[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.''

                          ____________________