Substance Education Classes

Substance Education Classes are based on a psycho-educational group model and the second class builds on the first to produce a unified result.  For this reason, it is inappropriate to assign students to attend only one class regardless of their individual circumstances because each class is part of an integrated unit.  To assign a student to only one class creates arbitrariness to their education and upsets the overall group dynamic established in the first class.

In order to fulfill Student Conduct or Residential Life obligations, students must attend all classes within a session.  The only permissible reason for missing is academic in which case make-up is required.  If a student anticipates missing any class that student should be reassigned to the next set of classes or assigned to a web-based course.  If a student misses only the second class they should call the Counseling Center Secretary (Ext 5790) to schedule an appointment at the Counseling Center for make-up.  They should let the Secretary know the reason for the appointment.

Each class is approximately two hours, starting at 4:00 p.m. and ending at 5:45 p.m. All students are expected to arrive on time.  Students who arrive unreasonably late may not be admitted to the class at the instructor's discretion. In the event of cancellation of a class due to instructor illness or inclement weather, students should anticipate that the canceled class will be held the following week on the same day and time as class had been originally scheduled.  If the College is closed because of a holiday or other reasons then class will be held two weeks after the canceled class.

Voluntary or Court-Mandated Participation:

Students who wish to participate in substance education, either voluntarily or because they have been mandated by a court, must seek the permission of the instructor prior to attending.  Students wishing to participate voluntarily or because they have been mandated by a court must also pay the current service fee as stated in the Westfield State College Student Handbook. Non-students are not permitted to take the class.  Non-matriculating students should discuss their individual circumstances with the instructor to determine their eligibility to take the class.

For questions contact Brian Cahillane @ Ext. 5790.