Former URI President Dr. Robert Carothers Keynote Speaker for May 4th Event at Goddard Park
Most Rhode Island high school students do not drink or use other drugs. They don’t engage in substance abuse to “fit in.”
That is the loud, clear message delivered to Rhode Island's eighth graders before they enter high school. It is a program called Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse (VAASA) in which the students involved in the yearlong program are athletes who pledge sobriety and promote the normalization of “non-use.”
Find out what's happening in North Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Over the past four years, Rhode Island Student Assistance Services (RISAS) has trained over 200 athletes from over ten communities. These students make public presentations and serve as role models for middle school students.
For example, Jessica Wolke, LICSW, a Student Assistance Counselor (SAC) for North Kingstown High School is rolling out a new initiative this year called “Most of Us” designed to normalize non-use among students.
Find out what's happening in North Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“At the end of May, eighth graders visit the high school for an ice cream social during which our VAASA members speak to the students about why they joined, what grade they are in, and what sports they play,” said Wolke. “This year’s campaign will help students realize that if they are sober, they are in the majority at their school.”
On May 4, RISAS will lead its annual statewide training at Goddard Park in East Greenwich. At least 150 students and twelve school districts will participate including Westerly, Chariho, South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Narragansett, Exeter, West Greenwich, Smithfield, North Providence, Bristol, Warren, and West Warwick.
Keynote speaker for the event is former University of Rhode Island president, Dr. Robert Carothers.
“We are tremendously proud to feature Dr. Carothers as our keynote speaker this year,” said Judy Chick, LICSW, program director for Rhode Island Student Assistance Services. “He embodies both the mission of VAASA and the passion of the students involved in the program.”
An advocate against substance abuse by students, Dr. Carothers completed three years of service on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Committee on Campus Drinking, which culminated with the publication of a research agenda for the nation. He was one of only six university presidents to serve on the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Prevention Presidential Leadership Group.
Dr. Carothers was also an outspoken advocate of Rhode Island legislation that lowered the legal threshold for drunk driving to .08 percent of blood alcohol. He also received the President's Leadership Group Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for establishing some of the country's most comprehensive alcohol abuse programs on their campuses.
About Dr. Robert Carothers
At the University of Rhode Island, he initiated a series of progressive changes to the University's structure, infrastructure, and curriculum. His determination to transform the University led to positive national recognition for URI in the academic, student affairs, outreach, and athletic arenas.
URI was featured in The Princeton Review 's Colleges With A Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement (Random House), which was published in June 2005. Such a designation was related to President Carothers' new vision for student education that shifted students from being passive listeners to active learners and that developed in the students a concern for their neighbor, whether across the street or across an ocean, as a top priority of URI 's curriculum and Student Life programs. The new culture included clearly defined expectations that echo Dr. Carothers ' "no tolerance" policy toward violence and drug and alcohol abuse.
President Carothers was selected the 2007 recipient of the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award for his efforts to reduce student alcohol abuse. Presented by Connie and Howard Clery, co-founders of Security On Campus, Inc., the award honors those who have taken extraordinary actions to make students safe.
About RI Student Assistance Services (RISAS)
RISAS currently has a student assistance counselor embedded in 44 secondary schools and serves 5,600 students. For more information, visit http://www.risas.org/ or visit us on Facebook 'RI Student Assistance Services’.
