San Jose State deaths renew debate over how to talk about campus mental health

SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY has seen two deaths by suicide within a month this year. The tragedies have opened a window into a paradox facing Silicon Valley cities and institutions: addressing public locations that result in self-harm without sparking a “contagion.”

The university is exploring plans for deterrents at campus facilities after two deaths happened in the same location on Feb. 8 and March 9. The most recent incident affected multiple staff who later met with the school’s director of Counseling & Psychological Services, according to school officials. The deceased were not students, they added.