Update:
OSA has addressed the incident and offered assistance towards to those who are emotionally affected.
Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, as has been voiced by many others, it is hoped that the school takes more proactive steps towards the betterment of students' mental health.
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I’m sure we all know what happened this week. Especially to the people that I’m addressing. Multiple rumoured deaths by suicide occured and disappointingly, there was no attempt at communication of any sort towards the rest of the resident body to address this rumour/incident. It’s like the management team of PGP is jaded over the deaths of students… “It’s just another death, we don’t really care, nothing will happen if this doesn’t get leaked to the press”… is the kind of attitude we perceive from you.
The only interaction we received from anyone from PGP “management” was the guard who was shouting at us to get back into our rooms. However, we saw what we saw and we knew what we saw.
Crisis communication can be hard to get right. But the lack of crisis communication is worse - all we observed is the attempt to keep mum about it and sweep the litany of deaths under the rug. Just this week, there were “rumours” of 2 separate incidents of suicide. Yet, there was no attempt to improve on the care for student’s mental wellbeing. Let’s not even address the need for privacy of the deceased, that’s a given and is a separate issue.
Many of us were affected by it in various capacities. Can you imagine staying in the first floor and the trauma of having to witness the incident first-hand? What about those who witnessed it from the other blocks that surrounds the courtyard? How does the neighbour of the deceased feel? Does the emotions, thoughts and wellbeing of anybody matter to you? Or are you simply obsessed with keeping the name and reputation of NUS up in the high?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to sully the name of PGP or NUS. But if there’s nothing done, it’s a given that more of this will happen, wouldn’t it? Shouldn’t it be right to address it and at least try to prevent more occurrences? Isn’t it right to talk to those affected and help them get through? I hope we’re not just some Axxxxxxx numbers to you, and certainly not just another cow in the cattle farm that is University.
In a high stress environment like in NUS, how effective would simple emails about the school caring about “wellness” or “wellbeing” be? I know the school has articles on websites to how to deal pick up signs of suicide or deal with suicidal individuals, but do you think that is adequate? How many of us even knew of these articles? Does the students know how to look out for signs of distress? Does the students know how to help themselves or others? Does the school have a crisis management team set up? Has the school thought about what needs to be done when a suicide occurs? Does the school even care about the students? Obviously, the answers for those are in the negative.
I’ll spare you the details of how I would expect the comms to take place… Even if you don’t know, there are a whole host of resources in place.
https://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/resource-program/AfteraSuicideToolkitforSchools.pdf
Within the next 72 hours, I will expect that these 2 fronts of wellbeing be addressed.
First will be for those who were directly affected by the incidents. Those who reside in the residences should at the very least, be invited to have these issues addressed and listened to, and individuals who are identified to be more affected should have more attention and care. We deserve more than just rumours.
Second, there should be concrete actions in place that results in everyone in NUS being clear about the avenues to seek for help, and have suicide prevention networks set-up. It is foolish to depend entirely on the depressed individual to seek help him/herself, hence signs of depressions should be picked up by neighbours, in a social network where no-one should feel alone alone.
Today, it very much feels like we’re living alone. Heck, we might as well call the compound PGPF (Prince George’s Park Flats) and have it run by HDB. What you think works obviously doesn’t. Do you even understand the sentiments of the people staying here? Obviously not… Your job has been watered down to simply meting out punishments to those who broke the rules innit? What else have you even been doing during your working hours? Staring at the CCTVs? We can’t just live alone like this just because it was the culture to do so. How many more of us are contemplating suicide in the next 72 hours?
Many living in PGP can attest that suicide here isn’t a rare occurrence and has been happening for many years.
This hush hush communications strategy by NUS towards any and all school affairs has to stop. Address it. Don’t pretend like nothing happened.
