Student Senator Leads Push for Suicide Prevention at FIU, Naming September 22 Veteran Suicide Awareness Day
Jonathan Roman | Staff Writer
Resolution S.R 06004 The suicide and Veteran Suicide awareness and Prevention resolution introduced by SGA Senator and Veteran David Riera designates September as suicide awareness month, and September 22 as FIU Veteran Suicide Prevention and Awareness day.
The resolution emphasizes the growing mental health crisis among students and veterans, citing jarring statistics, according to the National College Health Assessment: 10.3% of college students seriously considered suicide in the last 12 months. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs states on average, 131 suicides occur daily in the US, 18 are veterans. The number 22 has a symbolic meaning for veteran suicide prevention, as a 2012 report from the VA stated that 22 veterans committed suicide every day. Recognizing these trends, Senator Riera calls for institutional action and sustained awareness across FIU.
The resolution calls for collaboration between SGA, Student Veterans, Office of Veterans Association, Office of Veteran Affairs, VA, and Counseling and Psychological Services, CAPS. SGA will allocate a $2,000 budget line item for fiscal year 2026-2027, split between fall and spring semesters. The funds will be used for student training initiatives, QPR, Mental Health First Aid, and ASIST sessions.
Additionally, the legislation establishes a planning group dubbed SPAR XTeam Suicide Prevention and Awareness Resolution Execution. The team will consist of the SGA President, Senate Speaker, Veterans Affairs Secretary, SLAC Chair, and partners from FIU’s mental health offices, with the task of coordinating campus-wide events and ensuring trauma-informed programming. An annual report must be submitted to the Senate by December 1, detailing programs, events, attendees, and the use of funds.
Senator Riera said to PantherNow, “When inspiration meets commitment, lived experience grounds and lights the way. As a Marine combat veteran, I’ve seen and felt how silence can fester into its own wounds. Over the years, I’ve watched students, veteran and non-veteran, struggle quietly, in full view yet alone. Suicide prevention should not exist in darkness or in unspoken silos; loss touches every couple, every friendship, and every community. If we move beyond numbers into the human moment, we see that by naming veteran suicide within the broader conversation, we honor those who served while refusing to leave anyone out. This resolution does two things: it demands the difficult, uncomfortable conversations, and it actively seeks to raise connection between students, between generations, between people who might otherwise believe themselves unreachable.”
Senator Riera added, “My resolution speaks through statistics, but each number represents a heartbeat, a dream, a web of relationships. We are much more than grades or debts; we are interconnected, unfolding beings: students, veterans, immigrants, faculty, staff. I have a shirt I wear to my VA appointments that says, “I’d rather hear about your battles than learn you lost the war.” The hardest thing is not disappearing, it’s finding the courage to ask for help, and the second hardest is mustering the willingness to accept it. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness of suicide across all communities. This resolution is a flag, a call to action for each of us at FIU to speak, connect, and act.”
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