Cougars in Recovery FY17 Annual Report

Transcription

1 Cougars in Recovery FY17 Annual Report Section 1: Cougars in Recovery Overview Cougars in Recovery (CIR) supports the mission of the University of Houston (UH) by fostering academic success, student growth and development, and promoting a diverse and inclusive community. In addition, CIR supports the mission and values of the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services (DSAES). This mission is met by ensuring the academic and individual success of its students, and providing a multitude of resources to students in recovery from addictive and compulsive disorders; allowing them to participate in the full collegiate experience while maintaining their sobriety. Section 2: Cougars in Recovery Mission Cougars in Recovery offers students in recovery from addiction a smooth transition to the university, both socially and academically by providing a safe, sober environment that assists and supports them as they pursue their academic and professional goals, walk the path of recovery and participate in the diverse opportunities available on campus. Section 3: Cougars in Recovery FY17 Goals 1. Identify next steps to supporting students in recovery at the University of Houston Downtown campus (UHD). (DSAES 1B) Status: Ongoing. CIR Staff has met with Dr. Judith Harris, Assistant Professor in the College of Public Service from UHD and Amelia Murphy, Director of Recovery Support Services, from Santa Maria Hostel to discuss a plan of action in implementing a collegiate recovery community at the UHD campus. CIR staff has shared student applications, program agreements, and recovery protection plans. Similarly, the CIR staff approach to recovery support and to student involvement as a whole was shared. CIR staff is continuing to work with Dr. Harris and Ms. Murphy to create and establish a collegiate recovery community at UHD. CIR will continue to support this effort until the task is completed or once our assistance is no longer needed. 2. Increase membership while strengthening and diversifying the resources available to our students not only in recovery from addiction, but compulsive behaviors and mental health concerns. (DSAES 3B) Status: Ongoing. CIR had nine community members graduate over the FY 17 year. CIR served thirty one new students in recovery. In addition to increased membership of students seeking support from substance use disorders, other members have joined CIR seeking support for selfharm, sex and love addiction, and other compulsive behaviors. CIR has created partnerships with off campus mental health organizations to support CIR members that struggle with co-occurring mental health disorders. In addition, CIR hired a full-time staff member with a Master s in Counseling degree and a license in counseling to better serve and support students regarding mental health and recovery.

2 3. Collaborate with community partners during the fall and spring semesters to develop students' marketable skills through internships, part-time jobs, and outdoor adventure activities. (DSAES 3C) Status: Complete. CIR has partnered with University Career Services on campus and developed Career Ready Coogs, a professional development component to the CIR program. The professional development program focuses on facilitating a successful transition from a student to a professional. Areas of focus will include resume building, mock interviews, job placement, internships, and professional demeanor. In addition, this component offers strategies on how to navigate the job search for students with criminal records and with gaps of employment due to incarceration and mental health and/or drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Through collaboration with the Center for Student Involvement on campus, Source of Strength Leadership program was developed. This program is a mentorship initiative that allows participants to cultivate, strengthen, and refine their leadership potential, interpersonal effectiveness and self-confidence. Similarly, participating students can anticipate growth in skills that will enhance the success in their academics. Lastly, CIR has connected with off campus organizations in Texas that cater to the recovery population to collaborate in hosting outdoor and social events. 4. Advocate for individuals to maintain and sustain recovery by annually participating in platforms to exchange ideas, facilitate relationships, and network. Similarly, to participate in educational opportunities on campus, in the Houston community, and nationwide. (DSAES 5C) Status: Ongoing. CIR staff will continue to attend the Houston Recovery Initiative monthly meeting to foster relationships with community leaders in the addiction and recovery community. CIR staff are members of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals, the Houston Chapter. CIR staff intends on becoming active members of this organization in order to elevate CIR s presence in the Houston recovery community. The director of CIR is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the program coordinator is a member of the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors, a division in the American Counseling Association. Membership to these associations come with the intention on being active members in order to gain knowledge and represent CIR on a national level. CIR will continue to be active members of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE). In June 2017, CIR staff and two student members attended the ARHE conference in Washington to gain knowledge and insight on how to best support CIR community members. 5. Develop new donor/partner relationships in order to acquire three additional financial supporters for the CIR program. (DSAES 2D) Status: Ongoing. CIR is in the process of restructuring its External Advisory Board. New committee focuses and responsibilities have been drafted and sent out to potential new committee members. Three individuals, two of which are parents of CIR alumni, have committed to being a member of the board. CIR is waiting to hear back from the remaining candidates who were contacted and considered the best suited to serve as board members. Section 4: Utilizations Reports CIR saw a significant increase in participation in the Community Check-In meetings, the Hope Dealers noon meeting of AA, Recovery Tailgating, Recovery Housing, and the Outdoor

