There are a lot of terms that are thrown around when people talk about life at Virginia Tech. A litany of vocabulary exists that only a true native could appreciate. Terms such as "Owens," "GLC" and "VASAP" are commonly flipped about between students. The last phrase, however; is truly understood by few.
"It's like the best kept secret in Virginia," said Susan Marshon, executive director of the New River Valley VASAP located in Christiansburg. "How does VASAP work?"
VASAP stands for the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, and Marshon and her staff comprise one of 24 local ASAPs around Virginia.
The program originated in 1976 after the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation expanding a self-sustaining pilot program statewide that was started in 1972. The pilot program was conceived as a means to combat a rising issue with drinking and driving as well as related DUI offenses.
"Virginia got a federal grant," Marshon said, "to do a pilot project to try to figure out what might work to handle the DUI offenders, so it was primarily started to deal with just DUI offenders, but it became a really interesting model because it didn't cost anything."
With 7,000 offenders coming through the VASAP doors every year, fees paid by offenders is what keep the program afloat.
"VASAP is a user-funded program," Marshon said. "We get no money from the state or the federal government, and it's important because we're the only agency probably in the country that functions that way."
Today, the Christiansburg VASAP has grown to treat more than just DUI offenders in the fourth planning district that it covers (Floyd, Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles and the City of Radford). It also takes drug offenders and DUID charges, reckless driving offenders, intoxicated in public offenders and liquor law offenders who violate laws such as underage possession of alcohol or buying alcohol for a minor. Depending on the charge, offenders can expect to receive one of the following penalties and are susceptible to more than just one depending on the nature and regulations of the convicted crime: attend mandatory educational classes, submit to random drug/alcohol screenings (normally at the start of classes), enroll in community service, and possibly have their driver's license revoked or suspended. In some of the more serious charges, such as repeated DUI charges, an ignition interlock is placed inside of the offender's vehicle, which forces the driver to blow into the ignition interlock device every 20 minutes - proving his breath is alcohol-free - while driving or risk having his car shut down. He is also expected to pay fines, which in part pays for a case manager to oversee an individual's completion of the VASAP programs.
"Unlike what you might expect," Marshon said, "they're also placed on probation, and what they're paying for is their probation supervision. Because the common question I get is, 'You mean I have to pay for my community service?' No, you're not paying to do your community service. You're paying for your probation supervision, so depending on the number of hours that you get that determines the length of time that you'll be on probation and how much it will cost."
What has caused the program to change and expand in the past 30 years into the multi-faceted organization that it is now is because largely in part of a local board, which tries to address the changing needs of the various counties and communities. The board works with local legislators in order to fine tune any small details that may be individual to the area that the overarching ASAP plan may not cover.
"The local boards are able to establish programs to meet the needs of their local courts," Marshon said. "So we have a great big young offender program here, and the program up in Harrisonburg has a really big young offender program because they've got various colleges and universities. You might go down to Southwest Virginia; they have no young offender program because they don't have the population."
The young offender program is probably the most notoriously known VASAP program to Tech students, and with good reason, as about 900 people go through it each year. This figure includes students from Blacksburg and Radford. In this program, offenders under the age of 25 are given the option of attending a mandatory eight-week educational program on top of about $200 worth of fees in exchange for having the charge reduced or dismissed.
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This is a ridiculous article. VASAP is the last place anyone who actually needs help should ever go. Biggest joke on the face of the earth. The only goal of VASAP is to violate you so they can send you back to court and give you more fines. They don't work with you they work for themselves only and try to do anything to mark you as non compliant and send you back to court. And I mean anything from missing an irrelevant assignment to "not participating enough". They just have you sit there for two hours and watch you like a hawk while they play video after video about drinking. After the 4th week of having two hour classes it gets old really quick and they will have no problem violating your probation for accidentally dozing off during one of their 100 videos saying the same stuff over and over again. Don't go to vasap just let the court take your license from you.
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Obviously, someone who couldn't man up and pass the class ^^^^
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Actually "ROCK", coming from someone who is in this moronic program currently due to someone lying about me purchasing alcohol for them to save their own ass, I can agree with what Jake has said 100%. VASAP is an absolute joke. It is the most disgustingly greedy program on earth and they only exist to profit themselves. The fact that this program exists honestly makes me question everything that I have ever been taught. I understand that it seems like Jake is only saying that because he didn't pass it but he is right. I go to Randolph-Macon college, I completed all of my community service hours for the program, I went to turn them in and my trailer trash "case manager" decided that the college itself was not a legitimate enough site. I ended up getting a "non-compliant" and now, I have to return to court. My VASAP instructor is a fantastic man, one of the nicest people I have ever come in contact with, but the people who handle the disciplinary issues in the program are absolutely terrible people. My "Case Manager" makes me feel like nothing less than a 19 year old criminal. This program should be dismantled promptly along with the entire Hanover County general court system. I have never met people as rude as the ones that work inside that courthouse.
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^^^This is obviously a second repeater who didn't learn his lesson.
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This isn't a "learn your lesson" type of deal. This is a "be smarter and don't get caught again" thing. They nickel and dime you for everything. It is your first offense ever and they are trying to get all they can from you. It is a great idea for those who receive DUIs but not for underage possession. Just drop the drinking age to 18 and call it a day.
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so obviously - if you're willing to have your license taken, you don't mind being a less than 45 mph scooter boy or you don't have to work for a living or have plans for law school or anything with a blemished record. your mom and dad must be loaded to afford your car insurance after something so mundane. you broke the law, period. throw a little time and money at it and be thankful you can and get it reduced or expunged.
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Also, best kept secret? Whoever wrote this article needs to take a dirt nap. You absolutely suck.
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