Death on University of Houston campus prompts class cancellations

HOUSTON - A death at the University of Houston has caused classes to be canceled Monday afternoon.

Details on what happened were not shared, due to sensitivity, but it happened at Agnes Arnold sometime Monday. University officials have confirmed there are no threats to the campus, however, classes and activities were canceled for the day.

Classes on Tuesday would also be held remotely and decisions would be made on the rest of the week. This is the second death at Agnes Arnold in a little more than a month.

Additionally, all offices in the building were closed and employees will work remotely.

The university also shared the following statement as well as resources for students in need:

"Our campus community is deeply saddened by another death on campus. This is the second individual who has passed away on campus this semester, both are believed to have died by suicide.

Operations Agnes Arnold Hall
Many in our community have expressed concern about Agnes Arnold Hall. We are taking immediate action to limit access to the building as we consider its future use in the short and long term.

Tomorrow (March 21) all classes scheduled for Agnes Arnold Hall and Agnes Arnold Auditorium(s) will be held remotely. Decisions on whether classes in the buildings will be held remote or relocated for the remainder of the week will be made in conjunction with faculty instructors. All other activities— including CASA Testing services and student organization activities— will be relocated for the remainder of the week.

We are working to secure access to the building, including limited access to faculty and staff offices. We are working directly with the impacted faculty and staff to instruct them on next steps.

The use of Agnes Arnold for the rest of the semester has not yet been determined. We are considering all options. Once a plan is finalized, it will be shared with our community.

Mental Health Services
The building is only one aspect of these troubling events. The toll this can take on mental health cannot be overstated. We are committed to providing our faculty, staff, and students with additional opportunities for mental health support. We will be providing more information on these resources in the coming days. In the meantime, we want to remind you of the resources currently available to you. If you are in imminent crisis, please call 988.

Students:

UH Counseling and Psychological Services offers crisis support by phone 24/7 at 713-743-5454 or to make an appointment. CAPS offers a variety of services and opportunities at UH and UH at Sugar Land.
UH students, regardless of whether you have the UH System Endorsed Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) now have 24/7 FREE access to complete assessment, counseling, individual crisis intervention, support for stress, depression, family and relationship concerns, and substance abuse.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately at 988. Counselors are also available to chat at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.

Employees:

The Employee Assistance Program is available to all UH benefits-eligible employees and their dependents. EAP services are confidential and offered at no cost both virtually and in-person at several locations throughout the Houston area.

Many of you have taken the time to share your feedback and ideas on how to bolster mental health at UH. We have much work to do and are committed to making this an institutional priority with open dialogue addressing these issues. While in the beginning stages, UH recently became a JED campus. This is a 4-year, collaborative process of comprehensive programs and policies to build upon mental health, substance use and suicide. We be sharing with you how, together, we can accomplish this important work.

We are a community that cares. Our thoughts are with each of you and we will have additional communications and updates in the days ahead."

University of Houston