October, 2000

For submission to the WESTOP Board of Director's October 17, 2000.
Granlibakken Resort & Conference Center
Tahoe City, CA

FY00 FUNDING ALLOCATIONS
ED has heard concerns of the TRIO community over funding allocations and some compromises have been reached. Further negotiations are ongoing between ED and COE to increase the equitable allocation of funds among the various TRIO programs. TRIO funds increased by $45 million for FY00, the funds were allocated as such:

$595,888 EOC (2% increase)
$2.35 million McNair (7.3% increase)
$3.58 million SSS (2% increase)
$1.97 million TS (2% increase)
$30.45 million UB (12% increase)
$1 million TRIO Training Grants
$5 million TRIO Dissemination Partnership Program

Note: Percentage increases shown are total program funding, not individual project increases (due to numbers of new projects funded - "long slate" strategy).

FY01 APPROPRATIONS
At the time of this writing the FY01 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations Bill has not yet been passed. While the Bill may not be passed until mid October it appears that both the House and Senate have reached a tentative agreement on TRIO appropriations for a 18% increase or approximately $760 million, up from the current year's $645 million. This $115 million increase appears to be very solid. This marks the largest dollar increase in TRIO history. This represents a change in negotiations between the House and Senate where he House usually recedes to the Senate on a lower amount for TRIO. This year TRIO received the higher amount. It is an election year with education high on the list.

Dr. Claudio Prieto, in an address to the COE Board of Director's 9-16-00), stated that only 25% of the new $115 million TRIO increase or FY 01 would be used to fund new SSS programs. He stated that this s in direct response to concerns expressed by the TRIO community over he "long slate" strategy (lack of funding increases for existing programs in favor of more new projects). The remaining funds are to be used to support all other TRIO program increases. Dr. Prieto also stated that the current policy on C.O.L.A increases is tied to the cost of living indices established by the Federal Government. With C.O.L.A increase limited by policy we can expect to see more permutations of the recent Upward Bound Technology Supplements into he other programs. It becomes very important that each project respond to the various surveys distributed by the National TRIO Clearinghouse. Ed will be using the surveys to determine which programs need additional base funding or technology increases. If a low percentage of projects respond from a particular program, ED will assume there is little need for funding increases and divert the funds of programs with a high rate of response and interest (my interpretation of his comments, not an official statement). Dr. Prieto also mentioned that there are plans in place to provide $15 million in Technology Supplements to EOC, TS, and SSS over the next year.

UPWARD BOUND INITIATIVE FUNDING
Up to $85,600 was available to those projects willing to serve an additional 20 participants form target schools with at least 50% Free Lunch eligibility. It looks like 157 projects will be funded through his initiative. Over 300 applications were received. These awards should be distributed very soon. The slate is finalized and as of late September went up the line for signatures.

UPWARD BOUND TECHNOLOGY SUPPLEMENTS
All Upward Bound, Math/Science, and Veterans Upward Bound projects received a $10,000 Technology Supplement for FY00. If you have not received an amended Award Letter yet, contact your Program Officer. I do believe the Math/Science Award Letters are the last to go out, give hose a few more weeks (as of Oct. 1, I received one for UB, but not or Math/Science yet).

UPWARD BOUND PERFORMANCE REPORT
As you remember, in January of 2000 a panel of Upward Bound professionals met and offered recommendations to the Department on modifications to the Upward Bound Performance Report. These recommendations were discarded at one point creating an outcry form he Upward Bound community around May of 2000. After some negotiations with the COE staff, the Department has returned to these recommendations and has conceded on several points.

The most significant areas of improvement are in the definition of a "participant." The new draft defines a participant as: One full year in Upward Bound (rather than 60 days), 90 days in Veteran's (rather than 60), and one full summer program for Math/Science (rather than 10 days). For example, if an Upward Bound student does not complete their entire first year they do not have to be counted and tracked as a participant. Also, the length of time a participant has to be tracked has been reduced from six to four years beyond high school graduation.

The finalized Performance Report should be published around December. The Department is working with a vendor who will design a pre-packaged database tracking system available late this winter. COE is also hosting workshops in early December on designing databases for this report (call James Berscheit 202-347-7430 or Intern1@hqcoe.org, do not delay if interested) and the Department will offer Technical Assistance workshops (dates not yet available).

GEAR UP FUNDING
Several partnerships and state grants were recently awarded new GEAR UP funding within WESTOP. Arizona received 3.85 million including a $2.03 million state grant. California, which already has an existing state grant, received $5.77 million in partnerships. Hawaii received $2.24 million including a $1.85 million state grant. Be sure to reach out to these new GEAR UP personnel to offer assistance and coordination. WESTOP is also their home for networking, professional development, and political awareness.

There is some discussion in Washington about combining TRIO and GEAR UP into one entity. One of the major issues is in the area of matching funds. The TRIO community will be diametrically opposed to any sort of matching fund program at that level. There is nothing solid here as of yet, just talk. We must though, be prepared to take a stand and have our issues ready to put on the table.

