New grant supports population of MSU students in recovery

MSU Today

Michigan State University’s Collegiate Recovery Community, or CRC, has received a grant for nearly $30,000 from The Children’s Foundation to support the growing population of students in recovery and those seeking help for their substance use disorder.

The money will help create the Jamie Daniels Memorial Scholarship, as well as an endowment, that will help students overcome many of the financial barriers they face while attending college and also assist them with their academic goals. The funding will also support a live-in peer recovery housing specialist, a student position that will act as an additional resource to those staying in MSU’s Recovery Housing.

The scholarship is in honor of Jamie Daniels, a former MSU student pursuing a career with a law firm, who battled addiction and ultimately lost his life after graduating.

Research has shown that many students battling addiction don’t even enroll in college if a recovery program isn’t available.

“The mission of MSU’s CRC is to provide a safe and supportive campus community in which college students in recovery can successfully achieve their academic, personal and professional goals,” said Dawn Kepler, CRC coordinator. “To support students’ goals, the CRC develops recovery-oriented programming, provides dedicated recovery spaces on campus and raises the visibility of recovery to help fight the stigma around addiction.”

Additional research shows that students in recovery are often marginalized and underserved on college campuses. It’s estimated that around 1,500 current MSU students identify as being in recovery and need help with maintaining their sobriety in order to be successful in college.

This new project will enhance the health of this student population by expanding care and support with a broader spectrum of services that will create a campus community dedicated to recovery.

“When adequately supported, students in recovery are some of the most successful students on campus, as has been demonstrated by MSU’s CRC students,” said Kepler.

The CRC began in the spring of 2013 when three students approached MSU’s Health Promotion Department and expressed a desire to establish a recovery program. Last year, MSU was the first univeristy in Michigan to begin offering on-campus recovery housing. This living environment allows students to have a real college experience and form meaningful relationships based on sobriety, friendship and academic success.

Recovery Housing provides access to services, including individualized recovery planning, weekly on-campus recovery meetings, 24-hour admittance to the CRC Student Lounge, counseling support, wellness and life skills workshops, community service opportunities and organized sober activities.