Next school year, UO will eliminate its Substance Abuse Prevention Program, which offers classes on substance abuse counseling.
A letter sent by the UO College of Education yesterday told faculty that the Substance Abuse Prevention Program will be slashed because of the quality of instruction, rigor of the curriculum and enrollment of undergraduates in the program.
UO will cut 18 non-tenure track faculty positions, according to the letter.
The program came under scrutiny beginning in 2006, when a review identified 14 specific actions that needed to occur to fix the program within a 10-year period. They included adherence to UO minimum course syllabi standards, monitoring faculty credentials and grading policies, according to the letter.
A similar review was conducted last year by a group of external faculty. They found that the SAPP was still inadequate in those 14 points.
SAPP offices in Esslinger Hall were closed during hours of operation on Friday afternoon. No SAPP employees could be immediately reached by the Emerald.
SAPP offers courses such as SAPP 407: Coping with Stress and Depression and SAPP 407: Addictive Behaviors.
SAPP is a program that isn’t funded through tuition but rather charges students a “self supported fee,” according to documents on the SAPP office wall.
One of the quotes on the wall states, “’The best teachers I’ve had at the U of O have been in the SAPP department. I think everyone should be required to take a SAPP course while in school.’ –Madison, Class of 2014”
Randy Kamphaus, Dean of the College of Education and author of the letter, wrote that in September he will make an effort to set up substance abuse classes in the Counseling Psychology and Human Services department.
A document briefing the announcement is available here: SAAPBriefingDocument04072017