Parents push for ‘Harry’s Law’ following death of Exeter student

By Aarti Malhotra and Klara Woxström

Content warning: This article discusses sensitive topics such as suicide.

In June 2021, Exeter University student Harry Armstrong Evans took his life after receiving “devastating” third-year exam marks. His family is now pushing for the adoption of ‘Harry’s Law’, calling for coroners to inform universities when the suicide of an enrolled student is registered, and for universities to release yearly statistics of student suicides.

An inquest into Harry’s death was carried out and concluded on 31 October, which condemned Exeter University for failing to respond to Harry’s demonstrated need for help. The inquest further stated there was “a risk of further deaths” at the University. The inquest found that the welfare service at Exeter University had not done enough to respond to Harry’s attempts to reach out to the university.

According to The Guardian, Harry is one of 11 Exeter students who have taken their own lives in the past six years. Harry’s family is also urging for the Department of Education to be given the power to investigate universities where suicide rates exceed the national average. The Office for National Statistics estimated this figure at three deaths per 100,000 students in the academic year ending in 2020.

The parliamentary petition for Harry’s Law has nearly 700 signatures and expires in May of next year.
To garner further support for the petition, Exeter’s student newspaper, The Exposé, reached out to various other student publications across the UK. As of 2 December, 19 UK student publications have expressed their support for the cause, including The Beaver (LSE), The Oxford Student (Oxford), Palatinate (Durham), Roar News (KCL), and The Saint (St. Andrews).

When asked for data regarding student suicides at LSE, an LSE spokesperson responded, “LSE records the fact that a student has died, but not the cause of death. We would only be aware that a student had died as a result of suicide if notified that this was the case by a Coroner’s Court and, as such, we do not hold this information.

The LSE Spokesperson further stated, “On the very sad occasion when a student passes away, for whatever reason, we provide appropriate short- and long-term support to the student’s classmates and staff and offer whatever support we can to the family.”

On 14 November, The Guardian published an article stating that the Covid-19 pandemic still affects students’ mental health. Nightline, a helpline run by student volunteers, saw a 51.4 percent increase in calls in 2020-2021. This number has only grown in 2021-2022, and increased by 17 percent since September with increasing calls from students worrying about financial pressures amid the cost-of-living crisis. While there has been a decline in calls expressing attempted suicide, calls expressing suicidal thoughts have increased.

Fiona*, a third year history student said, “We as students are faced with enormous amounts of pressure having to balance classes, coursework, exams, and application deadlines amongst other things. In my case, I also have to juggle a part-time job. Given this, it is not surprising that there is a mental health epidemic across UK universities. Universities are businesses that thrive on the money that students put into their pockets, yet many universities, like LSE, fail to commit sufficient resources to support students suffering from poor mental health. The bare minimum that universities could do to help combat this mental health crisis is for them to be transparent by providing statistics on suicide.”

The Beaver reported on the efficacy of the Disability and Wellbeing Service last year, receiving mixed reviews from student accounts. While some praised the service, many others called it inaccessible and unhelpful.

The LSE Spokesperson referred to a number of ways in which the university supports students’ mental well-being. “The Student Wellbeing Service provides support to students across the academic year and hosts daily drop-in sessions Monday to Friday during term time, where students can see a professional counsellor or advisor without having to book an appointment. Students can also access our 24/7 mental health support line – available to all students who can speak to trained counsellors at any time – and can also speak to specially trained students through our Peer Supporters service.”

If you are struggling with your mental health, further information can be found on the Student Wellbeing web pages, the Student Support Map, Disability and Wellbeing Service Mental Health information web page and the Emergency help webpage.

*Names in this article have been changed to preserve anonymity.