Crowd gathers at MTSU vigil to honor student’s memory; The consulting director offers support

Nearly 2,000 people gathered Wednesday evening for a prayer vigil on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University following the death of a 21-year-old student on campus.

President of MTSU Sidney McPhee announced that the campus would close the next day, allowing students and faculty to access university-provided counseling and other sources of support.

The vigil was held in front of the James E. Walker Library at MTSU.

Murfreesboro police on Wednesday identified a student, using her preferred name, Serenity Birdsong, who died by suicide in the university library.

Those in attendance included students who heard speeches from MTSU President Sidney McPhee, faculty, club sponsors and friends. Many hugged. Some carried bouquets of flowers.

Others carried posters that read, “The world is a better place where transgender people live,” carried by senior biology major Kitty Johnson. She attended the prayer vigil with her boyfriend, Jayden Smith, a biology student.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Johnson said. “I was amazed at how many people came out.”

Disaster victims: MTSU closes Tuesday after student dies on campus, counseling available

“We lost a beautiful soul”

McPheeStudent Government Association president Michai Mosby, MT Lambda president Elizabeth Cannan-Knight and Tynaz Thompson, another Campus Housing employee, spoke at the vigil.

“We lost a beautiful soul,” Thompson said, noting that Birdsong, who served as Lambda’s vice president and worked as a housing staff member, showed “the power of kindness.”

“I knew we had lost someone very important,” Cannan-Knight said.

Mosby urged his colleagues to support each other.

“You are not alone,” Mosby said. “You can seek help.”

McPhee also offered words of encouragement and asked to let others know you care.

“Every person is valuable and valued,” he said.

MTSU’s Counseling Department urges students to reach out for help

MTSU Director of Counseling Services Dr. Mary Kaye Anderson said the student’s suicide is the first in her 15-year career at the university that she has learned about on campus.

“It’s heartbreaking when this happens to your community,” said Anderson, a psychologist who spent part of Wednesday’s visits affected by the student’s death.

Anderson oversees a team of six advisors. Counseling services remained available Tuesday along with other essential services after MTSU President Sidney McPhee announced Monday that classes, the library and most offices would be closed Tuesday following the death of a student.

The university also offers debriefing sessions for employees, said Anderson, who joined the counseling services staff in 2009 and accepted a promotion to director in 2018.

An expert shares the warning signs of suicide

Anderson mentioned the following group of warning signs that appear over time in people with suicidal thoughts:

• personality change, for example a change in mood from cheerful to angry and irritable

• feeling of chronic sadness and hopelessness

• having low energy levels, being constantly tired and sleeping a lot

• a change in work level, such as not going to class or turning in assignments

• giving away your personal belongings

• being vague about how they are feeling and making comments like, “I might not be here next week” or “It doesn’t matter because I might not be around”

If someone hears a friend make comments that suggest suicide, ask them what the comment means, Anderson said.

“Offer to go with them to the Counseling Center,” Anderson said. “Encourage them to go.”

Although more and more people learn early in school how to seek mental health care when needed, for others there remains a stigma of viewing mental health treatment as a weakness, Anderson said.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. “Mental health care should be viewed as just as acceptable and normal as medical care for a broken foot,” Anderson said.

“Seeking help is not a weakness,” Anderson said. “It’s a sign of strength. It shows that you are actively taking care of your health.”

Contact reporter Scott Broden with tips or questions at [email protected]. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.

MTSU provides detailed information on accessing counseling services

• Crisis support for students through MTSU Consulting Serviceslocated in the Keathley University Centre.

• The MTSU Mobile Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-704-2651;

• The three-digit suicide hotline is available 24 hours a day on 988;

• The Center for Counseling and Psychological Services can be reached at 615-898-2271;

• Employees also have access to 24/7 assistance through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by Optum Behavioral Health by calling 855-437-3486.

This article originally appeared in the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: A crowd gathers for a vigil at MTSU to remember a student who died Monday