The sun is always shining and students are always smiling — this was the likely rationale for the Princeton Review’s designation of Stanford as the university with the “Happiest Students.” Unfortunately, a recent string of student suicides — three between May and August — suggests that all may not be so well under the surface.

Meanwhile, the administration is taking notice. On Oct. 12, Stanford will be participating in a national online “webinar” on best practices for reducing suicide among college students. This professional development activity will focus on critical policy and law issues associate with college student suicide.

The issue was touched on by Dean of Student Affairs Greg Boardman at Row Manager training and also by some students during resident assistant training at the end of the summer. Local newspapers have also picked up the stories.

“Continually addressing and implementing how best to reduce college student suicide is a priority for the dean of student affairs division,” Boardman said in an interview with The Daily.

Part of the problem in analyzing student suicide cases is a lack of information. The cause of death is often unknown or kept within a family. Alejandro Martinez, director of Stanford’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), said he rarely has official information to confirm a suicide.

“Families don’t often disclose what has happened to students when they die,” he said in an interview with The Daily when asked about the three recent cases. “I had the same impression as you, but I don’t have the facts.”

There are also few patterns for the administration to point to. Martinez has worked at Stanford for over 25 years and recalls going a year or two without any cases, and then the relative anomaly present by the five months this year, which saw three students take their lives in May, July and August.

Martinez also cited a study of the Big 10 schools, which found the approximate suicide rates for college campuses to be between one and seven annual suicides for every 10,000 students.

“I am guessing we fall within that norm,” Martinez said.

Stanford, however, may be a unique case because of the perceived happiness of its students. The environment may be deceptive because of what is known as the Duck Syndrome — students look peaceful on the surface, but they’re paddling like mad underneath.

The University has a variety of safeguards in place to help students deal with difficult situations and events. The “strong safety net” includes student staff, residence fellows, residence deans and CAPS. These are resources available around the clock to respond to student emergencies and act as a source of advice for students, faculty and staff who may be concerned about a student’s well being, Boardman said in an e-mail statement to the Daily, with consultation from Chris Griffith, interim associate dean of students, Jane Camarillo, director of Residential Education and Martinez.

“We are fortunate that our campus is highly residential for undergraduate and graduate students,” Boardman continued in the statement. “Close communities that nurture friendships and a caring environment can provide needed affiliation to both reduce the risk of suicide and support students who have experienced a loss.”

According to Martinez, at present, there is no known intervention that can absolutely eliminate student deaths, including suicide.

“However, a supportive and caring community network can help to reduce the risk of suicide,” he said. “We know, at least informally, that Stanford student lives have been saved by the good actions of family, friends, peers, roommates and by the actions of students’ themselves. It makes a difference that members of the Stanford community are willing to look out for each other and take the initiative to reach out to the resources available to students.”

Regardless of its causes, “student suicide is one of the most difficult and traumatic events for a university campus,” Boardman said.