In the article, Salmeri explained that while she’ll miss daily interaction with StepUP students, she is truly “looking forward to focusing more attention on the alumni and the value they bring to our community as well as advocating on local, regional and national levels.”

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Scott Washburn, assistant director of Augsburg College’s StepUP® program, was one the experts interviewed by MinnPost for an article examining public figures’ right to privacy as well as the rights of the public figures’ significant others. The article examined an overarching theme that probed, “How much of a candidate’s own personal life should be made available for public debate?”

In responding to a question on whether it is appropriate for the mental health or addiction history of a political spouse or other family member to be made public, Washburn argued that sort of political playmaking goes over the line.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate at all,” Washburn said. “The candidate is running, not the family member. The electorate is voting for the candidate, not the family member. The family of a presidential candidate is going to be dragged into the public eye, but I think it’s important to respect some boundaries here. It’s an issue of respect and privacy. The candidate would be fair game from my perspective, but I don’t think family members should be. It just reflects how low things have gone in this political race.

All that being said, if the family member chooses to publically disclose his or her personal history, then that is a different conversation.”

Read additional responses from Washburn in “” on the MinnPost site.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Patrice Salmeri, director of Augsburg College’s for students in recovery and President of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education, is a national expert available to talk to media about President Barack Obama’s announcement to bolster medial services for persons in recovery from substance abuse disorders.

When: Salmeri is available until 6:30 p.m., beginning immediately following President Barack Obama’s announcement. (Watch President Obama on the White House live stream at 2:15 p.m. EST at .)

What: Salmeri can address the importance of eliminating stigma by:

• Shifting language used to describe these disorders. For instance, rather than using the term “addiction,” shifting to “substance abuse disorders” to recognize that addiction is a medical issue.
• Treating substance abuse disorders as medical issues, not unlike society responds to diabetes or other chronic medical illnesses.
• Ensuring those with substance abuse disorders can access mental health and substance use services as readily as other medical services.

How: Call Stephanie Weiss, director of news and media services, at 612.330.1476.

Full Bio: Patrice Salmeri is the Director of the StepUP® Program at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the largest residential collegiate recovery programs in the nation. She also serves as the President of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education.

She is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, holds a Master’s Degree in Human Development specializing in leadership and spirituality, and also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Augsburg teaching courses related to chemical dependency. During Salmeri’s tenure as Director of StepUP, the program has experienced a 250 percent increase in the quantity of young people in recovery pursuing a college education.

In 2011, The U.S. Department of Education appointed Salmeri a Fellow for the United States Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention. In 2013, The Association for Recovery in Higher Education presented Patrice with The Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Collegiate Recovery.

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In the article, Washburn agrees that there is a correlation between the perceived risks associated with using a substance and actual use of it. He references an ongoing University of Michigan study that tracks high school students’ views and habits regarding a variety of substances. In looking at their data on tobacco and marijuana use, he says, “What’s noteworthy is that in 2010, those two lines crossed. Tobacco use started to decline in 1998 continuing up to 2014. But marijuana use continued to go up and eventually was higher than tobacco use.” Washburn attributes this reversal to our culture’s “significant shift in attitude about marijuana use.”

Washburn then outlines his approach to unraveling what teens and students sometimes see as mixed messages, that the drug is medically beneficial while being potentially addictive and harmful. “I tell my students that just because a drug can harm you doesn’t also mean that it can’t help you,” he says in the article. He adds that, “Vicodin and Oxycodone are legal drugs, but just because they are prescribed by physicians for valid reasons doesn’t mean that they can’t be harmful and dangerous when used incorrectly.”

Read: on the MinnPost site.

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Tommy Chester and Andy Thomas [left to right] are both first-year students in Augsburg’s StepUP® Program. Both tried to go to college twice and failed miserably they say, and both were scared to go to treatment for their addiction. Today they’re using the second chance they’ve been given to help others, specifically by climbing to the summit of Mt. Rainier.

“One night we were talking about what we like, what’s important to us, and about the concept of vocation brought up in our religion class,” Chester says. They also talked about their own fears related to recovery and about how treatment programs, which can be very expensive, are difficult for many individuals and families.

While they were together at Gray Wolf Ranch in the Pacific Northwest, they started a project named Summit for Sobriety. Their project ultimately led them to the 4806 Foundation, an organization that provides funding to young people seeking recovery from substance abuse.

