Ohio State University has a Director of Suicide Prevention on staff. She estimates that nationwide, 1.3% of college students make some type of attempt each year. 90% of students who complete suicide have exhibited significant behavioral changes in the week prior to death.
OSU is in its 7th year of running a program called REACH, that trains faculty, staff and students to recognize warning signs, and intervene. This includes identifying common signals such as anger, not going to class, depression, being withdrawn from friends, etc, and then knowing which resources are available on campus for immediate help.
While on the surface some “institutions” may not seem to care, there are very often people within those institutions who care a great deal. Anyone who is concerned about whether their child’s institution is doing enough should find out what training and resources are available, and then lobby for more if they are insufficient.