A sign restricts access Thursday March 23, 2023, outside Agnes Arnold Hall at the University of Houston in Houston. A student died by suicide the previous Monday at the building.The University of Houston will expand mental health services and accelerate a planned renovation of Agnes Arnold Hall in response to two student suicides this spring that prompted widespread concerns, President Renu Khator announced Tuesday.
While some of the recommendations are still being considered, the accepted plans satisfy many of the students’ calls for change on campus: When the two suicides occurred at the academic building just six weeks apart, students mobilized and asked for extended counseling hours, more counselors and the retrofitting of Agnes Arnold to block outdoor access from higher levels.
“I feel like probably should have done something a lot earlier,” Shah said. “There’s a lot of things that could be improved.” Some students called for the academic building to be torn down. Agnes Arnold, which opened in the 1960s and has become known for its distinctive architecture, was also the site of at least one other suicide confirmed in 2017.
The task force’s report chronicled the contributions and connections that architect Kenneth E. Bentsen made to Houston — for one, he designed the Houston Summit, now known as Lakewood Church. The report also referenced the namesake of the building, former UH Regent Agnes Cullen Arnold, the daughter of Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen, two of the university’s largest benefactors.
The university will also roll out a program in the fall to provide students’ families with necessary information on mental health and wellness, and Provost Diane Z. Chase will also determine how to integrate other recommendations into existing academic processes, Khator said.