TRIO stays active for students despite funding threats

After a move from a quiet, out-of-the way corner above the library to the instructional center at the center of student life, the TRIO Student Support Services at Southwestern Community College is now prepared for a new year, even after more struggles than expected.

With a new federal administration threatening grants across all government-sponsored institutions, TRIO at SWCC had feared a freeze on essential funds for their services.

The Trump Administration had considered axing funding for these programs, with one memo sent to advisors in May describing the program as “a relic of the past” while claiming TRIO engages in “woke ideology with federal taxpayer subsidies.”

Advocacy became a theme from former TRIO alumni and those in the process of their education, even before their high school graduation. A collage of postcards, each an individual message explaining the impact of TRIO from local high school students who have been a part of the Talent Search program, was sent to Rep. Zach Nunn.

One TRIO student said, “TRIO has helped me so much with the questions I have about what classes I should be taking, if there are any SWCC classes I should take to progress in my education.”

On Wednesday, Nunn’s deputy chief of staff Wes Enos visited the SWCC campus and talked with students who have been personally impacted by TRIO. Enos said Nunn will continue to support TRIO and recommends students email their legislators their stories.

It’s a notable change of mood for the program, especially when TRIO is a vital part of reaching underprivileged communities, not just at SWCC but for any college campus which utilizes these programs.

Those fears are partially put to rest for now as TRIO’s SSS program has received $1.625 million from the federal TRIO SSS grant to continue offering their services through 2030. SWCC will receive about $325,000 per year over the next five years to run their SSS programs.

At SWCC, TRIO SSS provides first-generation college students, students with a disability and students with a low-income economic background with resources they need to feel comfortable on the SWCC campus. The programs have been in place since 1997, and has served more than 3,000 students over 28 years.

Besides SSS, SWCC also maintains a Talent Search program which supports junior high and high school students in local communities, including in Creston, East Union, Lenox, Orient-Macksburg, Southwest Valley, Murray, Clarke and Bedford. Some employees for both Talent Search and SSS are TRIO alumni.

TRIO services around the country were established as far back as 1965 when the Higher Education Act was approved, activating opportunities to diminish traditional barriers to higher education.

SWCC TRIO SSS Director Laurie Besco has helped SWCC students through their college experience for over 25 years since she joined TRIO in 2000. She has seen students who utilize the services she runs and understands the environments which needs the extra push.

“Some students don’t hear a lot about higher education at home,” Besco said. “The whole financial aid process, enrollment and how to make sure you’re enrolled in the classes you need for your degree, to get you to your future goals. What we’re here for is to help them navigate this whole process so they can be successful”

TRIO’s SSS lists six different services: academic/career advising, transfer assistance, tutoring, academic/life skills workshops, scholarship/grant assistance, and social enrichment activities. All of these offer a chance for students to create connections on campus.

These programs help reach students who would not otherwise find themselves in higher education.

“They didn’t think college was even an option until a TRIO staff member worked with them,” Besco said. “They likely wouldn’t have gone to college or finished college because they didn’t know the processes like financial aid, applying, choosing a major, registration, completing scholarships, etc. that goes along with college.”

A major part of the SSS reaches outside the academic spaces. Social enrichment, establishing students with a comfortable place to be social, is a feature which greatly benefits students.

Amanda Herzberg, a former SWCC student and current graphic designer at Interpower, said TRIO provided a support system which helped her navigate an overwhelming environment. She joined a mentorship program and grew to become a mentor herself.

“I started college as a reserved individual, but TRIO helped me come out of my shell,” Herzberg said.

Abbigaelle Collado, a dermatology nurse, used SSS’s services which helped her understand the impact TRIO can have on students.

“Through TRIO, I met friends, found mentors and even became a peer tutor,” Collado said. “It’s an experience that allowed me to give back and support others on their academic journeys.”

Previously, with the TRIO center above the library in the mezzanine, access for student’s was not immediately available. Besco joked how, with the old location, students would forget TRIO was there. The move to the instructional center, where students would have foot traffic on a regular schedule, will be a benefit.

As a part of TRIO’s obligations to their federal grant, TRIO has created a set of objectives they will fulfill between 2025-2030. These four objectives, universal across all college TRIO programs (besides the specific numbers per objective), are as follows:

1. 68% of SSS members will persist from one year to the next, graduate and/or transfer from a two-year to a four-year institution.
2. 85% of all SSS members will be in academic good standing at the institution each year.
3. 48% of SSS members will graudate with an Associate’s Degree or certificate within four years.
4. 18% of SSS members with an Associate’s Degree or certificate and transfer to a four-year institution within four years.

These objectives, and the numerical goals, are established based on previous years’ success. In order for SWCC’s TRIO to receive the grant again, which runs on a five-year cycle, these objectives will have to be completed.

Students who look to TRIO SSS for assistance will go through an initial session where advisors meet and learn about a student’s goals, backgrounds and interests. TRIO can assist with creating a schedule for the student’s intended path while also advising them on social opportunities.

“TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transforms students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”

Recommended events like workshops and other tutoring opportunities allows for students, who might be entering an unfamiliar environment, to have the support to acclimate to new surroundings.

Students in the TRIO program will generally meet with SSS at minimum twice per semester, with a chance to receive a summer class if they complete recommended workshops and maintain academic success.

Aric Bishop, an alumni who used TRIO’s services, said in a statement he is forever grateful to them as he progressed through SWCC and through a transfer to Northwest Missouri State University. Bishop currently works as a librarian at West Des Moines Public Library and is in the process of completing a PhD in Educational Leadership.

“TRIO provided me with resources, academic advising, a sense of community, transfer-planning assistance and transfer-trip opportunities,” Bishop said. “The program provided the guidance and encouragement I needed to succeed as a first-generation college student.”

Support for TRIO is a bipartisan effort, as Besco explained. Even when a new administration threatened SWCC TRIO’s funding of programs for underprivileged students, meetings with legislative representatives at the federal level, such as Rep. Nunn and senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, has continued to prove the strength of their programming.

“It’s one thing for [legislators] to hear from us, it’s another thing for them to hear from students who have experienced the services,” Besco said. “I think they enjoy the personal stories more than they do the data they get from our annual performance reports.”

The opportunities TRIO provides are quintessential for creating change in local communities. Besco describes the overall goal of TRIO as a way to help individuals grow from their backgrounds.

“We want to move students, and therefore their families, out of the cycle of poverty. That’s the goal,” Besco said. “Whether they do that with a two-year degree or a four-year degree or they move on and get a master’s, whatever. That’s what we want to see, see them be successful.”

Pursuing grant action is not over yet for TRIO. Talent Search is still in the process of confirming a $455,000 annual grant to continue serving students in local community high schools.