Pubdate: Fri, 25 Sep 2009
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2009 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact: http://www.chicoer.com/feedback
Website: http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Mimi Bommersbach

STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE

As director of the Counseling and Wellness Center at Chico State 
University, I am writing in response to the recent letter to the 
editor criticizing drug and alcohol education efforts directed at 
Chico State freshmen.

During freshman move-in week, my staff of seven counselors, officers 
from the University Police Department and interns from the A.S. 
Women's Center delivered 20 workshops to 1,900 first-year students 
residing in campus housing. This nationally recognized program, 
"Freshman Safe Start," teaches students about a myriad of unsafe 
situations they could possibly encounter as students in this community.

We specifically talk to students about the use of ecstasy as well as 
the ubiquitous use of other psychoactive drugs such as alcohol. Our 
message is to be careful and to make smart choices. We give specific 
examples of problematic drug use and its consequences. We are careful 
not to make case studies or public awareness campaigns out of 
specific students who have died of drug overdoses. We do this out or 
respect for grieving families. We routinely meet and review our 
preventative efforts to make sure we are doing everything possible to 
keep students safe. It is an ongoing uphill battle as 
developmentally, students in late adolescence often feel invincible. 
We welcome critiques and challenges as it pushes us to do our jobs 
better. There are larger social and personal issues that drive drug 
and alcohol abuse. Students know full well the dangers of drugs and 
abuse and choose to often use anyway.

Mimi Bommersbach, Chico
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart