Last semester, the U.S. Department of Education awarded Monmouth College a $1.3 million TRIO Student Support Services grant. The grant will help Monmouth help qualified students overcome barriers to succeed in higher education. “Our number one thing is we are here for you, and we are here to know you as an individual,” said Kari Fischer, the Director of TRIO Student Support Services.
Unlike other support programs on campus, TRIO serves first generation students, students with identified physical or learning disabilities, or whose who meet federal low income guidelines. Participants must also meet at least one of the following criteria: “Ultimately, the biggest focus is getting people in the door and finding out where their issues are,” Fischer said. Their goal is to identify the root of a student’s concern and offer help, while keeping it confidential. “When you’re part of TRIO, nobody’s going to know why you’re part of TRIO.”
TRIO will work as a one-stop shop, which will minimize the hoops students have to jump through to find the right help. Fischer said, “They can come to me, and I will do that background research and digging and talk to find the right person and then make that connection.” More students qualify than they think, so if a student thinks they might, they should reach out.
The application may look complicated, but TRIO will help you fill it out. “If they need to miss that part and we need to come back to it, that’s totally fine because it is a little more heavy and it’s a little more detailed than a lot of students have access to right away,” said Fischer.
“I encourage everybody to at least, you know, come in and have a conversation. I kind of consider it like a try-it-for-free. There’s no cost to the program, but you know, come in and see how we can help. There’s no expectations. There’s no pressure.”
If you have questions, or would like more information, you can contact Fischer at kfischer@monmouthcollege.edu or stop by her office in Hewes Library room 116.