Taylor’s Slice of Nice is a semester-long weekly column that features good things happening around the globe and takes a look at how we can implement them locally.
Between Oktoberfests across the state, Homecoming weekend, and upcoming Halloween fêtes, October is a dangerous month for the daring college student’s thirst for alcohol. Depending on drinker’s legality coupled with their sense of responsibility, these fun occasions can turn dark pretty quickly. I want to remind readers not only of resources cropping up in other places, but the resource centers proud to call Eau Claire home, as well.
What they’re cooking up:
In New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood, a new substance abuse rehabilitation center has opened specifically to aid college students, according to a New York Times article. Young adults aged 18 to 25 have the highest rates of substance abuse of any age group, yet New York City, home to 500,000 college students, has no other sober residences with support services dedicated to the problem, according to the article.
The center, a condo called “TriBeCa Twelve,” was formed to fill a glossy high-rise apartment building that failed to attract tenants. New York’s Columbia University psychiatry department teamed up with Minnesota-based Hazelden rehabilitation centers to create a living space geared toward recovery through a 12-step program and creating a sense of community within the building.
How it — already is — homemade:
I’m not suggesting we turn Towers into a rehabilitation facility. It’s not the living arrangements I want us to emulate, it’s the idea.
We have so many support services on campus that students should be made aware of. In terms of making sure college students’ needs are met, we seem to be ahead of New York City.
Substance-free floors are already in place in the dorms, furthering the residence halls’ already appropriately-stringent alcohol rules. We also have the Center for Alcohol Studies and Education located in Schofield 30, an organization responsible for implementing programs and education on alcohol issues (they’re also the ones who brought us the Saturday Night Shuttle service!). For more information visit www.uwec.edu/case.
Recently, CASE received a $30,000 grant award to support a new program called Blugold CHOICES: An Alcohol Prevention Program for UW-Eau Claire Students. The program will integrate athletics into the preexisting alcohol use-reduction programs at the university. The grant will also enable CASE to train faculty and staff for when students come to them with alcohol-related issues and plan a series of educational health and wellness events.
Another resource is Counseling Services, located in Old Library 2122. Counseling support is offered for issues ranging from alcohol abuse to depression to stress and much more, and students can meet with staff on a one-on-one basis or join a counseling group session. For more information visit www.uwec.edu/counsel.
Eau Claire doesn’t need an upscale Tribeca apartment complex — we have meaningful resources right here on campus.
Taylor Kuether is a junior print journalism major and Editorial Editor at The Spectator.
