Spike Out Suicide raises suicide awareness

Sigma Alpha Epsilon hosted their fifth annual Spike Out Suicide volleyball tournament on Friday.

The volleyball event featured the tournament, a grill out, a raffle, prizes, a winning trophy and a speaker who talked about suicide prevention.

“I was really impressed with the turn out and support for suicide prevention and mental health awareness,” said Michele Cleveland, a junior majoring in English education. “It is something not often talked about, but the vitality is important.”

The cost was $5 per person person with six to eight people on a team. This year 21 teams were registered. All of the proceeds went to help support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The tournament was started five years ago when an active member of the fraternity committed suicide. In memory of the fraternity brother and to bring awareness to preventing suicide, Drew Messmere established the annual S.O.S volleyball tournament to raise awareness, Muddie Kpohraror, philanthropy and fundraising chair for SAE, explained.

Volleyball seemed an appropriate venue to raise money based on the club’s interest in sand volleyball. The event used to take place on the side lawn of SAE’s fraternity house, but because of issues with the new T lot being in place they have moved the event to the High Rise volleyball courts, Kpohraror said.

“S.O.S was a blast to be a part of and I look forward in participating in it next year,” Cleveland said.

Students need to be aware of how to help prevent suicide by “trying to be there,” Kpohraror said. “You need to do more than watch. Try to help and be active in other’s lives.”

Seven sponsors from around the F-M area support the S.O.S tournament, including Sunmart, which provided food, PHD Haircuts, which provided raffle prizes, Pepsi and Spicy Pie.

SAE wants to encourage not only Greek clubs, but all NDSU students, to help bring awareness through events. Everyone is welcome to come out and give back in service, time and money.

“We need people to be actively involved in not just campus but what is going on in the community as well,” Kpohraror said. “Simply by talking through twitter and bringing awareness to [suicide] as well as other needs. Tweets bring awareness to so many things, and it would be cool to see awareness brought to this.”

SAE is always taking donations for suicide prevention. Those that missed the event and still want to help can do so by sending donations to either SAE’s address at 1125 16th St. N Fargo or by sending it to their mail box in the campus mail room.