Catamounts For

Recovery Program
Proposal
INTRODUCTION

Substance abuse is an epidemic on college campuses, and UNC-Chapel Hill is not immune to its
effects. The campus community has endured a number of recent tragedies and countless,
frequent incidents connected to drugs and alcohol. As this crisis continues to play out
nationally and on campus, we have an opportunity and responsibility to address it.

In a 2007 report, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia (CASA)
released alarming results of four-year research project. CASA revealed that frequency and
intensity of alcohol consumption in young adults have increased sharply with a 16% increase in
frequent drinking and 21% increase in binge drinking. Even more alarming is the increase in
prescription drug abuse in the general population, posing a new threat to campuses.

The proportion of students abusing opioids such as Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin increased
almost 3.5 times between 1993 and 2005. In the same period, Adderall and Ritalin usage nearly
doubled. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), young adults (18-
24 years old) are the fastest growing group of drug abusers. This type of experimentation and
abuse can often result in chemical dependency. With chemical dependency come poor
academic performance, retention issues, legal issues and sometimes death.

The Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech reports that 31.6% of full-
time college students meet the medical criteria for substance abuse disorder, and 6% meet the
criteria for alcohol dependence. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-IV), substance dependence, or addiction, is defined by the presence of three or
more of the following criteria: tolerance for the drug, withdrawal symptoms without use,
continued use despite consequences, loss of control of amount of drug used, conscious (though
unsuccessful) attempts to cut down on use, obsession with obtaining or thinking about the
drug, and reduced involvement in social, occupational or recreational activities.

On many college campusesa number of programs work to identify students with substance
abuse issues and provide resources for intervention and treatment. These efforts are
important first steps in the process towards recovery, but they do not address the need for
continued support of students who have sought help and are on a path to recovery.

Fortunately, Texas Tech University has established a program for recovering students that can
serve as a model for Western Carolina University. The University received a $700,000 federal
grant to help other universities replicate their nationally recognized success. Because of Texas
Tech’s trailblazing efforts, WCU now has the opportunity to implement these best practices in
order to support its recovering students.

MISSION AND VISION

The Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) at Western Carolina University will provide a
supportive environment in which self-identified recovering students can thrive in a campus-
based, recovery-focused community while completing their educational goals and becoming
productive citizens.

As a student-led recovery support system, the CRC will create a substance-free, recovery-
support community of scholarly students striving to achieve. The CRC will do this by:

 Providing recovery, academic, and counseling resources to students

 Fostering a sense of fellowship between students

 Connecting students to the campus and local community through service learning
projects and research opportunities

 Conducting research on recovery, relapse-prevention and student retention on college

campuses

STUDENT-LED RECOVERY DEFINED

The most important component for a successful recovery is that the individual is in control of their own
path. The CRC will seek to engage students in their own recovery by making them an integral part of
making decisions for the community. While there will be professional staff to handle administrative
tasks and community outreach (discussed further under “Personnel”), the students will be encouraged
to foster their own growth by aiding in the planning and implementation of student activities and
service processes.

The CRC will offer multiple opportunities throughout the year for students to give their input including—
but not limited to—those listed below:

o Monthly meetings for all members of the CRC to gather and discuss upcoming projects
o Assessments where students may put forth a vote on which preferred projects to pursue
By guiding students to be responsible for their own recovery journey, the CRC will encourage students to
take part in activities and projects that have a personal element. We know that this dynamic increases
student success and decreases risk of relapse.

With this method, we reduce the risk of baseless programming that doesn’t benefit our students, and
thus, increase the likelihood of them achieving success and persisting to graduation.

ORGANIZATION

The CRC is a research-based, student-centered recovery community. The primary challenge of

the community is to provide a supportive system that eases the transition into WCU for
recovering students. In order to do this, the CRC must provide adequate support for members.