3 Adventure Learning Experience. CIR made revisions to the number of Community Check-In s that were offered. Community Check-In, is now offered six times a week for students to choose which one meets their schedule best. One of the Community Check-In s that was added is dedicated to our graduate students. CIR now requires students to attend 85% of the Community Check-In s throughout the semester to be eligible for inclusion on the priority registration list for the following semester. CIR saw a 17% increase in participation from FY 16 to FY 17. Programming FY 16 FY 17 Total Total Community Check-in 764 1,101 Celebration of Recovery 436 N/A Hope Dealers Daily AA Meeting Morning Meditation N/A 87 Recovery Tailgating Recovery Housing 5 18 Outdoor Adventure Learning Experience Total 1,792 2,097 Section 5: Assessment Projects 1. Students who participate in CIR will demonstrate an ability to maintain their sobriety and maintain/improve their academic performance. A pre-survey was not administered to all incoming students. Rather, the initial CIR program application provided the data on sobriety dates and starting UH GPA's. Of the thirty new students that joined the CIR program in FY17, two relapsed back to old behaviors and twenty eight were able to maintain their sobriety through participation in the CIR program. The starting UH GPA's were collected based on the CIR program application and the end of the semester GPA's were retrieved through collaboration with the Assessment team. CIR will incorporate a program for our incoming freshmen and transfer student members. This program will be a leadership initiative that will involve CIR staff and existing members supporting incoming students in the areas of recovery and academics. Specifically, these areas will be gaining skills in interpersonal effectiveness (communication, interpersonal relationships), developing life skills (time management, study skills, etc.), exploring their career path by discovering their interests and opportunities for the future, and exhibiting increased confidence in self-efficacy. 2. As a result of participating in the Outdoor Adventure Learning Experience, students will be able to demonstrate increased leadership skills, peer relationship skills, and participation in CIR. Survey questions did not effectively target objective areas. However, discussion of leadership traits and how they can be incorporated throughout the trip were targeted at morning goal setting meetings and process groups to wrap up the day.

4 In the future, steps will be taken to ensure that survey questions reflect the objective areas for the Outdoor Adventure Learning Experience. 3. Students who participate in the sober living component of CIR will demonstrate a continued commitment to their recovery and maintain/improve their academic performance. CIR had ten students in Recovery housing during FY 17. All ten students maintained their recovery throughout FY 17. Of those ten, two graduated and went onto their careers, six received satisfactory GPA's and will continue next year perusing their degrees, one had to medically withdraw due to their mental health being unstable, and one transferred to a community college due to poor academic performance. In FY 18 data collection will be modified to accurately capture the impact Recovery Housing has on the students academic performance and their recovery. Instead of depending on students having to follow a link to participate in the survey, students will be given a hard copy of the survey to fill out and the data will be transcribed into Baseline in order to ensure one hundred percent participation. Section 6: Areas for Continuous Improvement Growth and Opportunities Gain access to student data through Campus Solutions by completing appropriate staff training. Access to student data will help support CIR staff to collect students GPA, degree plan, and advising information. Ensuring student success for our graduating member s as they transition from a student to professional as they exit the university. Ensuring student success for our incoming freshmen members by developing a mentor/mentee initiative where our freshmen members are supported by upperclassmen members. Develop an alumni association for CIR graduates. Review and modify current CIR Recovery Scholarship to better fit the financial needs of the community members. Furniture upgrades in both the office spaces CIR staff occupies and in the lounge for community members to make these spaces feel comfortable and welcoming. Hiring several work study eligible students to assist staff in event planning, administrative, and reception tasks. Critical Challenges Designate more on campus living spaces for recovery housing. Create more fundraising opportunities through our External Advisory Board. Improve data collection with the surveys administered at the closing of each semester. For fall 2016, roughly half of the community members completed the survey. Moving forward, CIR will strive to collect responses from the entire community through modifying data collection methods. Creating a meeting space for Community Check-In and twelve step meetings that ensure confidentiality and privacy for community members to share openly. Over the summer

5 CIR moved to a new location on campus that limits our ability to provide this for our community members. Section 7: Budget/Fundraising/Grants The Cougars in Recovery budget for FY17 was $100,000. The diagram below demonstrates what portion of the budget was designated for each expense. Maintenance and Operations: Food and drinks for Community Check-In s and Recovery Tailgating events and office supplies. Business and Travel: CIR staff and students travel twice a year for the Outdoor Adventure Learning Experience and once a year to the Association of Recovery in Higher Education National Conference. Included in those trips are van rentals, gasoline, camping and outdoor related items, flights, lodging, registration fees, and food. Student Support: CIR allocated $10,000 toward scholarships and $6,500 was awarded to students who met the scholarship criteria. Staff: CIR allocated $47, for the salary and benefits of the full-time program coordinator. CIR Budget FY % 47.62% 22.15% 24.87% Staff Student Support Maintenance and Operations Business and Travel FY16 Foundations Individuals Corporations In-Kind Fall 2016 $75,000 $48, $ $0.00 Overall Total $123, FY17 Foundations Individuals Corporations In-Kind FY 2017 $82,500 $10, $0.00 $0.00 Overall Total $92,748.48

