Nearly every college student, no matter their campus, carries a backpack wherever they go. That makes it a natural and recognizable symbol for an immersive exhibit about mental health awareness for this age group.
“Send Silence Packing” is a traveling exhibit that features more than 1,000 backpacks arranged on its host college’s academic quad. It made a stop at Siena on September 21 near the start of its annual national tour.
Many of the packs feature the true personal stories of someone who lost a college-aged loved one to suicide. People can walk among the packs and read and reflect on the stories. Backpacks – in addition to being so prevalent on college campuses – also symbolize that it’s hard to know what people are carrying and how heavy that load is. But we are all carrying something.
“Zachary’s death has left everyone reeling with unanswered questions,” read one story. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. My heart aches for him and I still wish he was here to hug.”
Liz Byrnes ’24 is the founding president of Siena’s new Active Minds chapter, which supports mental health education and services for young adults and helps connect them with available resources.
“This event and our chapter are about getting people talking, and ending the stigma surrounding mental health issues,” she said.
Active Minds has chapters at more than 800 colleges, schools and workplaces in the U.S. Kiara Pierristil ’25 is also involved at Siena.
“We want students to know that they are not alone,” she said. “There are many resources available for them when they are going through tough times.”
Kate Kaufman Burns, director of health promotion, said, “We’re here to start a conversation because suffering is a place of silence, but when we start talking about it, then we create hope. Our primary goal is to raise awareness about the prevalence of suicide and connect students with the resources that can help save lives.”
Spectrum News aired the impactful story “Siena College hosts stirring exhibit to prevent suicide,” featuring interviews with Siena students and counselors.
To further support mental health awareness on campus, Siena will soon launch the behavioral health initiative Project HOPE, funded by a three-year $300,000 grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.