the prophet last week, prompting French authorities to order the temporary closure of around 20 overseas missions out of fear they’d be targeted by demonstrators. Some of the most intense and sustained protests have come in
Pakistan, where the role of Islam in society is sacrosanct and antiAmerican sentiment runs high. But even in that atmosphere, the bounty offered by Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour has drawn criticism. Bilour said Saturday that he would pay $100,000 out of his own pocket to anyone who kills the man behind the inflammatory film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. The filmmaker was forced into hiding after the 14-minute movie trailer rose to prominence. Bilour also appealed to alQaida and Taliban militants to help eliminate the filmmaker. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement Monday that the bounty on the filmmaker’s head reflected Bilour’s personal view and was not official government policy. The minister belongs to the secular Awami National Party, an ally in the government of President Asif Ali Zardari. His comments struck a nerve within his own party, which is considered anti-Taliban and has lost several leaders in the fight against the insurgency.