The UM William Magee Center for Wellness Education will host the ‘Disrupt the Culture Hot-Topic’ virtual discussion at 4 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 23) on Zoom. Photo courtesy University Development
OXFORD, Miss. – The trends, myths and safety issues of substance abuse are the focus for a virtual discussion hosted Wednesday (Sept. 23) by University of Mississippi educators.
The “Disrupt the Culture Hot Topic” conversation, which begins at 4 p.m., is sponsored by the William Magee Center for Wellness Education, University Police Department and Metro Narcotics.
“This hot topic conversation is tied to the concerns our community has regarding overdose rates,” said Erin Cromeans, assistant director for wellness education at the Magee Center. “Our goal is to discuss those concerns, address what our partners at Metro Narcotics, OPD and UPD are seeing, and provide resources for our community to utilize.”
Scheduled panelists for the discussion include:
- Metro Narcotics Capt. Alex Fauver
- UPD Lts. Kendall Brown and Shyla McGuire
- Sierra Elston, Magee Center wellness education coordinator, and Cromeans
“We want to provide transformative education, opportunities and resources for our community to adopt healthy behaviors and grow into the best versions of themselves,” Cromeans said. “To do that, our LOU community must work as one to disrupt the culture of substance use.”
Metro Narcotics and UPD will discuss drug use statistics in high school and young adult populations, what is happening in the community, the facts around substances identified by law enforcement as being abused, and the risks associated with drug use.
Representatives from the Magee Center, an alcohol and drugs education and prevention facility at Ole Miss, will discuss being an active bystander and communicating with students and peers regarding drug use, and provide an overview of resources.
“We will also have representatives from the local high schools as well as the University Counseling Center to provide guidance and resources for their respective communities as needed,” Cromeans said.
A Q&A session will follow the discussion. Questions can be submitted throughout the presentation via electronic form.
The Disrupt the Culture initiative began as a Magee Center workshop for student organizations to systemically make changes in their organizations regarding substance use.
Those interested in participating in the virtual discussion can attend through this Zoom link.