09/30/05 - The University of Rhode Island is helping students deal with
alcohol and drug abuse through a program called Substance Abuse Prevention
Services.
SAPS, is designed to counsel students who may have a problem and offer them
advice on how to solve it.
"It's not developed to be punishment, its developed more as an educational
piece, so we really don't have anything to do with the judicial process,"
Dan Graney, the director of SAPS, said.
The former director, Dan Reilly, left the university this summer, and Graney
replaced him in July.
"Its been going very well so far. The thing we've been working on primarily
over the summer was getting the AlcoholEdu set up for incoming freshmen during
URI 101," Graney said.
In addition to serving students who want to come in and talk voluntarily, there
is also a portion of SAPS that helps students who have committed two offenses
involving alcohol.
"We provide what's called JADE, Judicial Alcohol and Drug Education,"
Graney said. "So if someone is found responsible for a second offense, then
they get the fine and they have to come meet with either me or one of my
staff,".
The students who participate in JADE go through a two-hour session that provides
the student with education about alcohol and alcoholism, and a self-evaluation
of the student's choices.
"You learn very basic things about alcohol and blood alcohol levels and the
perceptions that students have about alcohol abuse and substance abuse,"
Graney said. "Then, the second hour they come back and they talk about
their own choices, what different choices they could have made and what choices
they'll make in the future."
SAPS also uses the Common Ground grant, which allows the university to do
research involving alcohol abuse.
"The Common Ground grant is a grant that psychology professor Mark Wood and
Dean of Students Fran Cohen got from the National Institutes of Alcoholism and
Alcohol Abuse," Graney said. "It's a five-year grant to do research
with college towns and the universities that are with them."
The grant is geared toward bringing together URI and the Town of Narragansett
to reduce the incidences of drunk driving as much as possible.
Graney is also working with RamChoices, which is geared toward athletes, and
RamGoals for Greek organizations.
Opportunities to gain more information and become involved with the program will
be available during National Alcohol Screening Day on Oct. 27.
Presentations about alcohol and substance abuse are also available.
"A lot of what I do is just stop in to the fraternities, the sororities and
the residence halls or the athletic teams, and just do presentations on alcohol
and substance abuse, or answer any sort of questions they have about alcohol
abuse," Graney said. "I can tailor the presentation to whoever I'm
talking to."
Graney urges students who feel they have an issue to stop in and talk.
"We're here for the students for educational purposes and you're not going
to get in trouble if you come to talk with us," Graney said. "Even
though we work out of the office of Student Life, were not the judicial branch
of it, so if you have questions, or if you need help, or if you're not sure that
you might need help, just come in and talk to us because that's why we're
here."