Announcements – Alcohol and Other Drugs

Wellness and CARE is collecting Pumpkins!

Posted on October 21, 2024October 17, 2024 by Haley Mangette

Have pumpkins getting old outside your living space? Don’t want them taking up room on your front step after the trick or treaters have passed?

Consider donating your pumpkins to the Pumpkin Smash on November 8th. This event provides a space for students to express anger, frustration, stress, or just have fun destroying pumpkins. We’ll also be composting the pumpkins to reduce the food waste that often happens around this time of year.

If you would like to donate your pumpkins, please feel welcome to bring them to the Grove beginning on Friday, November 1st, through November 8th. Please leave your pumpkin(s) on the ground near the leaf bins by the Grove entrance. If you plan on attending the event, bring your pumpkins with you!

Please reach out to Haley Mangette, haley.mangette@kzoo.edu, for any questions or concerns.

Naloxone (Narcan) Kits available across campus

Posted on April 23, 2024April 25, 2024 by Haley Mangette

Orange and black sign with text stating "Naloxone Opioid Overdose Emergency Kit" above a defibrillator case on a white wall.

Naloxone, also commonly known as Narcan, kits are now available across campus in designated defibrillator cases.

Naloxone is an FDA approved medicine used to quickly reverse an opioid overdose. It should be used as soon as possible to treat a known or suspected overdose. Once naloxone has been administered, the individual must receive emergency medical care immediately.

Signs of an Opioid Overdose

Loss of Consciousness
Markedly constricted or pinpoint pupils
Breathing difficulties (slowed, labored, and/or irregular breathing)
Respiratory arrest (completely stopped breathing)
Choking, gurgling, or snoring sounds
Blue or purple lips or fingertips
Being unresponsive to loud noises, shaking, or painful stimuli

Do NOT wait for all symptoms to be present to seek help

Collegiate Recovery Week: April 15th-19th

Posted on April 11, 2024April 12, 2024 by Haley Mangette

April 15 through the 19th, 2024 has been named “Collegiate Recovery Week” by the Association of Recover in Higer Education (ARHE). This week supports events in the collegiate community that aim to “celebrate the joys of recovery, share stories [of recovery], and uplift one another through community,”.

College students have been shown to have higher rates of binge drinking and misuse of prescription stimulants than noncollege young adults. Behaviors like binge drinking have shown an increase in the likelihood of developing an alcohol use disorder. In 2019, it was estimated approximately 840,000 full-time student attending college would be in recovery.

For those in the recovery journey, community plays a pivotal role. It establishes a supportive network that fosters understanding, empathy, and encouragement. Look below for some ideas on how you can support those in recovery!

Ways you can show support for those in recovery:

Choose activities that aren’t centered around drinking.
- Consider planning some nondrinking outings! If you and your friends find yourselves going out to wine or beer tasting, bars, or parties, try going to a movie, bowling or a nice hike.
Be mindful of how you talk about drinking.
- Talking about your latest win at a drinking contest or a night of drunken escapades can be annoying or distressing to someone who’s in recovery. If your friend tells you outright something is making them uncomfortable or if you get the feeling they are becoming annoyed, simply apologize and change subjects.
Listen closely and be patient.
- If a nondrinker does decide to confide in you, listen and be patient as they navigate through some hard topics. Recognize that for people who have an alcohol use disorder, abstaining from alcohol can be difficult — even if they’ve been sober for years.
Wear purple to celebrate collegiate recovery.
- Purple was selected as the recovery movement’s official color.

Participate in our quilt project by creating a square.

We will be in the lower Atrium from 4 to 5:30 p.m. with materials to create a square that will be integrated into a quilt to be hung around our campus.

Check out our new page!

Posted on January 17, 2024February 9, 2024 by Haley Mangette

Image of text stating "smoke-free and tobacco-free campus" on an orange background with no cannabis icon, no cigarette icon, no vaping icon

Updates for Campus

As of January 1, 2024, Kalamazoo College has gone smoke- and tobacco-free. (You can see the full policy here: Smoke and Tobacco-Free Campus Policy)

Resources

Learn about the effects of smoking and the use of tobacco or nicotine, and some helpful cessation resources on our new page:

Tobacco, Nicotine, and Smoking

We’re collecting pumpkins!

Posted on October 27, 2023January 3, 2024 by Haley Mangette

Have pumpkins getting old outside your living space? Don’t want them taking up room on your front step after the trick or treaters have passed?

Consider donating your pumpkins to the Pumpkin Smash on November 3rd. This event provides a space for students to express anger, frustration, stress, or just have fun destroying pumpkins. We’ll also be composting the pumpkins to reduce the food waste that often happens around this time of year.

If you would like to donate your pumpkins, please feel welcome to bring them to Student Development on Thursday, November 2nd, in the afternoon or anytime on Friday, November 3rd. If you plan on attending the event, bring your pumpkins with you!

Students Turning 21! Check your mailboxes

Posted on September 11, 2023September 6, 2023 by Haley Mangette

If you are a student turning 21 this academic year, check your school mailbox around the time of your birthday for a special gift!

As always, do what’s best for you! Be safe, and participate in some protective behaviors if you chose to consume alcohol.

Narcan Training

Posted on April 25, 2023August 28, 2023 by Haley Mangette

Join the Student Health Center and Cope Network on Tuesday, May 9th from 7 to 9 p.m. for an opportunity to learn how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose. Everyone attending receives a free naloxone kit.

This free class will provide participants with:

Information on the current overdose crisis
Understanding of how addiction affects the brain
Information about the Adverse Childhood Experience study and its connection to substance use disorder
Information about harm reduction
Ability to recognize an opioid/heroin overdose
Learn how to respond using naloxone aka Narcan

Please sign up at Naloxone (Narcan) Training.

Welcome!

Posted on March 28, 2023March 28, 2023 by Haley Mangette

Welcome to the Alcohol and Other Drugs page, otherwise known as AOD! Supervised by the Wellness and CARE Coordinator, Haley Mangette, the AOD program’s goal is to support the K community and ensure the safety, success and well-being of K students. Through a variety of initiatives, this page aims to educate on alcohol and other drugs, prevent the misuse or abuse of substances, and offer support for those with issues around alcohol and other drugs. For questions or concerns, please reach out to Haley Mangette, Wellness and CARE Coordinator, at haley.mangette@kzoo.edu or 269.337.7460.

Below are a few page highlights, but look out for more in the future!

In 2019, the Monitoring the Future survey found that 12% of college students engaged in high-intensity drinking (consumption of two or more times the gender-specific thresholds). In an effort to educate and prevent consequences of heavy drinking, Party Smart and Protective Behaviors outline tips to have a safer night whether attending or hosting a party.
According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 28.6 million adults (18 or older) had alcohol use disorder and 8.6 million adults with a substance use disorder (other than alcohol) in the past year. The AOD page provide resources to reach out to if you are struggling with the use of a substance. If you are concerned about a loved one’s use of substances, check out How to Help a Friend.