Thomas and Chester both enjoy the outdoors and have active lifestyles, but their hobbies and interests took a back seat to their addiction in the past. Thomas says, “When I was active in my addiction, I would walk across the city without shoes in a snowstorm to buy drugs.”

Now, he applies that same tenacity to his recovery and is willing to “go to any lengths” to maintain his sobriety. This summer, the young men will load up their gear and hike to the summit of Mt. Rainier, but their ultimate goal is to raise $25,000 to support the 4806 Foundation. They see this project as an opportunity to do something they enjoy while supporting an important cause.

In addition to raising money, Thomas and Chester want Summit for Sobriety to show young people that a life in recovery can be rewarding. “I didn’t know anything about recovery,” Chester says, “and I thought 12-step programs were for hardcore bums in the street.” He hopes the example of his life will show others that “fairly normal” people can recover from addiction and enjoy their lives without alcohol and drugs.

Both of the men say they don’t want this story or this project to be about them. “For us this is about helping people,” Thomas says. They know that an important part of staying sober is being of service to others. “We’re willing to take the leap so others know that the gift of recovery is possible.”

“This whole thing,” says Chester, “is about taking a big chance.”

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The conference, funded by a grant from the State of Minnesota Office of Higher Education, will attract licensed alcohol and drug counselors, staff from local agencies working with students in recovery, high school teachers and counselors, and state officials who support Augsburg’s receipt of the grant.

Ken Winters, PhD, director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, will present the keynote address. Cindy Swan-Henderlite, LADC, of the Department of Human Services Chemical Health Division, will present a plenary session. In addition, breakout sessions will be facilitated by licensed addiction professionals, Augsburg staff, student leadership and academic curriculum writing consultants, StepUP Program students, and parents of students in recovery.

Patrice Salmeri, Director of the StepUP Program, believes the conference is significant because it highlights the growing needs of students in recovery. “The day is entirely focused on the needs of recovering high school and college students and the critical transitions that occur from secondary education to collegiate recovery communities. Participants will hear from experts in the field including students, parents, and staff,” said Salmeri.

Peter, a junior studying accounting and finance, will present on a student panel at the conference. A California native, Peter found out about the StepUP program when an Augsburg student in the program spoke at Hazelden while Peter was in treatment. “It’s an amazing program and life-saving program,” Peter said. “It has provided opportunities for myself and others that we normally wouldn’t get at an ordinary college. It has truly been a blessing.”

The conference is a direct result of Augsburg’s Campus Recovery Coalition, a group of Augsburg faculty and staff who collaborate with other Minnesota institutions of higher education to develop and promote recovery support services on college campuses. These services maximize academic, social, and occupational success for the student.

The StepUP Program provides ongoing support to enrolled students committed to recovery and willing to progress toward an academic degree. The program provides recovery support, which builds upon the continuum of care of treatment and services provided by halfway and sober houses. The development of a community of recovery on the campus provides natural and realistic next steps for young adults as they work to stay in recovery while progressing to age appropriate occupational and social functioning.

For more information on the Augsburg College StepUP Program or to register for the conference, go to .

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StepUP is a nationally known and respected program that supports students in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. In its first 10 years, StepUP experienced an 84% abstinence rate, and currently students maintain a 2.9 mean cumulative grade-point average. The program has grown from 23 students in 1997 to 64 students in this current year.

Students in the program learn how they can become positively connected to others while maintaining sobriety.  As one student put it, “If treatment was the place I learn how to be a sober individual, StepUP is the place I learn how to be a sober member of a community.”  Through the program, chemically dependent students are given the opportunity to develop the skills and abilities that positively affect their communities, their employers, their families, and society.

The gala and silent auction are open to those interested in recovery and college issues. Tickets are $100 for the general public and $50 for Augsburg College faculty and staff. To request tickets, contact Ericka Otterson at 612-330-1405 or otterson@augsburg.edu.

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Interviews with StepUP student Anne Thompson and director Patrice Salmeri highlight how Augsburg’s 10-year-old program supports students in recovery from chemical addiction. Setting Augsburg’s program apart from recovery programs in other colleges are the successes of the residential program on campus; the extent of counselor and peer support; and the academic support services available, such as tutoring, that continually provide support to students.

Augsburg’s StepUP program has grown from 23 to its current 64 students. In September, StepUP moved into the new Oren Gateway Center, which houses both the residence for StepUP students and the program offices. StepUP now has the capacity to expand to more than 100 students.

To read the Inside Higher Ed story, go to

To learn more about StepUP, go to

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