Suicide: The Empire Strikes Back

Well, if you’ve read my previous entry about SGA’s suicide tree, or you read the University Echo editorials, or you happen to go to SGA’s meetings, then you know there is some strange controversy with this tree at UTC.

It’s very likely that the only people truly warring about this issue is SGA and The Echo, who, quite frankly, have a strange relationship. But the facts are these. While I may not have stood up at the SGA meeting and expressed my views, no one had asked me. For me to volunteer them it would have been stepping in front of a moving train. My thoughts have been, are, and will be recorded here.

For those of you just tuning in, A student at UTC killed himself. It is, truthfully tragic. As a young reporteresque student, I was very interested in hearing the tale. I still don’t know every detail, but that’s not the important aspect. What is, at this point, the important part, is that the Student Government Association (SGA) held a memorial for this student. Fine. That’s good. And they planted a memorial tree. Thus enshrining a suicide.

As soon as I heard about the “suicide tree” I, quite naturally, told my friends at the Echo. I also voiced my opinion that it was wrong. I also ranted about my feelings on this here blog.

Then a ball started rolling. An editorial was written in the paper which reflects my views, but differs from my thoughts in a few small places. I would have worded things a bit different, but whatever. The point is that this editorial infuriated SGA President Bill Staley.

He said some nasty things about the Echo, the Echo became angry with him, and a Letter To the Editor will be sent and theoretically published in tomorrow’s issue. Staley expressed desires to move on from this incident, put water under the bridge and what not.

Personally, I think it will only be a matter of time before someone’s toes are stepped on again. We still don’t agree on this subject, and he fails to see where we’re going with the point. Staley, at least in his SGA rant about The Echo being sloppy and sucky, seemed to focus on “SGA only planting a tree in his honor”. That isn’t the point. I know SGA moved some funds for counseling in hopes of preventing future suicide. I know they aided in the memorial service. This is great. Honestly, I’m not being sarcastic, SGA did exactly what they should have in that regard. And I praise them for that. But it doesn’t change my feelings. This student lived his life, then lost hope at some point. Then he committed suicide. Self-murder. A memorial service should be in order to respect who he was, but he should not get a memorial tree.

I really feel for his family, and I grieve for them. But what he did isn’t something accidental. He wasn’t murdered. He wasn’t killed in a car wreak. Death did not come and take him. He threw away the gift of life. He doesn’t deserve immortalizing. Because future students won’t see this as “the suicide tree”. They will see it as “the tragic accidental death tree”.

I am very sorry if you feel I’m misguided or insensitive. This person isn’t a victim. I can not side with something that treats him as if he were.

While I’m sure few people feel as strong as I do about this issue, I will report on Staley’s letter, as well as any other developments related to this issue. I suppose I’ve become emotionally involved enough that I’ll have to see this through. And President Staley, if you read this, I’d be happy to talk to you about this issue. I have nothing against you, but I disagree with you on this issue.

UPDATE: I know this doesn’t need to be longer, but I found a way to more simply express my feelings on this. Albeit possibly more offensive. So the update:

It is very difficult sometimes. There are times that I lose hope. There are times that I really don’t want to get out of bed in the morning. Life comes with the bad and the good. So when things got bad, this person folded and killed himself. And he gets a tree to immortalize him. So what about me? What about you? What about everyone else who was stronger? We don’t get a tree because we were strong enough to push through. He got a tree for giving up.

~ by James on November 15, 2007.