STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE

As director of the Counseling and Wellness Center at Chico State
University, I am writing in response to the recent letter to the
editor criticizing drug and alcohol education efforts directed at
Chico State freshmen.

During freshman move-in week, my staff of seven counselors, officers
from the University Police Department and interns from the A.S.
Women's Center delivered 20 workshops to 1,900 first-year students
residing in campus housing. This nationally recognized program,
"Freshman Safe Start," teaches students about a myriad of unsafe
situations they could possibly encounter as students in this community.

We specifically talk to students about the use of ecstasy as well as
the ubiquitous use of other psychoactive drugs such as alcohol. Our
message is to be careful and to make smart choices. We give specific
examples of problematic drug use and its consequences. We are careful
not to make case studies or public awareness campaigns out of
specific students who have died of drug overdoses. We do this out or
respect for grieving families. We routinely meet and review our
preventative efforts to make sure we are doing everything possible to
keep students safe. It is an ongoing uphill battle as
developmentally, students in late adolescence often feel invincible.
We welcome critiques and challenges as it pushes us to do our jobs
better. There are larger social and personal issues that drive drug
and alcohol abuse. Students know full well the dangers of drugs and
abuse and choose to often use anyway.

Mimi Bommersbach, Chico