BLACKSBURG, Va. — For the first time, Virginia Tech students who are in active recovery from substance-use disorders will have the opportunity to live and learn right on campus.
Following a nationwide trend, the university is creating a space where these students can be supported by their peers, and the greater campus community. On Friday, the university will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for what's being called The Roost, located in Payne Hall.
The Roost is a living-learning community overseen by a staff member of the Virginia Tech Recovery Community. Jamie Penven, director of Living Learning Programs, said it creates a culture of support for the students who reside there.
"They're connecting with others who may have had similar life stories and it's providing that additional layer of support for them."
The space includes a kitchen, games, and rooms for social and educational gatherings.
According to Kaitlin Carter, assistant director of the VT Recovery Community Center, recovery meetings are the cornerstone of the program.
"They are by far our most widely used resource and provide an opportunity for students to come together and intentionally create space to support one another in their individual recovery journeys," she said.
The community is designed to draw not only students in recovery but students impacted by addiction as well, who can serve as allies to those in recovery. Right now, five students are housed in The Roost. The remainder of the nine beds are occupied by supportive peers.
"It's also broader as far as raising that awareness in the community to where they become curious and they learn more of what that means and how to be an ally," said Penven.
Students in recovery are chosen through an application process in which they must answer a prompt about what recovery means to them. Once they are selected, they attend numerous events including four recovery meetings a week. They are required to attend a Virginia Tech Recovery Community seminar each week.