6 Frequent communication takes place with the Office of Foundation Relations to identify new funding sources for CIR. The desired amount CIR aims to earn $95,000. As such, grant proposals will be submitted throughout spring 2017 to the following foundations: McGovern Foundation - $50,000 (May) Jackson Foundation - $2,500 Trull Foundation - $5,000 Hildebrand Foundation - $25,000 Section 8: Marketing Highlights CIR has created an Instagram account and Facebook page which has increased our online presence and exposure. CIR has donated promotional items with the CIR brand to the "Super Bowl Soberfest for event attendees. This event had than 2,000 patrons. CIR disbursed promotional items at transfer, freshman, and graduate student orientations, reaching several hundred students. CIR had a booth at the Association of Recovery in Higher Education National Collegiate Recovery Conference and distributed promotional items to over seven hundred professional and student attendees. Section 9: Cougars in Recovery Staff Highlights On Campus Presentations, Involvement/Oversight: Presented over the CIR program at the College of Pharmacy s Fall 2016 Orientation SFAC presentation On Campus Committees: Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Board Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Committee Professional Development Committee Be Healthy Co-Op Committee Assessment Committee Off Campus Presentations, Involvement/Oversight: Program presentation at Archway Academy Recovery High School Program presentation at Transcend Texas Treatment Facility Program presentation at Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center Program presentation at The Lovett Center Program presentation at Santa Maria Hostel women s residential treatment facility Member of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals, Houston Chapter Member of the National Association of Social Workers Member of the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors, a division within the American Counseling Association

7 Off Campus Committees: Houston Recovery Initiative-Recovery Oriented Systems of Care Houston Crackdown, Mayor s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security Intentional Staff Engagement with Students: Leah Singer serves as the staff advisor for Cougars in the Community; an organization of students in recovery partnering with the whole student body to enrich the community through service and education. Section 10: Student and Faculty Governance CIR staff is in the process of restructuring the CIR Advisory Committee and refocusing its efforts. CIR hopes to have a new board of committee members in place and active by FY 18. Section 11: Collaborations/Partnerships (in support of DSAES Strategic Initiative #6) Internal to the Division of Student Affairs Continuing to work with the Dean of Students office to implement a reflection assignment for students who are involved in drug/alcohol incidents on campus. Collaborating with Student Housing and Residential Life and the Dean of Students office to determine the appropriate time to refer students to CIR; this measure should be used to educate and support students, not as a punishment. A strong partnership with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is in place. CIR students are referred to CAPS as needed. Additionally, students who relapse attend a session with CAPS and are asked to follow through with recommendations to continue their participation with the CIR program. Collaborating with the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) to assist students who qualify for educational modifications. Working with the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) through CIR s student organization, Cougars in the Community. Similarly, CIR and CSI are working together to develop a mentorship initiative for CIR community members. CIR and University Career Services has partnered up to create a professional development program for CIR students in their final year of their education to be implemented as a component of the CIR program in FY18. External to the Division of Student Affairs Developed a relationship with The Lovett Center as an organization where CIR can refer students to receive individual counseling sessions at a reduced rate. Developed a relationship with the Houston Council on Recovery as an organization where CIR can refer students to receive individual counseling sessions at a reduced rate. Began collaborations with the College of Pharmacy, assisting in restructuring their support system for pharmacy students in recovery and providing awareness of CIR s established on-campus recovery support for UH students system wide.

8 CIR is in collaboration with the collegiate recovery communities at University of Texas and Texas Tech University, to co-host the National Association of Recovery in Higher Education Collegiate Recovery Conference in Houston, Texas for Section 12: Cougars in Recovery Points of Excellence Nine students graduate in FY 17, two of which graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors Fall 2016 semester average CIR community GPA 2.92 Fall 2016 semester recovery rate 95% Five out of the nine graduates secured a position in the workforce prior to graduation CIR saw a 17% increase in participation among its community members CIR developed two new programs, Source of Strength Leadership Program and Career Ready Coogs, geared towards student success Section 13: Department FY18 Goals 1. Restructure current CIR recovery scholarships in order to provide greater financial support to community members. (Empowerment & Innovation). 2. At weekly community check-in's, CIR staff will inquire about the financial, academic, mental health, psychiatric, and recovery support needs of CIR students in order to streamline resource referrals. (Innovation, Collaboration, & Transparency). 3. By August 21, 2017, CIR will implement a new leadership and professional development program to bolster student success. (Collaboration, Empowerment, & Innovation). 4. Advocate for individuals to maintain and sustain recovery by annually participating in platforms to exchange ideas, facilitate relationships, network, and participate in educational opportunities on campus, in the Houston community and nationwide. (Collaboration & Empowerment). 5. Develop new donor/partner relationships in order to acquire three additional financial supporters for the CIR program. (Collaboration).