5th Annual
Out of the Darkness Campus Walk
Columbus, Lima, Marion, and Wooster campuses
Friday April 5th, 2024
5:30pm-7:30pm
RPAC and Oval
Help prevent suicide at Ohio State by captaining or joining a team for the annual spring Ohio State Suicide Prevention Program Out of the Darkness Campus Walk! This collaborative event with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a journey of remembrance, hope, and support and an opportunity to unite our Buckeye community – a time to acknowledge the ways in which suicide and mental illness have affected our lives and our loved ones. All undergraduate students, graduate and professional students, staff, faculty, and alumni are invited to participate.
To become a team captain or register as a walker on a team for ALL campuses: http://go.osu.edu/ootdcampuswalk
Guest Speakers
Kevin Cullen, Colonel, US Air Force (Retired) is the Assistant Vice Provost for Military & Veterans Services. In that role, he supports the 2,100 military, veteran, and family member students attending the university including the Navy, Army, and Air Force ROTC departments. Kevin also serves in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs as the Interim Executive Director of the Battelle Center for Science, Engineering & Public Policy. Additionally, Kevin consults for Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a Strategic Systems Analyst.
Dr. Melissa Shivers, Senior Vice President for Student Life, has dedicated her nearly 30-year career in higher education to removing barriers to student and staff success, serving her community and contributing to the world in ways that help to advance the health, safety and security of others. As the Senior Vice President for Student Life at The Ohio State University since January 2020, Dr. Shivers serves on the university’s senior administration team and provides leadership and strategic oversight on matters related to the student experience. She is proud to work alongside an extraordinary team that serves more than 60,000 Buckeyes on six campuses throughout the state of O-H-I-O! The team’s foundational aspiration is to challenge and inspire students and staff to take every opportunity to engage, learn and thrive throughout their time at Ohio State, and beyond. Dr. Shivers has broad leadership responsibility for numerous university operations affecting students outside the classroom, including the residential experience, dining services, the Ohio Union and student activities, student leadership and service, mental health support, career development, recreational sports, health care and wellness programs, disability services, belonging and inclusion strategies and education, off campus and commuter student engagement, the student judicial process, student advocacy and crisis intervention.
Columbus:
Schedule of Events (all campuses):
- 4:00pm – Volunteers Check-In (Tom W. Davis Gym)
- 5:00-5:30pm – Team Captain Check-In (Tom W. Davis Gym)
- 5:30pm Hope and healing activities (Tom W. Davis Gym),
Opening remarks and activities
Walk (Oval, approximately 1 mile)
Closing remarks, activities and refreshments (Tom W. Davis Gym) - 7:30pm – Event wraps up, Volunteers Check-Out
What to Know in Advance:
- To volunteer: Columbus Volunteer Registration – Helka Casey (helka.casey@osumc.edu). Volunteer registration will end on Thursday, April 4
- Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT): Find out how you would fare in the United States Military! Along the walk path will be different fitness events for participants to try including a deadlift, a medicine ball power throw, push-ups, a sprinting event, and a plank. Each station represents a part of a typical Army Combat Fitness Test. Wear tennis shoes, bring a water bottle, dress comfortably to try the ACFT!
- Service animals: Only service animals (not emotional support animals) are permitted in Recreational Sports facilities and must be wearing a vest at all times. Service animals are defined as “any animal that assists a person with a disability.” Questions can be directed to recsports@osu.edu.
- Parking: Participants should park in either the Tuttle or Neil Avenue garages. Parking validation will be available for these two lots only and can be picked up at the Team Captain Check-In table.
Lima:
- To volunteer: Samantha Haudenschield, (haudenschield.11@osu.edu)
- Volunteer check in: 4:00pm, place TBD
- Walker check in: 5:30pm, Galvin Hall (lower level)
- Walk route: On campus
Marion:
- To volunteer: Leslie Beary (beary.4@osu.edu)
- Volunteer check in: 4:00pm, TBD
- Walker check in: 5:30pm, Maynard Hall
- Walk route: Coming soon!
Wooster:
- To volunteer: Schaad (schaad.15@osu.edu)
- Volunteer check in: 4:30pm, Wooster Science Building Room 175
- Walk route: see the route map PDF.
