TRiO: a difference in

This archived article was written by: Chelsea Martino

Our nation has asserted a commitment to providing educational opportunity for all Americans. In support of this commitment, Congress established a series of programs to help low-income Americans enter college, graduate and move on to participate more fully in America’s economic and social life. These programs are funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and are referred to as the TRiO Programs (initially just three programs). While student financial aid programs help students overcome financial barriers to higher education, TRiO programs help students overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to higher educations.
TRiO services include: assistance in choosing a college, tutoring, personal and financial counseling, career counseling, assistance in applying to colleges, workplace and college visits, special instruction in reading, writing, study skills, and mathematics, assistance in apply for financial aid and academic assistance in high school and college.
Today more than 1,200 college, universities, and community agencies host more than 2,800 TRiO Programs serving 850,000 young people and adults. 37% of TRiO participants are Caucasian, 35% are African-American, 19% are Hispanic, 4% are American Indian and 4% are Asian-American. 22,000 TRiO students are disabled.
The College of Eastern Utah, Price campus is host to two TRiO Programs: Upward Bound and Student Support Services. Upward Bound helps high school students prepare for higher education. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition, mathematics, and science on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. Currently, more than 960 programs are in operation throughout the United States, Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. Students in the Upward Bound program are four times more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in TRiO.
Student Support Services helps students stay in college until they earn their baccalaureate degrees. Participants, who include disabled students, receive tutoring, counseling and remedial instruction. There are 201,000 students being served at more than 950 college and universities. Students in Student Support Services programs are more than twice as likely to remain in college as those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program.
Funding for these programs is highly competitive and we are fortunate enough to have Upward Bound and Student Support Services helping our community and college students to be successful.
Aside from National TRiO Day, February 28th, the staff of Upward Bound and Student Support Services will be hosting a TRiO Day at the College of Eastern Utah. This event will take place on Wednesday, February 25th from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center Multipurpose room. Come and enjoy some treats and enter to win great prizes.