Ted Kennedy At 50 Yards 5 Years Ago
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Remembrances - Huffington Post
- Joe Trippi: What Ted Kennedy Meant to Me
I learned a lot in the long campaign of 1980. Kennedy taught me loyalty, brotherhood, to never give in -- and to always fight.
Student Support Services Website
- Student Support Services Program
The program provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and serves to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education.
Note to College Students/Parents Regarding Student Support Services
The Student Support Services Program under TRIO was initiated by the Federal Government to assist first generation, low income, and special needs college students.
"First generation" is an interesting term. When I interviewed for the position of professional writing tutor at North Hennepin Community College around 1999, I had no idea the meaning of the term "first generation," let alone, the function of the TRIO, Student Support Services Program. I hadn't realized that I myself had been, some 30 years ago (at the time) a first generation student. If neither of your parents have a bachelor's degree, you are a first generation student. This is one of the qualifying factors to be eligible to receive services through the SSS program. We Americans are all about the "can do" approach, and we don't like to think that any circumstance in our lives can hold us back from any achievement we wish. But whether it makes you feel comfortable or not, the stark reality is that if your parents have a bachelor's degree, the road is just a little easier for you. If they don't, you have a bit more difficult row to hoe. Research has shown this to be true, and the establishment of SSS was based on such facts. It stands to reason that if your parents have attended college and completed their degree, they have a better understanding as to how to guide you. I remember when I first brought my college catalog home. I was tremendously excited, but confused. I didn't understand what electives I needed or how the whole system worked. Of course, I figured it out, but to be honest, I ended up in a major not suited to me. When it became time for me to switch majors (in my senior year!) I had no guidance as to how I might work all of the courses I had taken into a new major that was meaningful for me. Student Support Services is there to do that for a student. You are assigned an advisor who is able to give more attention to your needs than the general advisors at your college or university.
It might not seem obvious to everyone that low income affects your ability to succeed in college. There are thousands of stories of people who have "put themselves" through. However, you don't need a degree in economics or time management to realize that when you have to work 40 hours a week, your chances for successfully completing college are diminished. Those who are eligible for Student Support Services have the opportunity for scholarships that make the road to studying easier.
Finally, if you have a documented disability, you are able for services through SSS. Perhaps you need extra tutoring or accommodation. SSS facilitates and coordinates those services for you and works with the Student Disability program in your school to coordinate and advocate for your individual needs.
The best advise I can offer if you fall under one of the above categories is to check to see if your college, community college, or university has a TRIO, Student Support Services program set up. If so, you're in luck! Walk into the office, apply, and you'll find that you're a part of a group that is all about seeing you succeed. And if you just happen to be attending North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Center, MN, just tell them Billie sent you and mention that even though I LOVE California, I miss them ALL!
My Impression of Senator Kennedy At 8:00 AM
Maybe it wasn't fifty yards away, and maybe it was more than five years ago. I can't remember. I do remember the morning of the TRIO conference in Washington, DC that I was privileged to attend. It would have been easy to sleep in that morning; I remember wondering why they scheduled Senator Kennedy to speak at the crack of dawn. (Well, maybe I'm exaggerating about the time just a bit.) Of course, I couldn't miss the opportunity to hear the Ted Kennedy, even if I had to drag myself out of my comfy King-sized hotel bed on the 23rd floor and down to the colorless conference room just off of the hotel lobby.
I remember feeling a palpable excitement in the room that morning. All of the people attending the conference worked in one capacity or another for the federally funded TRIO programs throughout the country.
The history of TRIO is progressive. It began with Upward Bound , which emerged out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in response to the administration's War on Poverty. In 1965, Talent Search , the second outreach program, was created as part of the Higher Education Act. In 1968, Student Support Services , which was originally known as Special Services for Disadvantaged Students, was authorized by the Higher Education Amendments and became the third in a series of educational opportunity programs. By the late 1960's, the term "TRIO" was coined to describe these federal programs . I was working at that time for Student Support Services at North Hennepin Community College which is located right outside the Minneapolis area.
As a professional writing tutor in SSS program, I was eligible to attend the annual TRIO conference in Washington, DC. Of course, funding for such trips by agencies like ours, unlike funds available for corporate junkets, is limited, and so I had flown into DC alone, was attending the convention alone, and in the morning, was sitting in this conference hall alone, waiting for the appearance of Senator Kennedy.
I was figeting in my seat, flipping through the program, and barely listening to the introductions of pre-Kennedy speakers on the stage. But as snippets of sound waves streamed by me in the hall, I caught phrases like: "when we marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," and "when Mr. Lewis was working for the passage of the such-and-such act of the 60's." I began to stop fidgeting and pay attention to the people on the stage. I was beginning to realize by the age of the speakers and their list of accomplishments, that I was watching history - that before me were some of the most powerful movers and shakers of the Civil Rights movement of the 60's who were still tirelessly active in their work in Washington to improve the opportunity for education for all students and quality of life for all citizens.
And then, in he breezed - Senator Ted Kennedy. The room roared. There was the feeling that the hall had suddenly shrunk in size because the Senator filled it with his presence! He seemed larger than life, soley by his bearing. He owned the room, and the room wanted to be owned. He created a flurry before ever reaching the podium. He waited for no one to escort him to the microphone, but started approaching each person on the stage, one after another, almost jogging to them and then shaking his or her hand. By their smiles that I could see from 50 yards away, I guessed he had said something special to say to each person. He seemed to know them, and I had the feeling he was calling each of them by name. It was obvious this was all familiar to the Senator, this TRIO conference; it seemed as if he had been here many times before. When he finally got to the podium to speak, he took us in like a father gathering up his children for a family meeting. It felt as if we were all part of this family, part of the team. There was no doubt that the feeling was mutual on his part.
And then, in flash he was gone - breezing off to Capitol Hill for a vote that was about to take place on the Senate floor.
I don't remember much about what happened afterward. I don't remember much about the whole conference. I only remember that after that particular morning, I felt part of something very big even if the part I played was very small.
Senator Kennedy's death leaves many questions, especially for those of us who are older. It makes us wonder what we might have been capable of doing - what we might still be capable of accomplishing. It makes us wonder what we're leaving behind - what we want to leave behind. It makes us realize that to have given your "last full measure of devotion" must be of great comfort when it all pushes up against the confessional walls of our minds as we breathe our last breath. It makes us realize that the whole meaning of our existence, to paraphrase Walt Whitman, is to ensure that the powerful play goes on and to hope that we might have contributed a verse. Senator Kennedy contributed a whole volume of verses and we are the benefactors. Sail on, Senator, sail on.
