The first Diversity Council “Brown Bag Lunch and Learn” of the fall semester will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in room G of the Donaghey Student Center.

Dr. John W. Miller Jr., associate professor in the UALR School of Social Work, will be leading the discussion, “Suicide Among African-American Youth: Redefining Suicidal Behavior.”

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate. The session will include a question and answer session following discussion of the topic.

“Additionally, we will discuss the roles that societal expectations and hopelessness may have on the increase in suicide among African-American youth and young adults,” he said.

According to Miller, although suicide is only the 16th leading cause of death among African Americans of all ages, it is the third leading cause of death for African Americans age 15-24.

The Brown Bag Lunch and Learn events will take place the first Thursday of each month and will feature presentations from faculty, staff, and students from across campus.

Proposals for future Brown Bag Lunch and Learn topics may be submitted online at https://ualr.edu/chancellor/diversity/proposal-form/. For more information about the Diversity Council, go to https://ualr.edu/chancellor/ualrs-diversity-council/.