DeKALB | Suicide can be one of the most tragic things to happen on a college campus, and it impacts the lives of many other students. A surviving roommate, however, may have a different kind of struggle to go through.

So what is done to help the surviving roommate? Plenty of students have heard the myth on college campuses: If a student’s roommate should commit suicide, that person automatically receives As in all of their classes for the semester.

“I’ve heard of it and I don’t think there’s any truth in it,” said Brittney Cox, a sophomore business administration major. “I think it goes around in the dorms; it was a in a movie and I guess people automatically thought it was true.”

The movie in question is “Dead Man on Campus” and stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, known to many as Zack Morris from “Saved By the Bell.” The movie features two students who try to find a mentally unstable roommate who they’ll attempt to coerce into committing suicide so they can pass for the semester.

“I have heard the myth, but it’s not true,” said freshman English major Kim Krautwurst. “I’m not sure what the actual policy is for that situation though. I don’t know if they’d do anything.”

Richard Long, interim director of the Counseling and Student Development Center, said that while he has never heard of this myth, he is positive it is not true.

“You want to do what makes sense for people and their given situations,” he said. “Automatic As wouldn’t be one of those options, because they wouldn’t be earning their grades.”

There are policies in place in case a situation like suicide happens, and the departments of Student Affairs try to be as thorough as possible to sufficiently help students should they experience a loss of anyone close to them, he said.

Some of these options would be to reach out to the student on a therapeutic standpoint through hall liaisons, making sure they have every opportunity to seek help themselves, Long said.

NIU Ombudsman Tim Griffin said there are procedures which allow students to get access to therapy, switch rooms or request a withdrawal if he or she has extenuating circumstances in their health or personal lives warranting an exception to the policies already in place. They can request an incomplete or withdrawal from their classes if they feel it is necessary, without penalty, if this should happen, he said.

“Most students, despite struggles, want to move ahead with their education,” Long said.