The University of Calgary signed the Recovery-Friendly Campus Pledge on Tuesday, the first post-secondary institution in Alberta to do so.
The pledge is an initiative led by Recovery on Campus Alberta (ROC) and the UCalgary Recovery Community (UCRC) to create campus environments where “all recovery pathways are prioritized and celebrated for students, faculty and staff.”
According to the university’s website, the school promises to create and sustain programs and initiatives to support addiction recovery. The pledge has eight criteria, including:
- Providing peer-centred programming for students and employees
- Raising awareness, educating and advocating for addiction recovery
- Normalizing recovery by valuing and celebrating it through increased visibility
- Providing a recovery-friendly space on campus
- Creating recovery-friendly events and activities on campus
- Creating student and employee support teams to meet the needs of community members who are in various stages of recovery-friendly
- Increasing awareness and addressing the needs of family members and friends of campus community members in or seeking recovery-friendly
- Addressing systemic barriers for campus community members in or seeking recovery-friendly
“Our program has grown a lot in the past year, and we are witnessing increased needs from students and employees,” said Victoria Burns, an associate professor and the founder of the UCRC.
“I am deeply grateful to the University of Calgary for not only making recovery a strategic priority but moving into action today by signing the Recovery-Friendly Campus Pledge. Recovery needs to be a strategic priority, not only because recovering students achieve better grades, lower dropout rates and improved mental health outcomes compared to the general student body.”
New recovery-oriented spaces available on campus
The new UCRC space on campus was also unveiled Tuesday as part of the university’s commitment to the pledge. The space includes a small kitchenette, research hub and common area for community members to meet others and learn about research on addiction and substance use. University of Calgary community members will also have access to peer support and trained social workers in the space.
Twelve substance-free beds will also be available for students who choose not to use substances in residence on campus.
Chelsie Graham, a program coordinator for ROC, said the majority of people experiencing addiction or in recovery are active members of their communities.
“They have families. They have jobs. Addiction doesn’t discriminate,” she said on Tuesday.
“We are fostering an environment where all pathways are supported. We believe in everything from harm reduction all the way up to abstinence and everything in between.
“If you are taking healthier steps towards your relationship with substances or behaviours, then you’re in recovery.”
A place where students belong
University of Calgary student Alexis Espanioli said she got involved with the UCRC after she struggled with grief and substance use after her mother went overseas to care for her grandmother, who later died. Espanioli said she struggled alone with grief which later manifested into depression and resulted in self-destructive behaviours. She said she felt flawed and undeserving of support and sought a welcoming community at university.
“That was when I attended an event and was introduced to the UCRC … This was the first time I had ever heard of, let alone been to, a substance-free event that was hosted at a university by a group that supported all recovery journeys and pathways. I knew straight away the importance of the space,” she said at Wednesday’s pledge signing ceremony.
“If we create an open and creative and open and supportive campus community, we can not only assist those in recovery, but also educate our allies the shift could help change community attitudes and breakdown stigmas in a Canadian university setting where substance use can often be vulnerable and seeking help can often be stigmatized.”
University of Calgary alumnus Chris Melendez said he is grateful for the new community space, which didn’t exist when he was in school. Melendez said he always wanted to be a mechanical engineer but fell into addiction quickly after starting school in 2012. He reached out to the UCRC team when he learned about the initiative and immediately wanted to get involved.
“The thing about addiction is … It took me to the loneliest and darkest places where I was willing to give up my dream, my dream that I had since I was a little kid. I was willing to give that up just because of addiction,” he said.
“I’ve been in business meetings with CEOs, engineers, scientists … I’ve also been huddled in the bushes, passing around a pipe with homeless people. It’s hard to know where I belong in this world, but for some reason, I belong here at the UCRC.”
