A multicampus Collegiate Recovery Program supports students in their recovery from addiction at Methodist University.
Stemming from a $500,000 grant announced in January, Methodist University and Fayetteville Technical Community College have partnered to offer the Collegiate Recovery Program and make it available to students on both campuses.
“College students are some of the most stressed people in our society ,with everything that they’re handling right now, which means the potential for substance misuse is very high” said Cynthia Reyes, director of campus recreation, wellness and collegiate recovery. “This helps provide them with a safe space if they feel like it’s becoming an issue or if they’re nervous about a family member’s history of addiction.”
Located in Pearce Hall on the Methodist campus, the Collegiate Recovery Program offers a lounge where any student can socialize and engage in fun activities, the news release said. The program also offers a variety of mutual aid support groups including SMART recovery, Celebrate Recovery, 12 Step, Wellness/Recovery Action Planning (WARP), and harm reduction. And it offers access to Gregory Berry, a peer support specialist and SMART recovery facilitator whose office is in Pearce.
FTCC’s Collegiate Recovery Program office is in the Tony Rand Student Center.
“As someone in long-term recovery, I’ve had to navigate college while in recovery,” Berry said. “I know from past experience all of the challenges you face in college when you’re someone going through recovery, so I’m familiar with the needs that students have. I just want to be able to help students if they’re going through anything. It’s extremely gratifying.”
The program also works directly with the university’s Health and Counseling Services and Campus Recreation offices to help meet the physical and mental needs of students.
Although the Collegiate Recovery Program is new, Methodist University does have a history of assisting students with the road to recovery. In 2020, Mitzi Averette, adjunct assistant professor of Nursing, collaborated with students to create Cumberland County’s first collegiate recovery gathering called Roaring4Recovery. Averette now offers expert and volunteer guidance to the Collegiate Recovery Program.
“When I came to campus in 2020, the program saved my college career and helped me stay involved on campus,” said MU senior Adriana DeMercurio, a student ambassador for the Collegiate Recovery Program and a psychology major. “It’s very rewarding to see the impact it has made on other students, and that’s why I’m involved with the Collegiate Recovery Program.”
Students are welcome to visit the Collegiate Recovery Program at Pearce Hall from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information about the FTCC office, email Ilana Sheppard at sheppari@faytechcc.edu or call 910-486-3684.
Brad Johnson is director of marketing and communications at Methodist University.
