Battling suicide online.

IN DECEMBER, HILLSBOROUGH COMMUnity College (Fla.) student James Dungy, 18, became another figure entangled in the tragic web of college suicide (it is the second leading cause of death among college students, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). Dungy's death drew national attention due to his father's job coaching the Indianapolis Colts football team.

Dungy, like so many students these days, maintained a page on the online community MySpace.com, and it was replete with images of violence and marijuana, signs of a troubled youth. Should colleges monitor postings on MySpace or Facebook to help students such as Dungy? That question has already arisen in relation to drinking and security, and seems appropriate here too.

Yet, students now have an increasing array of helpful online (and often anonymous) tools to work against depression and other issues. The Jed Foundation, launched by the parents of an Arizona State University student who took his own life, is ramping up its screening and support tool Ulifeline.org. The AFSP is bringing its College Screening Project, which employs anonymous online screening and interaction, to more campuses. "I think students are hungry to know about this," says Jed Foundation co-founder Donna Satow.