The CRC will provide emotional, informational, instrumental and companionship support for
students:

 Emotional: Provides opportunities for demonstrations of empathy, love, caring and

concern. These opportunities will include:

o Required Smart Recovery meetings or a CAPS equivalent

o Required peer mentoring and support group meetings

o Walk-in hours for coaching

 Informational: Provides advice and guidance for behavioral, emotional and other
personal issues. These resources will include:

o Available health and wellness information

o Workshops on the science of addiction and recovery, social skills, career

planning, etc. given by guest speakers

o Available recovery literature

 Instrumental: Assists members in navigating societal systems, university systems,

finances, and other special needs. These resources will include:

o Required academic advising

o Required financial advising and opportunities for assistance

 o Assistance to students with special needs (disabilities, childcare needs, etc.)

o Housing assistance through Residential Living

 Companionship: Offers members the opportunity to build meaningful relationships in

sobriety and as a WCU student. These resources will include:

o Required service learning

o A first-year wilderness experience

o Weekly fellowship events

o Monthly, community-wide gatherings

PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

 Student Support: Provide personal, academic and financial assistance to current and
prospective students

o Objective 1: Provide a part-time associate director, part-time graduate assistant

and part-time coaches dedicated to CRC members in year one. The director
fundraises, coordinates with students and families, and interfaces with the
campus community. The coaches help new students navigate academic and
personal issues while the graduate assistant serves in an administrative support
capacity.

o Objective 2: Initially, maintain a two-office space with one space dedicated to

administrative tasks, the other for community activities and gatherings. This
space would be confidential and private, yet central to campus. For year one,
we will explore space in the new Home Base building just off of campus, as well
as locations in Killian or McKee.

o Objective 3: Implement a peer mentoring program that utilizes students’

strengths for both tutoring and Smart Recovery based guidance.

o Objective 4: Provide Smart Recovery literature and meeting lists to facilitate

Smart Recovery attendance.
 o Objective 5: Require and track Smart Recovery meeting attendance through
database. Tracking would be for CRC use only, and would be confidential.

 Student Recruitment: Create a referral and recruitment process that attracts an

increasing number of UNC students, as well as outside referrals

o Objective 1: Create an online student application for the CRC by the beginning of
fall 2019. The application will assess the applicant’s overall commitment to
sobriety, academics and community service. The director of the CRC and
Assistant Dean of Students will work with admissions to identify deserving
applicants with an otherwise disqualifying history.

o Objective 2: Implement a referral system within UNC by collaborating with

Center for Recreation and Wellness, Undergraduate Admissions, Undergraduate
Retention, Campus Health, Student Government, the Resident Hall Association
(RHA), UNC’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) and other
organizations.

o Objective 3: Establish an outside referral system by educating local treatment

centers and disseminating information to other, non-local treatment facilities.

o Objective 4: Increase our community from 15-25 the first year to 25-35 students
by the fifth year by attracting an increasing number of returning, first-year and
transfer students.

 Academic Excellence: Achieve a 100% passing rate for students and maintain a
community-wide GPA above the campus average

o Objective 1: Monitor academic progress through quarterly grade reports and

provide opportunities for academic assistance. The CRC will serve as a hub that
connects members to peer tutoring, as well as existing academic resources on
campus.

o Objective 2: Implement a peer mentoring program. Each incoming student will

be matched with a CRC member to help the transition process.
 o Objective 3: Provide assistance with retroactive withdrawals and other academic
turbulence as a result of substance abuse that occurred before a demonstrated
length of sobriety.

o Objective 4: Provide partial scholarships for incoming students and a two year,
full tuition scholarship by year 5 for a rising junior who excelled in the classroom
(3.75 GPA minimum), demonstrated exemplary community service and
maintained their sobriety.

o Objective 5: Use academic progress, both individual and community-wide, to

conduct review of CRC effectiveness.

 Community Outreach: Support a student-led community service organization that

requires consistent participation

o Objective 1: Provide a meeting space and funding for the student-led group.

o Objective 2: Establish a service learning contract for members that includes a

first year orientation, a minimum 20 hours/semester of service learning, and an
overall commitment to positive community participation.

o Objective 3: Complete one large group project per semester. The project can be
original or through other campus organizations (i.e. Dance Marathon, IFest,
Intercultural Affairs, etc.); regardless, students will design, lead and complete the
project as a community.

o Objective 4: Provide opportunities for service learning involvement: may include

peer tutoring, substance abuse awareness events, opportunities to speak with
related graduate programs, etc.

o Objective 5: Track all service learning projects and hours through self-reporting.

 Research: Interface with university departments to research relapse prevention, student

retention and other recovery-related topics

o Objective 1: Educate the interested departments about the mission and services
of the CRC. Interface with the School of Social Work, the Department of
Psychology, School of Nursing, and other interested parties to promote research.
 o Objective 2: Create a system of data collection that is comprehensive,
anonymous and confidential. With student permission, meeting attendance,
service learning hours, GPA, and length of sobriety will all be recorded in the CRC
database. This information may be used for research on relapse prevention,
retention and student success. This database will be maintained by the CRC
coordinator.

o Objective 3: Allow students to participate in anonymous, confidential and

approved studies of recovery.

o Objective 3: Maintain an open dialogue between students, the CRC director and
interested parties regarding research.

