Matthew Bahlinger was a saxophone player and mechanical engineering major in the Tiger Band. He spent two football seasons donning the purple and gold regalia of The Golden Band and marching alongside his bandmates in feather caps.
According to his family, Bahlinger received treatment for depression throughout high school, but he had a difficult time finding services at LSU.
Matthew Bahlinger was a well-known and talented member of the LSU Tiger Band. A foundation set up in his memory aims to raise awareness about mental health.
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“He needed more help,” said Alice Bahlinger, his mother.
Matthew Bahlinger, whose dry wit and strong moral character endeared him to all he met, lost his battle with depression in February 2022 at the age of 24.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, one in every six people will experience depression at some time in life. Initially, it often affects people in their late teens to mid-20s.
With that thought in mind, as well as their other children attending LSU as members of the Tiger Band, the Bahlinger family made it their life’s mission to raise awareness and assist those struggling with mental health issues — allowing Matthew Bahlinger’s legacy to live on.
John Morgan a volunteer at MattÕs Dinner serves an LSU band member. Alice and Gerald Bahlinger started this fundraiser to advocate for mental health awareness among college students.They organized the event in memory of their son Matthew.
ADVOCATE STAFF PHOTO BY JOHN BALLANCE
‘We want students to come here and thrive’
For the last three years, the family has hosted dinners and lunches for the Tiger Band, sponsored seminars for students to recognize someone struggling and funded a part-time counselor.
This year, the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund has sponsored a full-time mental health counselor for the students at the College of Music and Dramatic Arts.
The new counselor, who will be announced this month, will be part of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts and help provide students with mental health services while attending LSU.
“We wanted to be a catalyst in providing the kinds of services that could make a difference in people’s lives,” Alice Bahlinger said.
Photos: Matt’s Dinner for beloved Golden Band from Tigerland
This counselor will be located in the college’s building, with a fully-furnished office and open doors to welcome students struggling with their mental health.
Gerald “Bert” Bahlinger said one of the foundation’s key aims is to start a conversation around mental health.
“It’s about making people comfortable in talking about (mental health), reducing stigma,” he said. “If you see someone who’s uncomfortable, talk about it. If they’re struggling, let’s do something about it.”
Darrell Ourso holds up a stop watch to show the volunteers they beat last years record with a time of 8 minutes to serve all of the LSU marching band at MattÕs Dinner. Alice and Gerald Bahlinger started this fundraiser to advocate for mental health awareness among college students.They organized the event in memory of their son Matthew.
ADVOCATE STAFF PHOTO BY JOHN BALLANCE
The foundation provides Tiger Band section leaders with Question, Persuade, Refer training, which helps to recognize and assist people struggling with mental health.
Since 2023, the fund has helped install a part-time graduate student counselor from LSU’s Psychological Services Center for the school year. The counselor’s office, similar to the new full-time position, was in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts building, with their services available to all music and drama students and all LSU bands.
Having someone available on short notice is crucial — it’s something that both Gerald and Alice Bahlinger say wasn’t available to their son when he desperately needed it.
“I’m happy this is happening for the college,” said Eric Lau, dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. “We want students to come here and thrive, their physical and mental health. This is how we can more fully support our students while they are at LSU.”
At the college, the new mental health provider will be integrated into the staff, according to Lau.Â
“The new counselor will come to faculty meetings, walk around and meet the students — that’s what will be really special about this,” Lau said. “The counselor will be able to get to know the students, to be with them throughout their own journey throughout all of LSU.”
Another of the foundation’s programs is Matt’s Dinner. With food donated by local restaurants — including ones where Matthew Bahlinger worked — volunteers serve dinner to Tiger Band students and staff at the end of Band Camp. On Aug. 15, the foundation hosted its fourth dinner. Operating like a well-oiled machine, it fed more than 350 people in 20 minutes.
LSU marching band members line-up to be served by volunteers at MattÕs Dinner. Alice and Gerald Bahlinger started this fundraiser to advocate for mental health awareness among college students.They organized the event in memory of their son Matthew.
ADVOCATE STAFF PHOTO BY JOHN BALLANCE
“(Setting up the foundation) was bittersweet at first, because the very thing we were doing was something that would have helped Matthew the most,” Alice Bahlinger said. “It felt a bit like closing the gate after the horse had already escaped. But we want to help anyone who needs help, anyone who wants it.”
Mental health care at LSUÂ
The College of Music and Dramatic Arts is not the only specialty on campus with its own in-house “embedded clinician,” according to Raime Thibodeaux, the director of mental health for students at LSU.Â
Both the LSU Law School and LSU Ogden Honors College have their own mental health specialist that resides in their respective buildings.Â
“They are their own culture at the law school,” Thibodeaux said. “The school wanted to make sure they had the access they needed. It makes it that much easier to get the access needed. If the care is in your house, there are less reasons not to access it.”
Matthew Bahlinger had a famously dry and witty sense of humor.Â
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However, these clinicians are not limited to certain majors. Thibodeaux emphasizes that all students in all majors can and will be provided mental health services at the LSU Student Health Center, even if they just need to be pointed in the right direction.Â
Much of the work of on-campus mental health clinicians and therapists is in its one-on-one therapy sessions (including walk-in opportunities for students in distress). However, there are group therapy sessions as well if that method of care is suitable for a student.
“The heart of what we want to do is be sure we provide appropriate access for students,” Thibodeaux said. “Not all students need professional therapy, but we want to be there for those who need it.”Â
LSU students can schedule an appointment with a professional at the mental health center online at no cost. Additionally, walk-in sessions are available to all students from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the LSU Student Health Center, 16 Infirmary Lane, Baton Rouge.
LSU marching band members line-up to be served by volunteers at MattÕs Dinner. Alice and Gerald Bahlinger started this fundraiser to advocate for mental health awareness among college students.They organized the event in memory of their son Matthew.
ADVOCATE STAFF PHOTO BY JOHN BALLANCE