The following are excerpts from a letter sent to the NCAA by Chris Hulleman, assistant football coach at Central College (Iowa), who attended the Betty Ford Clinic Professional-in-Residence Experience one year ago.

The Betty Ford Clinic Professional-in-Residence (PIR) experience was one of the most intense, thought-provoking experiences I have had as a professional. I will never view the field of alcohol- and substance-abuse work, or my place in it, the same again.

My failure from this program is a failure to implement the ideas that arose from my experience ... ideas involve extra time and energy ... and large amounts of our college budget to this area. The latter statement reflects the importance of getting upper-level administrators to attend ...

My recommendations for returning PIRs include:

Use the experience to improve understanding of alcoholism, empathize with students who are struggling with alcohol, and facilitate the ability to identify students who are at high risk for alcohol dependence;

Incorporate some of the Betty Ford Clinic materials and experience into the CHAMPS/
Life Skills program;

Target adult children of alcoholics (28 percent of population);

Don't forget about reinforcing abstainers (20 percent of population) for their choices; and

Create a safe environment where students can trust and share in confidentiality.

Note: The NCAA is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment that enhances the success of college athletes. The NCAA PIR program provides an educational and motivational experience to athletics and student affairs administrators with the expectation they will expand alcohol-abuse prevention and intervention efforts when they return to campus.