 Housing: Coordinate with Residential Living and establish a sober living learning
community for CRC members

o Objective 1: Designate a floor within a residence hall or building in the village

specifically for admittance of students enrolled in the CRC by year 3

o Objective 2: Implement RA training for quality practices for recovery residential

living

o Objective 3: Offer residential advising for students enrolled in the CRC interested
in on-campus and off-campus sober housing

o Objective 4: Provide a common area for students to collaborate and build

community within the residence hall.

PERSONNEL

The staffing needs for the CRC will continue to grow with increased membership. It is vital that
the community be set up for success. This will require a competent director dedicated to
fundraising, a counselor who intimately understands addiction and a coordinator dedicated to
serving student members. All staff members are expected to have a thorough understanding of
recovery. In year one, these needs will be met by the combined efforts of one full-time and
two part-time employees:
  CRC Assistant Director: The director will be responsible for interfacing with UNC faculty
around recovery research and coordinating fundraising efforts. Additionally, they will
communicate with students, parents and university administrators regarding CRC
activities. The director will facilitate student participation in service learning events,
fellowship events and counseling sessions by managing the budget and facility
operations. They will oversee a graduate assistant who is responsible for student
coordination.

 CRC Coach: The counselor will act as a coach and mentor to members of the CRC. The
counselor will assist in navigating the academic and financial challenges of UNC Chapel
Hill. The counselor will be required to have an intimate understanding of recovery as it
relates to campus life.

 Residential Assistant (RA): If sober housing is to be established in a pre-existing

residence hall, the RA assigned should receive in-depth training in crisis management,
recovery specific confidentiality, and recovery student needs. The individual selected
should have an understanding of recovery and the challenges faced by students in
recovery while living on campus. He/she should be prepared to design hall programming
that encourages recovery, and offers education to residents.

EVALUATION

Several metrics will be used to determine the effectiveness of the CRC and the services that it
provides. The evaluation process will follow guidelines as published by The Center for the Study
of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech University. The evaluation process is based on
continuous data collection from participants and staff. Data will be collected by means of:

 Member surveys

 Suggestion Boxes

 Interviews

 Focus Groups

 Participant Observation
In addition, the CRC will assess member GPA, retention, and most importantly, relapse rate.
These numbers will serve as the ultimate measures of success. This data may become part of
larger research projects, and will be collected from year one.

POTENTIAL OBJECTIONS AND CONCERNS

Member Concerns: Buy in from potential members of the CRC is essential to the success and
longevity of the program. There are several important factors that affect the credibility and
functionality of the CRC. Addressing these concerns, as well as other potential issues,
necessitates a CRC that supports and celebrates diversity in recovery:

o Concern: Alternative views on recovery (i.e. conflict between Smart Recovery

and other approaches)

 Response: The CRC, though Smart Recovery based, will encourage the
participation of students in other communities of their choice. This may include
faith-based organizations like Celebrate Recovery, among others.

o Concern: Representation of all addictive disorders (i.e. eating disorders, gambling

addiction, sex and love addiction, etc.)

 Response: The CRC will provide a location for Smart Recovery meetings, provided
there is a student-led initiative to start an autonomous meeting. In order to
include drug and alcohol addiction, the CRC will facilitate one weekly meeting
that addresses all addictive disorders. To promote community cohesion, the CRC
will not accept members that do not present alcohol or drug addiction. Students
with co-occurring disorders (i.e. alcoholism and gambling addiction) will be
welcome, but students with only a non-substance addiction (i.e. only gambling
or sex addiction) will be referred to Campus Health resources.

o Concern: Representation of minority populations and issues (i.e. ethnic and cultural
communities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, etc.)

