RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Rams in Recovery, a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) program, has been helping college students with substance use for almost a decade by providing them with a network of resources to help them stay sober.
Scholarships, group trips and recovery meetings are all offered as part of Rams in Recovery. On-campus housing, as well as recovery and peer coaching, are also available resources.
The Recovery Clubhouse, located on West Marshall Street next to the program’s housing building, allows students to have a social space where they can be around other recovering students.
Tom Bannard, the assistant director for recovery support, said he has been with the program since it first started 10 years ago. He said about 130 students take advantage of the program’s many resources and 90 are enrolled in the scholarship program.
He said they have a variety of support options so students have flexibility when it comes to how involved they get.
“It’s easy for them to feel excluded from higher education or to feel like ‘I don’t belong there’ or ‘I can’t do this,’” Bannard said. “And for those students it’s like “oh, there’s a bunch of other students with this experience.”
Chelsea Rushbrook, a VCU senior in the program, said she has been utilizing Rams in Recovery resources before she even transferred here.
She said the program has given her a support system and connected her with other students who have also struggled with substance use and can empathize with her experience. She described the clubhouse and the Rams in Recovery community as an way to socialize without substances.
“I have a quiet place, I have a safe space to come do my homework, work on projects,” Rushbrook said. “If I need someone to talk to, there’s always somebody here.”
Rams in Recovery will be having a graduation ceremony for seniors graduating from the program in May. Around 20 students from the program will be graduating.
