Iowa State boasts newly-accredited Collegiate Recovery Program

Across colleges and universities, the words and lived experiences of addiction and recovery, dependence and therapy, mental illness and counseling are becoming less taboo to talk about — making initiatives like Iowa State University’s Collegiate Recovery Program more popular and important for students seeking support.

It’s a peer-based support community offering weekly group meetings, one-on-one recovery coaching and ally training, among other services, to those voluntarily pursuing recovery from addictions like drugs, alcohol and gambling.

It’s a separate effort from — and not meant to replace — what ISU offers through its Student Counseling Services.

“The idea of peer support is one of those models that has existed for a very, very long time,” Ryan Doyle, health strategy specialist for ISU Student Health and Wellness, told The Gazette. “I think most people are familiar with the idea of (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings.”

But college campuses increasingly are ripe for such supports as mental health talk becomes more mainstream. “The younger generation is much more comfortable discussing mental health than the previous generation,” Doyle said.

That includes discussions with peers who share similar or sometimes not-so-similar addictions. And for students coping with addictions, learning they’re not alone can be powerful — especially if it means finding an ally in pursuing substance-free activities.

“Connecting students who are all working toward that same common goal, and making sure they have connections with each other, is really important,” Doyle said.

Accreditation

ISU’s recovery support system started in 2018 with a Collegiate Recovery Student Organization, which gained membership with the national Association of Recovery in Higher Education — which says it is the “only association exclusively representing collegiate recovery programs and collegiate recovery communities, the faculty and staff who support them, and the students who represent them.”

That initial iteration evolved with the addition of a graduate assistant and then the hire of Doyle in 2021 to work with the Collegiate Recovery Program and to oversee prevention efforts on campus.

Recently, the ISU program participated in a pilot review program that earned it accreditation through the Association of Recovery in Higher Education as a “fully reviewed program.” ISU is now among the first 10 collegiate recovery programs to complete the process and receive the designation, which remains in effect for five years.

As part of the process, ISU participated in an internal review and external assessment — for which association officials visited campus and interviewed administrators, observed meeting and support spaces, evaluated documentation and funding mechanisms, and assessed overall recovery promotion, Doyle said.

Although a “significant” number of institutions applied for the pilot review, just 14 were accepted, according to Doyle. “Of the of the 14, 10 received the reviewed accreditation,” he said.

The assessment came with a list of recommendations to make the program stronger and a bit more prestige in touting offerings to existing students and those shopping for a campus home.

“We can say, not only do we have a program, but it's one that's been reviewed,” Doyle said. “And that's a concern, especially for incoming students or parents who are thinking of sending their students to college if they have recovery as a part of their life experience.”

Campuses environments sometimes can be “hostile to abstinence.”

“We can let students who are thinking about college know, ‘Hey, if you're thinking about coming here and recovery is part of your life experience, we have support for you’,” Doyle said, noting the program is baked into the fabric of student wellness at ISU. “This is a permanent program.”

Growing need, support

Although participation numbers aren’t on par with the ISU Student Counseling Services, for example, which recorded 7,352 total visits in the 2023 academic year, the Collegiate Recovery Community is growing.

Its total peer support meeting attendance has swelled from 77 in 2020-21 to 111 in 2021-22 to 152 in the 2022-23 academic year, according to annual reports and Doyle. That most recent year involved 15 unique students participating consistently over the year.

“And now we have a dedicated space,” Doyle said about how students before had to meet in random classrooms — requiring them to ask and share what meeting they were attending. “Now it’s always at the same space at the same time. I think that consistency is important.”

Although ISU is among the few campuses with accredited recovery programs, the Association of Recovery in Higher Education boasts 151 programs — including at the University of Iowa. The association reported nearly 300 campus memberships in 2022, up from the three it started with in 2012.

And part of helping students recover is understanding the need — with ISU regularly assessing its campus’ substance use and abuse. The campus’ most recent National College Health Assessment from fall 2021 found nearly 20 percent of respondents who’ve ever had alcohol before were “moderate to high risk” drinkers, based on a scoring system.

Nearly 43 percent who used cannabis fell into the moderate to high-risk category; 15 percent said they drove under the influence of alcohol; 19 percent said they did something they later regretted after drinking; and 11 percent said they blacked out.

The good news, Doyle said, is more students are getting connected to support — like the ISU recovery program.

“Whether that's because more students are dealing with addiction, or whether it's that students are finally becoming more comfortable reaching out for support, that's one I would not want to say,” he said. “But we think students are becoming more open to it, which is great because addiction is not something you can just pretend is not there and hope it goes away. Addiction is a disease. It's a progressive disease. And it's one that can be chronic.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com