 Response: The CRC promotes a culture of acceptance and diversity. The CRC
staff will facilitate an environment of tolerance through student contracts,
seminars, and community meetings. Additional referrals and resources related
to such issues will be available.
 University Concerns: Misunderstanding of addiction and recovery may present conflict
within the University of North Carolina system. Some of the issues include, but are not
limited to:

o Concern: Viewing recovering students as a liability instead of an asset to campus (i.e.

potential for relapse)

 Response: Currently, recovering students are spread over WCU’s campus with
little to no on-campus support. Continuing to ignore this fact is both
irresponsible and costly, as relapse and academic underachievement are more
prevalent without support.

o Concern: Finding funding and physical space

 Response: A number of well-connected fundraisers with a personal interest in a

recovery community have been identified. Additionally, there is evidence from
the Texas Tech program that federal funding may be available. Potential first-
year locations for the CRC include the new HomeBase building just off of
campus, as well as locations in Killian and McKee. Using these available spaces
will keep overhead low until an existing building can be renovated or the CRC can
be incorporated in the new CAPS location.

o Concern: Investing in a program that serves a minority of students

 Response: The return on services rendered by the CRC is measurable in a variety

of ways. The most vital aspect of the program is its ability to support recovery,
and potentially help students avoid the sometimes fatal consequences of
relapse. Other gains include an increase in GPA and campus involvement by
members, not to mention the thousands in revenue provided my retaining these
students.

o Example: As discussed previously, established CRCs increase student

retention between the first and second year of enrollment. Even when
considered the lower tuition introduced by the NC Promise Tuition Plan,
removal of current CRC students—24 in total—would result in a $12,000
loss in revenue for the university per year. Furthermore, assuming each
 student spends 4 years at the institution, this would mean a gross
revenue loss of approximately $48,000

o Concern: Potential conflict between UNC services (i.e. Counseling and Psychological
Services (CAPS))

 Response: The recovery coach at the CRC is not a substitute for CAPS. In fact, the
CRC will work to refer students that desire additional counseling to WCU
services. The CRC will work to interface with Health and Wellness services in
both sending and receiving referrals.

 Community Concerns: Fear of competition and perception of lost clientele may affect
the level of support from given by outside professionals and groups. Particular issues
may include, but are not limited to:

o Concern: Treatment centers, halfway houses, and Twelve-step programs viewing the
CRC as a duplication of services

 Response: The CRC will work with local service providers to educate them about
the role of the community. The CRC is a recovery support system and does not
act as a treatment center or halfway house. The program is tailored for students
who have undergone treatment and/or have demonstrated a commitment to
sobriety lasting at least 6 months.

o Concern: Resistance to a student-led, as opposed to a professionally administered,

program

 Response: CRC member records, facilities and services will all be administered
professionally; however, it is important that recovering students have the largest
stake in their own recoveries. It would be a disservice to students to provide
overly-strict supervision. Successful recovery on a college campus requires
community support, but it also requires members to take ownership over their
own recovery programs.

o Concern: General misconceptions about the nature of recovery

 Response: Because of the popular misconceptions and stigma surrounding

addiction, it would be prudent to engage the University and community in an
 educational campaign. It is vital that all staff members of the CRC are either in
recovery or have an intimate knowledge of recovery-related issues. Additionally,
advisory board members must have a general understanding of recovery.

o Concern: Resistance to funding a program for self-identified recovering students

 Response: It is important to educate the public about the cost-saving effects and
opportunities for research provided by the CRC. This information will be
provided through the CRC website and addressed in marketing and fundraising
campaigns.

BUDGET

We propose the following budget to implement the CRC at WCU according to quality practices
as established by Texas Tech University. This is a basic budget that covers the requirements of
a first year CRC program:

Projected Costs
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
SALARIES

Graduate Assistant 8,500 8,500 8,500 8,500 8,500

Part-time Assistant Director 25,000 25,000 30,000 30,000 35,000

Part-time Recovery Coach 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000

RA N/A N/A 6,500 6,500 6,500

Total Salaries: 43,500 43,500 55,000 55,000 60,000

HUMAN RESOURCES

Professional Development 1,500 1,750 2,000 2,000 2,000

Insurance 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000

Benefits 18,000 18,000 19,000 19,000 19,500

 Total HR: 24,500 24,750 26,000 26,000 26,500

PROGRAM SUPPORT

Fellowship Events 5,000 7,000 8,000 8,000 10,000

Food for Events 500 500 1,000 1,000 1,000

Service Learning Fund N/A 500 500 500 1,000

Marketing/Recruitment
(flyers, treatment center
visits, etc.) 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500

Total Program Support: 7,000 9,500 11,000 11,000 13,500

FACILITIES AND SUPPLIES

Overhead (phone service,

internet service, copier etc.) 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000

General supplies (paper,

pens, etc.) 500 500 500 500 500

Recovery Literature 500 500 500 500 500

Total Facilities/Supplies: 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000

YEARLY TOTALS: $81,000 $83,750 $98,000 $98,000 $103,000