Two years ago, Bill Sjogren '67 launched the HealThy Self House initiative with the intention of creating "a safe space for students suffering from substance abuse and other emotional challenges," from both Dartmouth and Hanover High School ("HealThy Self House to aid student addicts," Mar. 7, 2008).
When HSH failed to receive College recognition, Sjogren, himself a recovering alcoholic, decided to move forward independently, and the organization began looking for a physical plant last spring.
Less than a year later, however, inadequate funding has already forced HSH to abandon its search for a house and to substantially revise its mission ("HealThy Self House aims to put focus on outreach," Feb. 3).
Of the problems facing Dartmouth students -- and of those facing adolescents in general -- few are as severe and as pressing as substance abuse and addictive behavior.
We in Hanover are particularly infamous for our "work hard, play hard" mentality. While many Dartmouth students use the slogan with an air of pride (often with a glorifying reference to our "Animal House" legacy), the truth underlying the motto is that an astonishingly large number of Dartmouth students behave in ways considered unsafe by most commonly accepted medical standards. We often forget that consuming more than four drinks per occasion, or more than 14 drinks per week, is considered a hazardous level of drinking for an adult male.
The peer advisory groups already on campus are a testament to the College's dedication to the cause of student physical and mental health, and certainly benefit many members of the Dartmouth community.
As Sjogren mentioned in a March interview with The Dartmouth, however, students often need "more than just a nexus for referrals." Similarly, while counseling sessions at Dick's House are a valuable resource, troubled or recovering students may need more than the support Dick's House can provide.
The 24-hour communal support promised by a program like HSH, as well as the sense of anonymity its members would enjoy, could therefore make a real, positive difference in the lives of troubled students who currently feel underserved by, or do not take advantage or, the College's provided resources.
As many programs stumble in the face of the nation's economic crisis, we hope that HSH is able to regain its footing sooner, rather than later.
