As an NYU student who has attempted suicide while at school, I know how important effective outreach is. And I know what isn’t working with the outreach that NYU has in place now. Not that it is ineffective—that is, of course, untrue. I’m sure there have been many, many students who have been reached through UCS and the Wellness Center. However, I also know that there is another large population that is completely turned off by the tactics used by the administration. If I exist, there have to be others like me. Those are the kids that Icarus at NYU aims to reach.

The idea of a suicide contagion is that when a suicide occurs in a community it may encourage other members of that community to commit suicide. A suicide contagion may also be referred to a cluster of suicides. In a report published by the New York State Office of Mental Health in 2004, they discussed the idea of a suicide contagion as a special risk factor for college students. The report said, “College students appear to be particularly susceptible to suicide contagion/imitation. In recent years, a number of suicide clusters, usually involving jumping from heights, have been reported on college campuses. Within New York State, apparent suicide clusters have occurred at Cornell University and New York University.” The cluster of suicides at NYU occurred during the 2003-2004 academic year and was heavily publicized by the media. This episode of a suicide cluster instilled much fear in the NYU administration.