January 2005
WESTOP BOARD of DIRECTORS MEETING
January 29, 2005
King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel
Kailua-Kona, HI
The COE Board of Directors met in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 18, 2004. A full day was devoted to the formulation of the Strategic Plan for 2006-2010.
The Administration: Threat to Talent Search and Upward Bound
Dr. Mitchem informed the COE Board on January 19, 2005 that he had confirmed rumors that President Bush will propose the elimination of the Talent Search and Upward Bound Programs in the 2006 proposed budget. These monies are to be used to fund the President’s Secondary School No Child Left Behind initiatives. The budget is scheduled for release on February 7. We have been asked to prepare for this by getting ready to respond to the budget once it is released. The budget has not been released as of yet, so we have been advised not to contact Congress at this time. We are being asked to prepare intense activities between the release of the budget all the way through TRIO Day. The Chronicle of Higher Education released a story on this proposal on Monday, January 24, 2005.
It is important that programs make sure all efforts toward lobbying do not conflict with what is allowable under federal guidelines. We must make sure not to lobby during work time or using program equipment or supplies. We are allowed to inform our Congressional people about the success of our programs, and the importance of the programs to our students, however fighting the President’s efforts is lobbying. This must be done during vacation or time off from the program. See the details sent out by Maureen Hoyler about lobbying. This will mean we will need to expedite the purchasing of WESTOP’s own server and data software (see Research & Technology Report).
Strategies for preserving our programs are varied and plentiful. We will need to focus on what will be most effective methods of getting our message out. I will be asking our Legislation & Education Committee to spearhead our Region’s response to the budget. Programs should keep their students informed about what is happening out there, and need to be assured that efforts are underway to keep our programs going. Here are some things we can do immediately:
• Compile statistics on your own program’s graduation rate, college going rate, and college graduation rate
• Visit with your Congressional Representative with students and thank them for supporting TRIO Programs
• Encourage your alumni, supporters, students, and their families to write to their Congressional Representative supporting Talent Search and Upward Bound.
• Create an e-mail account on Yahoo or Hotmail and send e-mail supporting Talent Search and Upward Bound to your Congressional Representatives
We will need the support and cooperation from everyone in our WESTOP community when action alerts are announced. While this is a serious issue for us, it is not the end of our programs. We have seen TRIO zeroed out in budgets before, and have been able to thwart those efforts. Working together again, we can keep our programs going!
The 109th Congress
Committee assignments have been e-mailed to the list-serve. We have several members on these key committees:
House Appropriations: Jim Kolbe (AZ), Randy “Duke” Cunningham (CA), John Doolittle (CA), Ed Pastor (AZ), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
House Committee on Education and the Workforce: Howard “Buck” P. McKeon (CA), John C. Porter (NV), George Miller (CA), Lynn C. Woosley (CA), Susan A. Davis (CA), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ)
Senate Appropriations: Daniel K. Inouye (HI), Harry Reid (NV), Dianne Feinstein (CA)
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: John Ensign (NV)
Department of Education
Margaret Spellings has been approved as the new Secretary of Education. Larry Oxendine remains in his position as TRIO Director, and is overseeing Title III and Title V programs as well.
State Initiative Grants
The Arizona Chapter has been awarded a State Initiatives Grant which will be used in conjunction with TRIO Day.
Technology Tools Conference 2004
The joint ASPIRA/COE “Technology Tools for Management and Instruction” Conference was held December 5-8, 2004 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Congressman Donald Payne (NJ-10) was scheduled as featured speaker.
Department of Education Professional Development Opportunities
The Council was awarded five TRIO Training grants. These are scheduled:
February 10-12 |
Legislation & Regulations |
Tempe, AZ |
February 17-19 |
Counseling (Pre-college) |
Washington DC |
February 24-26 |
Budget & Data Management |
San Francisco, CA |
March 3-5 |
Legislation & Regulations (Institutional Teams) |
Miami, FL |
April 7-9 |
Legislation & Regulations (Institutional Teams) |
Denver, CO |
April 14-15 |
Counseling (College) |
New Orleans, LA |
May 5-7 |
Budget & Data Management |
Chicago, IL |
GEAR UP Training Institute
COE in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach, took place January 9-11, 2005 at the Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, NV.
TRIO 2004-2005 Study Tours
The Council plans a 10-day professional development program in Europe for TRIO staff. “Educational Opportunity in a Global Context” takes place April 1-10, 2005 in London, Liverpool and Amsterdam. The program is being coordinated by the University of Liverpool’s Office of Widening Participation in cooperation with London Metropolitan University and ECHO in the Netherlands. Ten applications were received by the November 15, 2004 deadline.
In June 2005, TRIO SSS and McNair students will again have the opportunity to study in Europe as part of a three-week, credit-bearing study abroad program, “Shared Journeys: Identity, Heritage and Empowerment,” cosponsored by the Council and the University of Liverpool, Belfast and Cologne, Germany. Applications were due January 15, 2005.
By-laws Amendments
The proposed Amendments to the By-laws passed second reading. Regions now need to vote on approving these Amendments
COE Finance Committee
The annual audited financial report was approved. If anyone wants to see it, see one of the COE Board members. The same applies to the current Financial statements for the Council.
COE Publications
After several years of prodding by our Association, the COE literature now identifies the Pacific and Caribbean Islands as part of the Council. COE informational brochures with this designation have already been distributed to Institutional members. Christopher Davis and Bonnie Hall were thanked for getting this through.
