The Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention has a new program geared toward supporting students who are in recovery.
Tiffany Martinez, COSAP health educator, said the Students in Recovery program is focused on “trying to get students who are in recovery, specifically at UNM, to kind of bond together and start a collegiate recovery group.”
Michele Cruz, a marketing assistant for COSAP and project coordinator for Students in Recovery said the program really encourages students in recovery to get involved, as the whole program is formed around what they want.
One of the newer projects at COSAP, Cruz said Students in Recovery is designed around the recovery community at UNM, to do whatever they can to help those affected along in their recovery and reach graduation.
“We know there isn’t really a program here on campus for that specific type of community right now,” Cruz said. “We’re really trying to seek out these students…to make sure that they feel supported and they’re getting the resources that they need here on campus.”
Cruz established a drop-in space in mid-September for students in recovery. She said it is located at Mesa Vista Hall room 3058 from noon to 2 p.m. on Mondays, and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays.
“It’s a really no pressure, laid back space where they can come, do homework, meet other students in recovery. Just a nice place to get away,” she said. “We encourage students to come and stay awhile or just drop by for a little bit. Just to know where we are and that we’re here as a resource, too.”
In addition, Cruz said COSAP has reached out to different offices and departments around UNM to raise awareness about this program, “so we can seek out these students and let them know we have this program available”
So far, Cruz said response to the program has been really encouraging.
“The students that have utilized it, we’ve gotten really positive feedback from,” she said. “We have regular visitors that come use it, which is really great.”
Cruz said the idea for the program came to her in her time at COSAP the last few years, after she was asked by numerous students if the office had any resources for recovery students and, unfortunately, the answer was always no.
“Knowing that there was a need here on campus, hearing it from multiple people who were wondering if there was anything available,” she said.
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The first thing COSAP did in developing the program was to have focus groups of students in recovery, Cruz said. To make sure everything they do for the program is based on what students in recovery at UNM want and don’t get, the drop in space is one result of those focus groups
Since the focus groups began, COSAP continues to try and meet at least once a month to make sure everything they are doing is what the recovery community wants, and different avenues of what they can do in the future.
One of those avenues came at the suggestion of a core group of students that COSAP has been seeing regularly, she said. This group is interested in chartering a student organization through student activities, “that’s something we’ve been discussing and looking to take further steps into.”
Cruz said the idea of a student organization goes in conjunction with something brought up often in focus groups: the need for larger events and activities. For example, hikes in the Sandias, and other activities to build the network of supporters for those who need help.
Cruz said she believes that with the Students in Recovery program, they are on the right track and the outlook is bright.
“It’s been really great. These students that we do see often, who do come in regularly, have been so appreciative,” she said. “They really are so happy that we’re finally doing something for students in recovery, it’s been really rewarding to be a part of the program and building it.”
Matthew Reisen is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
