DRUG DEATH RAISES AWARENESS

The scourge of heroin took Jane Shrum's only brother, whom she described as
a smart, nice-looking kid who aspired to teach history.

UNCW student Jeffery Irby, 23, died March 27 of a heroin overdose, according
to an autopsy report released recently by the state Office of the Chief
Medical Examiner.

A roommate found his body in their bathroom in Apartment F, a multiunit
dwelling on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

A history major, Mr. Irby was enrolled at UNCW from June 2001 until his
death, school officials said.

He was a member of the school's sailing club and co-captain of the sailing
team.

Contacted by the Star-News Wednesday, Ms. Shrum, 36, of Chesapeake, Va.,
said she wants others to understand heroin's devastating effects. She said
she is considering visiting high schools in Virginia to talk to students
about the dangers.

"I just want other people to realize that once you make that decision to
start using heroin, you are basically saying that you want to die," she
said.

, who grew up in Virginia Beach, Va., began using when he was 18 and had
been in and out of treatment centers.

"Once you get addicted to something like that, it's very difficult to get
away from it," she said. "Nobody understands it unless you use. The
addiction was so bad that it just took his body over."

Mr. Irby's death came as no surprise to Marta Long, a UNCW senior. She first
met Mr. Irby in sixth grade and witnessed his struggles with addiction.

Ms. Long, 22, has a unique perspective. A close friend, 21-year-old Lane
Malbon, who often did drugs with Mr. Irby, died from heroin poisoning in
Wilmington in October 2002, according to his death certificate.

Ms. Long hopes UNCW officials will do more to educate students on the
dangers of heroin and is concerned that university officials didn't
immediately disclose the cause of Mr. Irby's death. If they had, she said,
it would have been a good opportunity to raise awareness.

"But they didn't," Ms. Long said. "They sat on it. They just didn't do
anything."

UNCW Police Chief David M. Donaldson said the exact cause of Mr. Irby's
death wasn't known until a toxicology report was complete.

"We don't speculate, and we certainly don't make public comments on
someone's death based on speculation," the chief said Wednesday.

According to the autopsy report, a syringe, spoon and lighter - items often
used to take heroin - were found near Mr. Irby's body.

University officials said a task force being formed to examine campus safety
issues would also address substance abuse. The school has an extensive
program in place to educate students about substance abuse and provide
counseling to abusers, officials said.

The task force was announced in the wake of two murders of UNCW students
over the past several weeks. Members haven't been chosen, and details of its
mission aren't complete. Ms. Long said she hoped students would be a part of
the task force. UNCW spokeswoman Mimi Cunningham said she thought that was a
good idea.

On May 5, the body of UNCW student Jessica Faulkner, 18, was found beaten
and strangled in the dorm room of Curtis Dixon, the fellow student charged
in her murder. Then, on June 4, UNCW student Christen Naujoks, 22, was shot
11 times and killed outside her Wilmington apartment. Her ex-boyfriend, John
Peck, was charged with the murder but shot himself to death after a
three-day run from police.

Campus options

Since 1987, UNCW has had professionals on campus devoted to substance
abuse-related issues. In 1997, the school formed Crossroads, the
substance-abuse prevention and education program at UNCW, said Rebecca
Caldwell, program director.

Ms. Caldwell said the Crossroads staff includes herself, one full-time
employee and graduate assistants. It also uses "peer educators," students
who help raise awareness across campus.

Crossroads distributes brochures and conducts lectures in classrooms,
residence halls and other areas of campus. It also provides a confidential
walk-in service, where students can get help for substance-abuse problems
for themselves or their friends. About 40 to 60 students a year walk into
the office, Ms. Caldwell said. Many inquire about how they can help a friend
in trouble or about how to quit smoking or drinking themselves, she said.

"We're one part of creating a safety net around students," Ms. Caldwell
said. "Like any community, everyone plays a part in trying to be proactive
with students that are in trouble."

The university also offers counseling to students with substance-abuse
problems through its counseling center, provides substance-abuse assessments
and makes off-campus referrals to students who need further help.

Drugs of choice

According to a February survey of 400 UNCW students, heroin is one of the
drugs least likely to be used by students. About 1 percent of those students
reported using heroin over the past 12 months, Ms. Caldwell said. But that
doesn't mean heroin should be overlooked, she said.

"The concern is that any one student who is doing heroin is in very grave
danger," Ms. Caldwell said.

Anabolic steroids were the only drugs used less, she said.

About three-quarters of students in the survey reported using alcohol over
the past year, one-third used tobacco and one-fifth used marijuana, the
study showed.

Ms. Long said she believes problems with heroin extend far beyond the
university community. She would like to see a countywide task force created
to look into the issue. Officials at the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office
and the Wilmington Police Department didn't immediately return calls
Wednesday.

Ms. Shrum said university officials have been "wonderful" to her family
after her brother's death. They sent flowers and reimbursed Mr. Irby's
tuition for his last semester, she said.

She expressed guilt that she couldn't do anything to save her brother. She
said he tried to get help but couldn't escape heroin's hold.

"I know that he didn't want this to happen," she said. "I know it was a
mistake."