For the first time, students living in residence halls who are cited for on-campus drinking or drug use can choose to forgo an eight-hour drug and alcohol class and instead attend a peer counseling session as punishment.
The eight-hour Busted course, which discusses the risks of substance abuse, is not appropriate for many students because it isn’t individualized enough, said Tom Favreau, director of the Substance Abuse Prevention Program.
The new program was developed after a huge rise in on-campus alcohol and drug citations, Favreau said.
Statistics from the Student Judicial Affairs office show that 1,063 students were cited for possession of alcohol in the 2002-03 school year, up from 354 the year before.
In 2002-03, 784 students were cited for drinking alcohol; 173 students were cited the previous year.
Last year, the Student Judicial Affairs office was “overloaded” with alcohol offenses, Favreau said.
The new program will hopefully reduce the number of on-campus alcohol violations, he said.
It’s “a way that students can get information in a non-threatening environment,” said Darcy Ketchum, a graduate student and one of the program’s counselors.
No interviews have taken place yet, but Favreau expects them to begin in the next few weeks.
Students will only be eligible for peer counseling for their first citation. For a second violation, a student will be directly referred to Busted, he said.
Residence Hall complex directors will also decide whether the new program is appropriate for students caught drinking in their halls.
The one-hour assessment interviews can be held individually or in small groups of eight to 10 students.
University students trained in alcohol and drug treatment will lead each counseling session, but Favreau will supervise the program. Student counselors aren’t paid, but will receive practicum credit for their work.
Counselors will use methods of motivational interviewing, a form of therapy that encourages people to think about their options and what they could have done differently, Favreau said.
“It will encourage students to think ‘What about me?’” Favreau said.
Ketchum plans to talk to offenders about the history and pattern of their drug use. All information presented during a counseling session will be confidential, she said.
If the counselor determines that the student suffers from addiction and that further treatment is needed, they will refer him or her to the Counseling and Testing Center, she said.
Counselors will also discuss how to lower the potential risks of alcohol use, Favreau said.
“It’s not my role to judge what is right or wrong,” Ketchum said. “It’s my role to talk about what the consequences are and what to do about it.”
If a student is cited off-campus by Eugene police, he or she will most likely be referred to a city program called In Charge, which is very similar to the Busted course, Favreau said.
Freshmen Brennan Pothetes and Gabriel Wahomund said neither program would deter their use of alcohol, but both said they would choose peer counseling over the Busted course.
“(Counseling) seems more personable,” said Pothetes. “One-on-one counseling would give you more attention than being in a class.”
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