[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 78 (Thursday, June 7, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5960-S5961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE, BURLINGTON, VERMONT
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President. I rise today to talk about a unique
education program nestled in the hills of Burlington, VT. Champlain
College is one of the many higher education institutions in my home
State and it has distinguished itself as a leader in career-oriented
education. Under the leadership of President Roger Perry, Champlain
College provides its students with innovative distance learning and
workforce development programs to build the skills of Vermonters. While
I have long known of the quality offerings of Champlain College, I was
very pleased to see a story in the Los Angeles Times recently about one
program in particular that serves single parents on welfare who want to
earn a college degree.
With the recent reform by the Federal Government of our Nation's
welfare system, many individuals are seeking training that can lead to
better jobs and ultimately to increased wages. In response to this
growing need, an 11-year-old program at Champlain College aimed at
moving single parents off welfare is receiving attention nationwide.
The impressive statistics from this public-private partnership clearly
indicate its success--less than 10 percent of those participating in
the program drop out; most in the program earn a 2-year associate
degree; and, many even go on to receive a 4-year bachelor's degree.
According to President Roger Perry, more than 90 percent of the single
parents who graduate from this program have not returned to the welfare
program. This program is helping single parents break the welfare cycle
and show their children the importance of getting a college degree as a
step toward supporting themselves and their family. Its success also
reinforces Champlain College's role in Vermont as a leader in career-
oriented education. I commend President Roger Perry, the faculty and
staff, and especially the students for continuing to make Champlain
College a model for quality higher education.
I ask unanimous consent that the following article from the May 13,
2001 issue of the Los Angeles Times be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2001]
(By Elizabeth Mehren)
Vt. College singles Out Parents Education: Unique Curriculum That Helps
Welfare Mothers Get Job Training Has Become a National Model
BURLINGTON, Vt.--What galls Dulcie Christian is when her
Champlain College classmates say they didn't get their papers
done because they were out drinking all night.
``I think, well, I was up all night with two sick kids and
I did get mine done,'' Christian said. ``Plus, I did the
laundry.''
As a participant in an unusual state-supported college
program geared to move single parents off welfare, Christian,
33, is well aware of how her life diverges from the
conventional undergraduate path. There's no room for wild
parties. And instead of spring breaks in Jamaica, Christian
uses time off to double up on hours working at the local
Social Security office. Her old Subaru just better hold
itself together, because there's no deep-pockets daddy to
bail her out. More than once, in a pinch, Christian has
brought Justin, 9, or Shelby, 5, to class with her.
Fewer Than 10% Drop Out
For Christian and the 60 or so other single parents
enrolled at Champlain this semester, the challenges are
immense. And yet, said program director Carol Moran-Brown,
``The retention rate for these single parents is higher than
the school average. You wouldn't believe the motivation.''
With federal welfare reform providing an impetus for
recipients to train for better jobs, the 11-year-old program
at this private college has emerged as a national model.
Typically, college officials say, fewer than 10% of these
students drop out; most in the program earn a two-year
associate of arts degree and many go on for a four-year
bachelor's degree. More than 90% of the single-parent
graduates have not returned to welfare rolls, said Champlain
College President Roger H. Perry.
Those are strong indicators, Perry said, that the program
is achieving its goal of helping to shatter the cycle of
single parents living off government assistance.
State money pays the salaries of Champlain's two full-time
social workers devoted to single-parent students--almost
always women, through the occasional single dad enrolls.
State subsidies also fund the day care that enables these
parents to take classes at the 1,400-student campus. The
program is labor intensive, with workshops and weekly social
hours at which single parents trade everything from outgrown
snowsuites to names of kid-friendly professors.
For a group often made up of first-generation college
students, social workers focus on time and stress management,
as well as study skills. The students and social workers
often meet daily, discussing what's going on
academically--and also addressing such outside issues as
abusive boyfriends, nasty landlords and sick babies.
Budgets are a big topic, as many single parents struggle
to get by on welfare payments while attending the four-
year college. When it all becomes too much, ``that's when
I show up at their door, saying, `I'm concerned about you,
what's going on? Can I lend a hand?' '' social worker
Felicia Messuri said.
Champlain is a career-oriented school where most students
easily step into jobs upon graduation. But Moran-Brown said
the 97% job placement rate in the single-parent program
stands out. A state study is underway to determine how well
the single-parent graduates do over time--and how their
experience compares to single parents who do not finish
college.
Last year, Champlain received $96,000 in state money to run
the program. An experimental seven-year federal waiver
allowing Vermont to use special support funds for the single-
parent college program expires in June. Eager to continue the
program, the state Legislature passed a measure allowing the
state's social welfare agency--Prevention, Assistance,
Training and Health Access--to allocate discretionary funds
for single parents in college.
At Champlain, single-parent students pay full $10,000-a-
year tuition. But they are eligible for grants and loans.
Under state rules, their welfare checks are not in jeopardy
if they also hold down jobs.
When state supplements for transportation, caseworker
salaries and incidentals are factored in, supporting each
single-parent college student costs about $500 per year above
the normal welfare allotment, Moran-Brown said. ``It's
cheap,'' she said.
parents and kids do homework together
In Vermont, an unemployed single parent with one child
usually receives about $557 each month, she said.
Noting that the endeavor benefits the state and students
alike, PATH's deputy commissioner, Sandy Dooley, said her
office views the single-parent college program as ``a work-
force development strategy'' that could easily be replicated
elsewhere.
For 23-year-old Cindy Sarault, it was dissatisfaction with
a $5.65-an-hour job as a grocery clerk that pushed her to
study accounting at Champlain. Now she and her 5-year-old
daughter, Brooke, often do homework together.
Like Sarault, classmate Heidi McMann, 21, got pregnant as a
high school senior. After two years as a low-wage office
assistant, McMann signed on at Champlain to study computer
networking.
``Partly it was about getting somewhere in life, so I could
get a decent job,'' she said. ``But also I wanted Taylor, my
daughter, to learn from me, not just see me working in dead-
end, low-wage positions forever.''
Only a few miles from campus, in the small apartment she
shares with her two children, Christian agreed that a big
payoff is ``setting an example of how important school is.''
As the first member of her family to graduate from high
school, Christian said it never crossed her mind to continue
her own education. ``I thought college was for people who can
write papers,'' she said.
Then someone mentioned the single-parents program at
Champlain. She tried a class and liked it so much she quit
her clerical job. To the horror of her working-class parents,
she went on welfare and sought out state child-care
subsidies.
Soon Christian was set on a career in social work, and
earning a 3.97 grade point average. Graduation is a year
away, and Christian has a job lined up at the Social Security
Administration. She said that after juggling school, a job
and two kids, she is unfazed by the prospect of paying off
college debt of at least $25,000.
For her, the biggest obstacle has been ``making it through
the tough times, when
[[Page S5961]]
the money is short and your temper is short because you're
worrying about the money, and the kids have problems at
school and you have problems at school. You just want to
crawl off somewhere. But you can't.''
``I do think I'm breaking the cycle''
At school, Christian said, she talks about her kids
constantly. At home, she talks about school. Better yet, her
kids see her hunkering down with a book, and it makes them
want to do the same. When they complain that they don't like
a teacher, Christian says, guess what, she doesn't like all
her professors either. Then they all do their homework
together.
``So I do think I'm breaking the cycle,'' Christian said.
``It feels great.''
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