Spotlight on Recovery: SCSU’s Recovery Resource Center
St. Cloud State University (SCSU) believes recovery can be part of a genuine college experience. Located in the newly renovated Center for Health and Wellness at Eastman Hall, St. Cloud State University’s Resource Recovery Center (RRC) is open to students of all ages and academic levels at SCSU and St. Cloud Technical Community College seeking recovery from a substance use disorder. The mission of the RRC is to provide a safe space and supportive community for students at any stage in recovery, and foster learning, growth and academic success.
The space itself is warm and inviting, with plenty of seating for the 5 or 6 meetings it hosts per week, which include NA, AA, All Recovery meetings, and a soon to be all-women’s group. The center also has a collection of group-oriented activities like board games and a bookshelf with copies of Recovery Campus magazine.
Participation in the Recovery Resource Center is completely voluntary and extends to those in all walks of recovery, including eating disorders, mental health issues, codependency, etc. Part of the mission of the RRC is to dismantle the negative stigmas and stereotypes often associated with substance use disorders by facilitating connection between those with and without substance use disorders.
The RRC is run by dedicated full-time staff and part-time student assistants who are knowledgeable about recovery resources on and off campus. Steve Rummler HOPE Network had the pleasure of training the staff, as well as campus public safety officers, on naloxone administration.
The Recovery Resource Center is only one of many components that make the SCSU Recovery Community so special. The university has a student organization dedicated to recovery-supportive programming called Students Taking Action in Recovery and Service (S.T.A.R.S.) which leads peer support group meetings, sober social events, service opportunities, advocacy initiatives, and educational programming.
SCSU also has on-campus housing resources available for students in recovery. Since 2012, SCSU has been providing a safe and welcoming living environment where students in recovery can receive 24/7 peer support and accountability. In fact, St. Cloud State was the first public university in the upper Midwest to offer a residential Recovery Community.
The SCSU Recovery Community’s mantra is “your story will inspire others.” It is through this powerful belief that so many St. Cloud students have seen such success in their education and in their recovery.
Click here for more information on the St. Cloud Recovery Community.