Talking Stick - July/August 2008 - (Page 17)

them and how to begin preparing for admission. As a bridge from high school to college, Upward Bound helps participants hone necessary academic and study skills while living on campus a few weeks before their freshman year. This skill training and exposure to the university environment are critical for a successful academic transition. Once TRIO participants reach campus, they can access the Student Support Services program, which is designed to provide advising and skill training to help retain students once they are enrolled. From its original inception in the 1960s, this trio of assistance program has steadily expanded; according to the Web site for the Council for Opportunity in Education, there are more than 2,700 active TRIO programs that serve almost 900,000 low-income students. Four other programs have been added to the original three: the Educational Opportunity Centers program, the Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs, the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement program, and the Upward Bound Math/Science program. According to John Gardner, the executive director of the Policy Center for First Year Programming, TRIO programs provide a chance for youth to “concretely conceptualize the college experience.” He explains that these programs help students learn personal adaptation skills and build relationships with campus administration and faculty. students are mostly of high school age, and they spend about a month during the summer taking literature, composition, math, science, and study skills courses. In the meantime, they live in halls on campus, gaining experience in having a roommate, creating social connections, networking, and learning the necessary cocurricular skills necessary to succeed. The success rate of these programs is impressive, and it is clear that they have a direct positive impact on first-generation students. The Council for Opportunity in Education’s Web site reports that “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; nearly 20 percent of all Black and Hispanic freshmen who entered college in 1981 received assistance through the TRIO Talent Search or EOC [Educational Opportunity Centers] programs; students in the TRIO Student Support Services program are more than twice as likely to remain in college than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program.” Applications for First-Generation Programming Residence life programs can assist first-generation students in several important ways. Simply letting them know what services are available to them on campus is a good first step, and online resources – such as the Center for Student Opportunity (www. csocollegecenter.org) and www.firstinthefamily.com – are plentiful. Staff can also use these sites to gather the information needed for them to understand the unique challenges faced by first-generation students. Residence life can help connect these students to each other, to faculty, and to student mentors (ideally older first-generations students), connections that The Upward Bound Program For housing professionals, Upward Bound is of particular interest because it is designed to immerse prospective students in the university environment by arranging for them to live on campus. To be eligible for the program, participants must have completed the eighth grade and their family income must be below 150 percent of the poverty line. Upward Bound For housing professionals, Upward Bound is of particular interest because it is designed to immerse prospective students in the university environment by arranging for them to live on campus. July + August 2008 17 http://www.csocollegecenter.org http://www.csocollegecenter.org http://www.firstinthefamily.com

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Talking Stick - July/August 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Calendar When Politics Come to Your Town Support System Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members Snapshot

Talking Stick - July/August 2008

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