Student finds support for sober lifestyle through Collegiate Recovery Community

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Finding the healthy balance between a social, work, and academic life is important to a lot of students while in college. However, some students don’t find this balance as easily as others do. The Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) at Penn State is a resource one student has found useful in regaining control over her life and finding that balance again.  

Meredith, a psychology major, connected with the CRC after realizing she needed support this past fall.  

While attending the Youthful Offenders Program (YOP), Meredith listened to a CRC representative talk about the program, and saw the CRC as an option for her. She noted that she liked how the CRC made her feel about taking the step to reach out for help.

“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am at this point (in terms of recovery) if it wasn’t for the CRC,” she said.

A unit of Penn State Student Affairs, the CRC serves about 25 students at University Park and offers a recovery program. Students sign a membership agreement in which they agree to remain free of alcohol and other drugs, attend at least one peer-support seminar weekly, work with a program outside of the CRC such as a 12-Step Program (Alcoholics Anonymous), and work regularly with a sponsor.

Meredith is currently four months sober from all drugs and substances, and said she did not think this milestone was possible. She works closely with a sponsor who she meets with weekly and has been working a 12-Step Program as well.

She said she has faced the challenge of accepting her disease for what it is, allowing herself to be open with others in the program, and accepting and allowing herself to feel the emotions she was suppressing with her usage.

“I have since been able to identify issues that I was previously ignoring, allowing myself to grow and become the person that I want to be,” she said.

Jason Whitney is the program coordinator for the CRC and said that it is important for Penn State to offer a program like the CRC, because without it many students would not be able to resist the pressure to drink or use other drugs. When given the proper support, relapse is rare, Whitney added, and many students achieve GPAs higher than the average GPA at Penn State.

“In this opportunity to serve as program coordinator of the CRC, I have been fortunate enough to be given the trust and latitude to build a program for which I am very proud, and for this, I am especially grateful,” Whitney said.

Resources offered by the CRC include academic, student and admission advocacy, along with travel opportunities and a supportive alumni group, Lions in Recovery. Scholarships are also available to active members.

Meredith also took the opportunity to live in the Residence of Addiction Recovery (House), more commonly known as ROAR house, and says it has been the most beneficial opportunity that she has been given.

“There is always somebody around who understands, and we are always doing something. ROAR house is where I learned to have fun sober,” she said.

The Office of Student Conduct, another unit of Penn State Student Affairs, supports a safe living and learning environment for all students, where a student’s actions reflect Penn State’s values. This is where most students report to when an incident involving alcohol occurs and the office helps students take the necessary next steps.  

Meredith said she was initially nervous about visiting the office but noted how the staff helped her keep on top of things and understand how her experience was affecting her scholastically and mentally while showing her the tools to move forward.

Since her involvement in the CRC, she said her interactions with others have changed for the better, along with her outlook on the future, and that the CRC has provided her with opportunities and new relationships that have helped her become the person she is today. Mostly, she said, she thanks them for giving her a second chance.

The Collegiate Recovery Community is located in 106 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the University Park campus. Those interested can contact the CRC at 814-863-0140 or email coordinator Jason Whitney. Those interested can donate to the CRC by visiting their Giving to Penn State page.