News from Lindsey Wilson University
Human services and counseling classes meet with local law-enforcement offices to learn a team approach to fighting alcohol and drug abuse.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (10/17/2025) Lindsey Wilson University students in Mahalia Cain’s human services and counseling classes got the opportunity to study substance abuse from a different perspective on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Students in Cain’s “Substance Abuse” and “Abnormal Psychology” classes met with Columbia-Adair County law enforcement officials to learn how the departments deal with people who are suspected to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
To better illustrate the topic, members of the Columbia Police Department brought the department’s Substance Abuse Education trailer to campus, which gave students additional insight into issues law-enforcement officers often face.
This is the second year Cain has arranged to have her students interact with officials from the Columbia Police Department and Adair County Sheriff’s Office.
“It is important for the students to see not only the counseling side of substance abuse but the criminal justice side of it as well,” said Cain, who is an instructor in the Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling. “I also want them to see why it’s important for both sides to work together as a team, because as a team we can get the best results for individuals who need help with drug and alcohol abuse.”
Lindsey Wilson student Madison Cole ’27 said the exercise helped her better appreciate what law-enforcement officials are required to do to determine if a suspect might be impaired by the effects of alcohol or drugs.
“It’s very interesting to learn what actually happens when they stop someone and how they work with them,” said Cole, who is a human services and counseling major from Columbia.
Cole was among the students who participated in a field sobriety test and attempted to walk a straight line while wearing a pair of alcohol-impairment simulation goggles. She said the examples made her realize how a person suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs might behave when they encounter a law-enforcement official.
“It was good to experience that because it also helped you realize how you can better help someone you are working with as a client,” said Cole, who wants to specialize in addiction counseling as a mental-health professional.
Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster, who helped conduct the exercise with Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy Hunter Tweedy, said that interacting with the Lindsey Wilson students was valuable for numerous reasons.
“We just enjoy interacting with the students,” said Foster. “About 90% of our job is building good community relations, and this was a good way to do that. We enjoy having a strong relationship with Lindsey Wilson University.”
Cain said the event has become “one of my favorite things that I do with students during the semester, and the students also love it when the (police and sheriff’s) department come to campus.”
“It’s important for the students to feel comfortable with the police department, and this exercise helps do that by humanizing the police department for them,” she said. “It also gives students an opportunity to ask about topics that are outside of my area of experience, which strengthens their learning as well.”
Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster administers a field sobriety test to Lindsey Wilson University student Madison Cole ’27 of Columbia during a “Substance Abuse” class on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster administers a field sobriety test to Lindsey Wilson University student Ally Brown ’26 of Columbia while she wears a pair of alcohol-impairment simulation goggles during a “Substance Abuse” class on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Lindsey Wilson University human services and counseling instructor Mahalia Cain is helped by Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster while she wears a pair of alcohol-impairment simulation goggles during a “Substance Abuse” class on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster explains a field sobriety test as Lindsey Wilson University students watch it on a video screen in the department’s Substance Abuse Education trailer on Thursday, Oct. 16.
To illustrate to Lindsey Wilson University students how Columbia-Adair County law-enforcement officials deal with alcohol and drug abuse, the Columbia Police Department brought its Substance Abuse Education trailer to campus on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)