Alcohol and Other Drug Services

Our AOD/R.A.I.S.E. Counselor, with the help of counseling center staff, provides a range of services for the University community that include the following:

• Social norming information
• Alcohol & drug prevention/safety information dissemination
• Community outreach
• Student assessment
• Psychoeducational Events and programming
• Collaboration and consultation with faculty & staff
• Class presentations
• Student trainings
• Alcohol & other drug policy violation sessions
• Referrals to Alcohol & Drug Treatment providers
• Student data collection

These services provided are conducted on a voluntary basis or may be required as part of the judicial process. All University services are offered at no additional charge to students. However, you may incur a cost if evaluations and/or treatment are required to be received by a community-based provider. It is important to note that we do not provide Drug and alcohol counseling, but we will support any student in locating necessary treatment from one of our community providers.

Jesse Kunwar, MA, LPC, NCC, CCTP

Jesse is one of the counselors as well as the University’s Alcohol and Other Drug Coordinator. She has a master’s degree in Clinical/Counseling Psychology from LaSalle University and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Lycoming College. She has been in the mental health field for 15 years, and has been with the GMercyU counseling center since 2018.

Contact Info:
AOD@gmercyu.edu
215-646-7300 ext. 21395

A student may contact the AOD/R.A.I.S.E. Counselor to schedule an appointment or may be sanctioned to schedule an appointment through the judicial process as a result of a violation, either on or off campus, of the University’s Alcohol and Other Drug Policy (PDF). This policy can also be found within the Student Code of Conduct (PDF). Each sanctioned student receives three psychoeducational sessions, which includes assessment, safety information, reflection, and referral to Drug and Alcohol services if needed.

Gwynedd Mercy University is foremost concerned with the health & wellness of our students. Thus, we have adopted the following policies: (Please consult the Student Code of Conduct (PDF) or the Alcohol and Other Drug Policy (PDF) for more information)

Medical Amnesty Policy

The University strongly encourages students to seek and use medical assistance for themselves during emergency situation when they are dangerously under the influence of alcohol or drugs. No student seeking medical treatment for themselves or accepting medical treatment as a result of a Good Samaritan report, for the effects of drug or alcohol use, will be subject to University discipline for violating the Alcohol and Other Drug policy.

Good Samaritan Policy

No student seeking medical treatment for another student or guest for the effects of drug or alcohol use will be subject to University discipline for violating the Alcohol or Other Drug policy. The University is committed to ensuring that all situations are handled with competence and compassion, and we prioritize safety over policy violation.

Please see the below documents for the full rules and regulations related to these two policies:

Good Samaritan Policy (PDF)
Medical Amensty Policy (PDF) 

Off-Campus Behavior Policy

All students must be aware of the following:

• The University may discipline students for incidents that occur off campus
• The decisions of the University and Magistrate/Courts are independent and mutually exclusive
• The University may discipline students in all cases where a citation or arrest takes place
• The University will not delay issuing a decision in a case because of a pending case before the Magistrate or Courts