A leader in the collegiate recovery movement for more than 25 years, StepUP® at Augsburg University is now poised to reach more students through new partnerships with Twin Cities-area colleges and universities. Minnesota Public Radio recently featured StepUP Director Ericka Otterson, Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator Nell Hurley, and Ethan Laugen ’24 in a story about the need for recovery support in higher education. 

StepUP provides an array of support services for students in recovery, including sober living college experience in Oren Gateway Center, weekly meetings with alcohol and drug counselors, and access to a strong alumni network. With new partnerships forming post-COVID-19, including a formal agreement with the University of St. Thomas, these resources will be available to more students from across the Twin Cities metro. 

“There’s no shortage of need, and students time and again will say the community has been the most valuable aspect of participating in this program,” Otterson told MPR. “So the larger the community is each year, the more opportunity there is for that.”

“This is my community,” said Laugen. “Instead of a student group or a frat, it’s StepUP. These are my people who get me, who understand me, who I get along with. And it has given me the college experience in the way that I needed a college experience.”

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In 1997, Augsburg University was one of just four colleges and universities with a formal collegiate recovery program. Today, StepUP

The Phoenix Spirit recently published a piece by Nell Hurley, recruitment and outreach coordinator for StepUP, tracing the program’s history and impact. 

“StepUP is so much more than a sober dorm,” Jon Stentz, one of StepUP’s Licensed Alcohol and Drug counselors, told Hurley. “It’s the connection and the community that students find here that makes all the difference. It’s been said that connection is the opposite of addiction. The StepUP connection is where the magic is. Our students support each other and hold each other accountable. They’re all in this together, both the college journey and the recovery journey.”

StepUP offers a robust program of support and accountability that includes clinical support, random drug testing, weekly meetings, recovery service opportunities, and optional but regular social outings like rock climbing, camping trips, and game nights.

To learn more, or visit the StepUP website.

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The tremendous work of StepUP has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, , and

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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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The program holds a spirituality breakfast in the fall, sponsored by the StepUP Program, Minnesota Recovery Connection, and Recovery Works! This year’s keynote speaker, Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart, has been a practicing psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and international consultant for more than 25 years. In 2004, she founded MindRoads Meditation Center, a neighborhood practice center integrating contemplative practices from both East and West, and home of the Saint Paul chapter of “Mindfulness and 12-Steps” meetings.

Below Charles T., a student in the StepUP Program, shares his thoughts on what the program means to him.

For the past 15 years, the StepUP program has been providing young people in recovery an opportunity to excel in an arena that usually proves to be a disaster for young, unguided missiles such as myself—college. Being from New England, I never once imagined myself to spend any length of time in the Midwest. However, after a less-than-successful year at a school in Colorado, the fine liberal arts institution known as Augsburg appeared as a blip on my radar.

My initial reaction to this prospect was that of skepticism. Yet, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the eclectic community and welcoming staff of the StepUP community.  For the past year and a half, my experience within this community has only grown in profundity. Although there have been moments of doubt and frustration during my experience here, I cannot imagine a better collegiate community to be able to fall back on. It is a great comfort to know that I will have this support net for the duration of my time as a student here.

One of the most valuable aspects of my experience at Augsburg thus far has been to know I have ample room to learn even through failure. I feel privileged to be a part of a program that has enriched and supported so many before myself, and that will continue to open the doors for others to grow both as individuals and as students.

Photo: Tyler B. speaks at the 2009 Spirituality Breakfast

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Since 1997, StepUP has helped students in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs learn similar lessons about themselves. To date, more than 400 students from across the nation have participated and have maintained an 85% abstinence rate while in the program. They are successful in sobriety and in the classroom, earning a collective 3.2 GPA at Augsburg.

To learn more about the StepUP Program at Augsburg College, go to the website or read “A Step in the Right Direction” from the Summer 2010 issue of the Augsburg NOW magazine.

Below one student shares what StepUP means to him.

***

For me, this time of the year is one of reflection and gratitude. October 8th is the anniversary of my sobriety and, this year, it will mark three years of recovery from addiction. Where there was once pain and darkness, there is now joy and light. From this joy, I give my deepest thanks to Augsburg’s StepUP program.

StepUP is a group of counselors and students who are committed to the recovery of its residents. With the support of students’ respective 12-step programs, it has the power to change lives and the ability to support each of us through our daily challenges. Its importance lies in the fact that, while the average student may have his or her full attention to give to academics, the recovering student must balance a number of vital (that is, necessary to life) areas and activities. This is where StepUP steps in to help.

A year ago, as an entering freshman, I was cautious of beginning college. I was unsure that I could succeed academically and also continue to grow in my recovery. But, when I found the StepUP program, I became confident. StepUP has since then been an integral part of my college experience and a blessing in my recovery. Of the program’s many strengths, the fellowship is generally the most valued. We are a tight-knit community that will truly extend itself for the individual’s growth. It is a community that, at almost three years of sobriety, I feel very fortunate to be a part of.

-Jason M.

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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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