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Boston College has established a program aimed at providing support for undergraduates recovering from substance abuse or other addictions.
Five students are currently enrolled in the BC Recovery Housing program, created through collaboration between several offices in the Student Affairs division, including Residential Life, Health Promotions, Health Services, Alcohol and Drug Education and University Counseling, and the University Mission and Ministry division.
To enter the program, students must have received treatment for alcohol or drug abuse, or other addictive behaviors, and been accepted for reinstatement at the University. The students are offered substance-free campus housing and provided with various counseling and health-related services and resources to aid their continuing recovery.
Administrators say that while BC Recovery Housing — which receives financial support from donor families — represents a “significant public acknowledgement” of addiction-related problems in the student population, the program also reflects Boston College’s commitment to the Jesuit philosophy of cura personalis – “care of the whole person.”
“The impact of alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders and other addictive behavior on students and the campus community is a concern throughout higher education,” said Office of Residential Life Director George Arey. “Boston College believes strongly that we should not ‘lose’ students of promise to addiction-related problems, and instead do whatever we can to help them achieve their potential. With Recovery Housing, we are centralizing services, resources and other kinds of support for students who are in good academic standing yet find it difficult to function in a traditional university setting. BC is bringing its values to bear on this issue.”
At the same time, Arey and other administrators note, students enrolled in BC Recovery Housing must also accept the responsibility, and scrutiny, that comes with the program. While the students are not required to accept on-campus housing, they must have regular individual meetings with Counseling Services and program manager and clinician Nicolas Sperry ’11, MA’13. They also are expected to participate in community service and help sponsor others who are facing addiction-based issues.
“Our message to the students is, ‘This is a second chance, and we can provide the environment and support to help you succeed — but in the end it’s up to you.’ Accountability is a big part of recovery from addiction, and is therefore crucial to this program.”
“Students in BC Recovery Housing are not shut away from the rest of the world,” said Sperry, whose BC affiliations also include experience as an operations coordinator and resident assistant in Residential Life and escort program coordinator the BC Police Department. “We want them to be able to enjoy not only campus activities and events, but to go on off-campus excursions — camping for a weekend, for example — and to have authentic, fulfilling college experiences.”
Arey noted that BC has many resources and services already in place to address issues related to addiction. These include campus housing for students who want an environment free of alcohol, drugs, tobacco and other substances, weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings open to students and the public, peer-facilitated support groups, as well as trained professionals in the University Counseling and Alcohol and Drug Education offices.
“What we’ve done through BC Recovery Housing is to link together these elements so there is effective communication between the different offices and providers,” he said. “Think of the design of a wagon wheel: We want the student to be at the center, connected to those services and resources, all of which in turn are linked to one another.”
While recovery housing is increasingly common among colleges and universities, Sperry said it is particularly appropriate at a Jesuit institution like BC. “The connections between the 12-step recovery program model and Ignatian spirituality are striking,” he explained. “For example, Ignatius warns of ‘inordinate attachments,’ which can be construed as ‘addictions.’ The Jesuit emphasis on self-examination, meanwhile, corresponds to the personal-inventory process in recovery.
“But perhaps the most significant connection is the Jesuit ideal of ‘men and women for others.’ Students who enroll in this program must carry their message to peers and others, and give back to the community that has supported them.”
In fact, BC Recovery Housing students are to some extent already fulfilling that tenet, say Sperry and Arey: They were responsible for creating the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting hosted at BC, which draws upwards of 30 people a week.
Arey said this first cohort of students also have demonstrated resolve and resilience in seeking to continue their studies at BC.
“They are all brilliant, exceptional students, and you would never know they have addiction issues,” he said. “I meet with them once a week, at 8 a.m., and they are on time and engaged — and with them I enjoy some of the best conversations I’ve ever had. They are committed to doing their best, and we want to do the best for them, by letting them know BC will support them.”