Sign turns drivers away from the top floor of campus parking structure. Vardan Sarsgyan, Josh Mehay | Washtenaw Voice
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By Lilly Kujawski
Deputy Editor
The top deck of the campus parking structure remains closed as college officials assess safety concerns after a 23-year-old former student intentionally stepped off the structure on Oct. 22.
A passerby witnessed the individual on the edge of the fourth floor, moments before the jump, said Scott Hilden, chief of public safety.
The unidentified woman was transported to St. Joseph Mary Hospital immediately following.
“She entered the hospital in critical condition. A few days later, her status was updated to stable,” said Hilden.
WCC offers personal counseling from professional, licensed counselors for students who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, low self-esteem, or other mental health challenges, according to Linda Blakey, vice president of student and academic services.
“Some students come in self-referred, or we sometimes have faculty-referred [students],” said Blakey.
As an extension of WCC’s “See Something, Say Something” campaign, students and faculty can fill out a report of concern form via the Counseling and Career Planning page of the WCC website if they notice alarming behavior from a peer, said Blakey.
WCC also has a psychiatric emergency procedure in place if a student shows signs that they intend to harm themselves or others. The plan requires that two counselors evaluate the student in crisis, and determine if their family should be called, or if they need to be taken to the hospital, said Blakey.
In addition, WCC has a campus assistance program available to students. The program includes a 24/7 phone number to call, a diagnostic assessment, and up to three face-to-face or telephone resolution sessions. Information about the program can be found via the personal counseling section of the WCC website.
The parking structure on campus has only four levels, while other structures in Ann Arbor usually have closer to seven or eight floors.
The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has installed fencing on the top decks of most of the parking structures located in downtown Ann Arbor, according to Jada Hahlbrock, the DDA manager of parking services.
There are plans to add fencing to lower levels of the structures when funding becomes available and it makes sense with the DDA’s other projects, said Hahlbrock.
The fencing is intended to be a safety “deterrent,” in hopes to help reduce parking structure-related falls and injuries, according to Halhbrock.
Campus officials are considering fencing as an option to make the WCC parking structure safer, said Hilden.
“We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again here,” said Hilden.
Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, the identity of the individual has been kept confidential to protect her and her family, said a statement from the Public Safety Department.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the fact that the woman who stepped off the parking structure is a former WCC student and not enrolled for the fall 2018 semester.
