Cheryl Stafford, director of Student Support Services, said the IU East campus would not have the program if it were not for the grant. “We have had the grant since the late ’70s and have been re-funded continuously since then. It is a nerve-wracking process every year because it is a competitive grant,” Stafford said. “Not everyone that receives the grant is re-funded the next year.”

The local program has assisted students for more than 20 years and is one of the longest running programs in the state. Services such as academic advising, career planning, personal counseling and tutoring are made available to first-generation and low-income students as well as students with disabilities. The grant also pays for the bulk of the staff salaries and professional development, but, more importantly, allows the support services to award supplemental Pell grants for students.

Grant competitions are held every four years. In order to receive a grant renewal, local programs must submit a proposal to the U.S. Department of Education. During 2004, TRIO funded 935 Student Support Services projects. Those projects had 196,237 participants.

“When applying for this grant, we can make a good case for need because 80 percent of our students at IU East are first-generation students or fall under the low-income or disabled status,” Stafford said.

The program provides services one-on-one for 200 students.

Angela Addison of Milton is one of those students. She first went to support services for math tutorship after a professor told her about the program.

“They are a really strong support system. If I have something going wrong with a class or need someone to listen, they’re there and help me to resolve it,” Addison said.

Addison visited the support services offices a couple of times a week, not only for the tutors, but because studying there provided less distraction. Her visits helped her get to know the staff.

“You’re not just a face, they make it a point to know all the students,” Addison said. With the help of the support services, Addison will earn her degree in general studies in December.

While IU East offers many excellent services to all students, the SSS program is unique in recognizing and addressing invisible barriers, such as cultural biases and attitudes, which discourage some people from pursuing or earning a college degree.

The IU East program includes an assessment component in which a coordinator identifies undiagnosed learning disabilities in students. The assessment coordinator can test for these problems that cause learning difficulties and frustration and help the students identify strategies for improvement. The assessment may also indicate that the student qualifies for special services to accommodate a learning disability.

The SSS program is designed to serve IU East’s diverse student populations, including commuter students and the large number of adults who start their college education several years after completing high school.