CM CREW expands to Ferris State, provides help for students with alcohol, drug addiction
Central Michigan Collegiate Recovery Education Program at Central Michigan University.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about four out of five college students drink alcohol.
About 25 percent of those students report suffering academic consequences related to drinking too much, including skipped classes, lower test scores and lower grades overall.
Central Michigan University students facing academic consequences due to alcohol and substance abuse can seek recovery and help through the Central Michigan Collegiate Recovery Education Wellness program.
CM CREW works in partnership with the university to provide prevention and early intervention services for students that are experiencing consequences due to alcohol or drug use.
The program formed in September 2016 through a partnership with student affairs, administration, former Mount Pleasant mayor, Sharon Tillman, and Ten16 Recovery Network.
Ten16 is a Mid-Michigan based recovery agency dedicated to helping people with drug and alcohol addictions to live full lives by providing a variety of programs and resources.
After two years of activism on CMU’s campus, Ten16 recently expanded their message for sobriety to Ferris State University by forming another collegiate recovery program, similarly named FS CREW.
Kayce Courson is the sight director of the FSU program and is directly involved in supporting students in recovery from substance abuse. Courson has trained at Kennesaw State’s Collegiate Recovery Community, known as the Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery.
Just like CM CREW, FS CREW is dedicated to maintaining confidentiality with those who seek help through the program.
“CREW is not here to demand abstinence and demonize use of substances. We will not issue any formal diagnosis, and we will never break confidentiality to parents, professors, or peers,” Courson said. “The program utilizes harm reduction techniques and encourages the student to set their own goals about how they want their substance use to look.”
Jessica Miller spearheads CM CREW and many of its operations, including student evaluations – one of the many services offered by the organization. She has more then ten years of experience as a professional counselor and said she has a passion for working with college students.
“I’m not looking to give the student a diagnosis, it’s more a discussion about their relationship with drugs and alcohol and make referrals if they pose a high-risk factor for substance abuse,” Miller said.
CM CREW also offers recovery and wellness coaching, which is a one-on-one appointment with Falmouth senior Isaac Dieterman. In contrast to a counseling session, Dieterman connects with students as peers to help them create a plan to get to a healthier lifestyle.
“This can be as simple as cutting a day out of their drinking schedule or it may be trying to decrease the number of beers they drink in a weekend,” Dieterman said.
Dieterman said he began his involvement with CM CREW out of the necessity to care for his own problems with addiction. Now, he said he works to improve the lives of others by guiding them on their path to sobriety.
"Recovery by the Slice," an event involving free pizza, has been a weekly tradition of CM CREW since the organization came to fruition. These events, held on Mondays from 1-2 p.m. and Thursdays from 12:30-1:30 p.m., are designed for students seeking recovery as well as anybody who wishes to be part of a sober community.
“We assume nothing about any student who comes through these doors – we don’t automatically assume they have a problem with drugs or alcohol, we just want to see where they’re at,” Dieterman said. “So far, I’ve seen nothing but positive reactions from students.”
To connect with CM CREW and learn more about it, visit its regularly updated Facebook @CentralMichiganCREW and Instagram @cm.crew or call the office located at Robinson Hall, room 139 at (989) 774-CREW (2739).