COLLEGE COMPLETION CHALLENGE GRANTS
$35 million has been added to the TRIO appropriations to include the College Completion Challenge Grants. The House introduced H.R. 4504, which adds technical amendments to the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998. These technical amendments allow SSS projects to use funds or direct aid to participants, which is currently not allowed. The Senate has not yet taken action on this bill meaning that TRIO has the $35 million but cannot use it for the Challenge Grants yet. If H.R. 4504 does not make it through the Senate the $35 million dollars will have to be spent in some other area within TRIO. The Council is working on getting the content of the technical amendments attached to he FY01 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations bill so the Challenge Grants can be implemented even if the Senate fails to pass H.R. 4504.

TRIO SERVICE CERTIFICATES
Those who should have received a TRIO Service Certificate at the Miami TRIO Director's Conference and did not, don't despair. I spoke with Lorainne Marks, Dr. Belle's Administrative Assistant, on September 21 and she assured me that there are many certificates awaiting signatures that will be distributed soon. Two subsequent attempts were made to develop a more accurate list and the final list was forwarded o Dr. Belle's office last month.

NATIONAL ELECTIONS
Bipartisan support for TRIO has grown and we now seem to have as many champions on the Republican side as we do on the Democratic side. It appears that whichever party holds the White House in this election may be friendly toward TRIO. TRIO programs are specifically mentioned as a priority in the Gore-Leiberman Economic Plan on page 79. Also Henry Bonilla, a Texas Republican Congressman and Upward Bound graduate, has close ties to George W. Bush. The real push should be in electing members to the House and Senate that are willing to take on TRIO as a priority.

COE BY-LAWS CHANGE
The COE Board of Director's is considering a change in by-laws to facilitate more cohesive participation of regions on committees and a standardized orientation in December for all new COE Board members. Presently COE Board members (three representatives form each region) enter and depart the Board at staggered intervals throughout the year. The new change will allow all new board members to experience a single orientation and arrive as a working cohort over a three-year period. It is expected that this change will create a greater sense of collegiality among cohorts of Board members. This will not effect anything at the regional level; all regional elections will proceed as before. The only change would be that the new President-elect from WESTOP would take the COE Board seat in December rather than May WESTOP term dates would remain the same, Conference to Conference). Each member would still be on the COE Board for three years as they are now. This by-laws change will be voted on in December. This is the only substantive by-laws change being considered at this time, other issues are editorial changes such as names of regions and committees.

THE HIGH-TECH ACT (H1b VISAS)
H.R. 3983 is a bill that would use fees from foreign high-tech worker visas to help fund the Upward Bound Math/Science program. This issue has been delayed and will be revisited in the next congressional session in January. If this bill passes with the TRIO stipulation, it could mean up to $35 million in Math/Science funding which could double the size and/or scope of the program.

FINANCIAL AID
The TRIO Financial Aid Task Force announced that 50% of educational tax credits are being used by families with incomes above $50,000 per year. Only 25% are being used by families with incomes below $30,000. Institutions are encouraging this trend. "Need based" financial aid is eroding in favor of "merit based" systems to attract students with higher scores. As studies show, higher economic groups tend to have higher scores. This discriminates against the lower income groups of students. We need to convince States that it is not in their interests to deny access to higher education to low-income students. State organizations must lead this battle in the political arena. WESTOP, as a region, has no vote. But our state Chapters have individuals who can lobby and vote on behalf of more equitable policies governing financial aid.

In other news, it looks like Pell Grants will increase by $350 bringing the maximum to $3650. S.E.O.G. programs were awarded $691 million. L.E.A.P. programs increased by $25 million to a total of $65 or state-based aid. Workstudy programs increased by $77 million to a total of $1.1 billion.

The Cal Grant program was mentioned and congratulated at the COE Board meeting. Individuals are already lobbying other states to model the program.

WASHINGTON HIGHER EDUCATION SECRETARIAT
The council is now a full-fledged member of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat. The Secretariat is an elite formal coalition of 40 higher education national associations. This puts us on the forefront of national lobbying efforts and access to Congress. Members include the American Association of University Professors, the College Board, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, he National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the National Association of independent Colleges and Universities, and the Association of American Law Schools.

POLICY MEMO FROM PRESIDENT CLINTON
President Clinton, in a memorandum dated April 19, 2000, has directed all heads of executive departments and agencies to accomplish the following:

*Promote study abroad by U.S. students
*Support the exchange of teachers, scholars, and citizens all levels of society
*Enhance programs at U.S. institutions that build international partnerships and expertise.
*Encourage student form other countries to study in the U.S.

Throughout most of this three-page memo the Secretary of Education is singled out to accomplish most of these goals. The purpose of this policy is to "ensure that citizens develop a broad understanding of he world, proficiency in other languages, and knowledge of other cultures to compete successfully in the global economy and maintain our role as a world leader." The Secretary of Education will be expected to filter this policy into as many divisions and programs as possible within the Department. If trends continue in this direction, TRIO study abroad programs may become officially encouraged by the Department and will certainly factor into financial aid packaging.

FAIRSHARE
All ten regions met Fairshare this year for the second year in a row. It the first time this has occurred in the history of TRIO. Congratulations to Sam Cortez for a fine job in attaining this goal or WESTOP.

Respectfully Submitted,

D. Matthew Benney
WESTOP President

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