The University of Colorado at Boulder聮s Center for Students in Recovery has begun its second year by encouraging participating students to take a larger role in developing activities to help them on their clean and sober journeys through college.
Begun in fall 2006 to help undergraduates in their recovery from addictive behaviors 聳 primarily alcohol and drug use 聳 the center enrolled 10 students in fall 2007, including six juniors and seniors and four first-year students, said center Coordinator Jack Lavino. Participating students are required to be involved in structured recovery programs and community outreach efforts and meet the academic requirements of the university, he said.
聯I聮m very excited about this year聮s program,聰 Lavino said. 聯One thing we are doing this fall is letting our students have more of a role in developing activities for the program, including mentoring new students and increasing our outreach to area high schools.聰
The center provides students with needs assessment, academic and housing support, 12-step meetings, addiction recovery education and community service opportunities, he said. It also sponsors two seminars a month on topics like 聯natural high聰 sober living, social skills, dating and making new friends. Students also work on semester-long volunteer projects each year as a way to give back to the community.
Of the five CU-Boulder students in last year聮s program, two were graduating seniors and a third 聳 who already held a bachelor聮s degree and had been taking additional classes to strengthen academic skills 聳 enrolled in law school this fall, Lavino said.
The CU-Boulder program is based on a model, 20-year-old program emphasizing peer-based support at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Lavino said. The Texas Tech program admits nearly 100 recovering students each year, using its $2 million endowment to support high-achieving students with partial scholarships.
Lavino said participating Texas Tech students have an 80 percent recovery rate, a 90 percent graduation rate and a collective 3.34 grade point average.
Now funded by the CU Parent Fund, CU-Boulder聮s recovery program would benefit from an endowment similar to Texas Tech聮s to operate on a permanent basis and create a scholarship program, he said.
聯Partial scholarships would give students an added boost,聰 Lavino said.
CU-Boulder is one of eight universities in the country with student recovery programs. In addition to Texas Tech, they include the University of Texas at Austin, Rutgers University, Case Western University, Brown University, Washington State University and Augsburg College in Minneapolis. The center also is in regular contact with nearly three-dozen recovery high schools in the nation as well as treatment centers focused on teenagers and young adults in Colorado and other states, he said.
The CU-Boulder program also includes weekly 聯Celebration of Recovery聰 meetings on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in room 231 of Willard Hall, which are open to all members of the Boulder community involved in recovery and include free pizza, he said. The center also will be sponsoring a weekly bowling night for its students and others on campus looking for sober activities at the University Memorial Center, he said.
聯The Center for Students in Recovery is one piece of our overall strategy for addressing alcohol-related issues on campus,聰 said Jane Curtis, CU-Boulder聮s director of alcohol and other drugs program.
CU-Boulder offers a range of services to students depending on where they fall on the 聯alcohol use/abuse continuum聰 that include intervention programs at Wardenburg Health Center, she said.
In 2006, CU-Boulder began a research-based intervention effort asking parents to initiate conversations with their children about alcohol and drug use prior to arriving on campus, Curtis said. CU-Boulder also is attempting to involve faculty more in student alcohol discussions and is working with 聯feeder聰 high schools to let students know about increased academic standards and student conduct expectations.
聯Studies have shown that up to 38 percent of high school students participate in binge drinking, so alcohol abuse is an inherited problem for colleges across the country. We continue to talk with community members about finding new venues for our students to participate in safe, fun and alcohol-free activities on and off campus,聰 Curtis said.
Lavino said, 聯In this day and age, I think it聮s almost a miracle that any college students are living their lives free of alcohol and drugs. The fact that more and more young people are getting into recovery makes this center an important resource on campus.聰
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