Spotlight On: Buckeye Campaign Against Suicide (BCAS)
Each semester, the Buckeye Campaign Against Suicide (BCAS) hosts RUOK Day?, an event that highlights resources and coping mechanisms for students and faculty to explore. We sat down with President Jenna Levanthal to learn more about the organization and its purpose here on campus:
What are you studying and why?
I am a psychology major. I am studying psychology because I am very passionate about mental health, which is also why I became BCAS president. I want to work with our youth to correctly diagnose mental health, which is something that can often be mistreated. I think it is a big part of today’s society and want to help people be more informed about what mental health is and isn’t, and how to get the resources and help they need.
What are you involved in on campus?
BCAS is my “big baby,” and is my main involvement here at Ohio State. I am also in CHAARG here on campus, which helps to change health attitudes and actions to re-create girls and their relationship with fitness.
How did you get involved with BCAS?
I discovered BCAS at the involvement fair my freshman year. I knew I was majoring in psychology and that mental health was a passion of mine, so I decided to start attending their weekly meetings. I ended up falling in love with the organization and its community. I knew I wanted to do more for the organization, so I served as a marketing coordinator last year, and ultimately became president for this school year.
Give us a quick run-down of BCAS.
BCAS is a student organization for suicide prevention. It is all about erasing the stigmas around mental illness and correctly informing people. We host R U OK? day and events around campus, and have smaller events such as the Semicolon Project, where we hand out semicolons on the oval. At our weekly meetings, we have speakers and discuss various aspects of mental health.
What is your favorite part of being involved?
My favorite part of both is helping people. Every year, people come across our events and are so grateful and really do appreciate what we do, especially those who are fearful to take the steps themselves. I truly feel like we are providing and informing people in a way they may not have ever been exposed to before, and we are getting people the help they need.
Tell us more about R U OK? Day.
For the event, we bring in on and off-campus resources for students and staff to find more ways to get help (rather than just the crisis text lines and national hotlines), and to learn healthier coping mechanisms. It is March 30 from 4–8 p.m. in the Ohio Union Performance Hall.
What do you want students to know about the campaign and how they can get involved?
Our meetings are Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in Enarson 246 for any students who are interested in joining. Suicide and mental health awareness is a very important, relevant topic that people should be correctly informed about, and BCAS provides a community for other students to know that they are not alone.
