Faculty and Staff Information

Student Referrals

SSS generally recruits students to become program participants during the summer prior to their first year at the university. However, if you are working with a student who you feel would benefit from participating in the SSS program, you may refer them to our office to complete the application procedure. It may assist you in pre-screening students to be aware of the following federal eligibility requirements.

Participants in SSS must:

1. Demonstrate a need for academic assistance (based on ACT scores, high school rank, college GPA, or other indicator)

   and

2. Meet one of the following conditions:
   1. Be a first-generation college student (neither parent has a 4-year degree)
   2. Be from a low-income household (based on federal TRIO guidelines)
   3. Have a documented disability

In addition, participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are enrolled at UW-Eau Claire with the intention of completing a baccalaureate degree.

Information on Working with Students

The vast majority of the participants in SSS are both first-generation and low-income. Some basic information about the unique learning needs of first-generation/low-income students is provided in the following handout:

• Awareness Points
• Awareness Points

Information about the learning needs of students with disabilities can be accessed through the university's SSD web site (http://www.uwec.edu/ssd/FacStaff/index.htm).

Becoming an Ally

There are numerous ways that you can support the SSS program in promoting the success of eligible students on campus. We hope that you will consider becoming an ally for SSS students through the following means:

Providing Employment Information: If you have positions available for student workers or interns, we would be glad to forward that information to our SSS participants. This information may be sent to the SSS Program Assistant

Offering Leadership Opportunities: If there are opportunities in your department for SSS students to gain leadership experience through involvement in organizations, advisory boards, research, publications, or projects, we would be glad to assist with recruitment. Please forward this information to SSS Program Assistant.

Contributing to Scholarships: We encourage you to donate to scholarships that are specifically directed to low-income/first-generation students or to students with disabilities. Our own SSS Achievement Scholarship is one option (http://www.uwec.edu/oakdev/fou800/criteria/4888.htm).

Providing Workshops: SSS offers a variety of workshops each semester to promote the academic success of project participants (Calendar of Events). If you would like to provide a workshop for the SSS project, please contact the SSS Director.

Available Research

While research on first-generation/low-income students is available in a variety of publications, one may find it helpful to begin an exploration of this topic with the reports of the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education. Sponsored by the Council for Opportunity in Education, the Pell Institute conducts research to examine issues related to educational opportunity for first-generation and low-income students. A number of the reports issued by the Pell Institute, such as Raising the Graduation Rates of Low-Income College Students, may be accessed at the following website: http://www.pellinstitute.org.

One of the best periodicals available on issues related to low-income students is Postsecondary Education Opportunity, edited by Tom Mortenson. Information about this journal can be accessed at http://www.postsecondary.org.

Those who would like to develop professional relationships and attend conferences with others working in support of educational opportunity may consider joining the Wisconsin Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (WAEOPP). This state association is affiliated with the Council for Opportunity in Education. Information about WAEOPP, including the membership form, is available at http://www.waeopp.org.