Sober Living Community Opens Up on Campus

            Beginning this year, William Paterson University students have been given a unique opportunity to engage in a healthier lifestyle. 

The university now offers a residence building on campus that serves as a sober living community for students in active recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.  White Hall is an option available not only for students that are recovering addicts, but any student who wishes to live in a community away from the pressure of drugs and alcohol.

William Paterson University is one of about fifteen colleges across the country that are members of the Association of Recovery Schools and offer recovery residences to their students. With the help of a three-year grant by the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services, Dr. Glen Sherman, Dean of Student Services, spearheaded efforts for the establishment of recovery housing at William Paterson

“Enhancing community life is the goal,” Sherman says. “What we wanted was for students to actually feel rewarded as opposed to ostracized.”

As part of the initiative, a number of recreational activities are available for students to attend each month, especially during the late night and weekends. Many of the activities have sobriety-based themes such as “Virgin Cocktail Night” and “Alcohol Jeopardy.” All students are welcome to attend the activities.

In addition, the recovery housing project has hired its own Coordinator of Residence Recovery, Jonathan Lausell, who provides support and assistance to residents in recovery, all of whom are anonymous.

Resident assistant Vanessa Laforteza explains about Lausell, “If something happens in the middle of the night, they can just knock on his door. He’s right there. He’s always there to talk to.”

White Hall houses roughly 100 people and is currently about seventy-five percent full. In order for residents to live in White Hall, they are required to sign an agreement that states they will refrain from alcohol and drug use in their living community.

Along with providing a substance-free environment and recovery support for students, the agreement explains that the intent is to "eliminate the negative stigma that has been attached to a campus lifestyle . . . associated with the use of alcohol and drugs on/off campus.”

How effective has the initiative been?

 According to White Hall resident Precious Jackson, a lot.

 “Everybody’s on the same page with wanting to stay away from alcohol and substances,” she says.

Jackson says that while she is living there mostly for the quiet environment, she believes that recovery housing is a positive thing for everyone.

“I think it will inspire people.”

Laforteza agrees that the initiative has been working.

“Some people have had a hard time adjusting to it at first, but they’re starting to get the hang of it.” She goes on to clarify that “If a violation does persist, we’re not here to punish people. We’re going to try to help them.”

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Anonymous

Mon Mar 29 2010 19:10

I am really wondering why it is that recovering addicts 40 years and older are given so much more of an opportunity to go to school and get an education off of my tax dollars, when my 19 year old son, who has never touched a drug, stayed the course couldn't get a dime of financial aid. We are both working two jobs for him to be able to get an education, I know that these people need a chance, and God bless them for trying, but our younger generation are the bloodline to our future and when aid dries up for them for junior senior citizens, I feel the buck should stop Here!

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