[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3568-S3569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Mr. Domenici):
  S. 2421. A bill to amend section 402A of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 to define the terms different campus and different population; to 
the Committee of Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from New 
Mexico to introduce the TRIO Education Access Act of 2002, which will 
improve access to higher education by ensuring that these programs are 
available to all those in need.
  While many students in my State benefit immensely from the TRIO 
programs, misguided regulations are preventing Wisconsin's two year 
colleges from receiving funds to begin more than one TRIO program for 
the entire State.
  Many students today dream of going to college, but the things that 
can put college out of reach for some students don't always get the 
attention that they deserve. Students who face these additional 
barriers to higher education need a helping hand, and thanks to the 
TRIO Program, more students are getting the help they need.
  The TRIO Program was so named because there were originally three 
programs, all of which had roots dating back to Lyndon Johnson's 
administration in the 1960s. Today TRIO consists of eight programs that 
offer vital advice and academic support to middle and high school 
students hoping to get into college, and it continues to offer that 
support to students after they enter college and begin working toward 
their diploma.
  Many Federal education programs have come and gone, but the TRIO 
programs have not only survived, they've thrived and expanded to aid 
more than 10 million Americans.
  In my home State of Wisconsin, many students at the University of 
Wisconsin's two-year colleges could reap tremendous benefits from the 
services the TRIO programs have to offer.
  But today, because of the way that TRIO grants are structured, UW's 
13 two-year colleges can only be considered for TRIO grants 
collectively, instead of applying for grants to serve each campus.
  The Department of Education has ruled that the unique structure of 
the University of Wisconsin's two-year system, a centrally run system 
with 13 branch campuses, does not meet the criteria of having 
``independent'' campuses.
  This decision deeply concerns me, as the Federal Government is simply 
penalizing UWs' two-year colleges simply because of their 
administrative structure.
  As a result of the Department of Education's decision, only one TRIO 
Program, the Student Support Services Program, is available to these 
two-year colleges. UW--Waukesha is home to a thriving Student Support 
Services Program, which offers students counseling and vital academic 
support and skills development.

[[Page S3569]]

  But UW's two-year colleges deserve to have access to all the TRIO 
Programs available to four-year institutions, such as Upward Bound, 
Talent Search, and Educational Opportunity Centers.
  In different ways, each of these programs has helped students break 
through difficult economic or physical circumstances to successfully 
enter and graduate from college. Students in the Upward Bound program 
are four times more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than those 
students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in TRIO.
  Students in the TRIO Student Support Services program are more than 
twice as likely to remain in college than those students from similar 
backgrounds who did not participate in the program.
  By discriminating against the unique structure of the University of 
Wisconsin's two year colleges, the Department of Education hurts the 
very population the TRIO Programs aim to serve.
  That's why it's so important that the rules at the Department of 
Education be changed, so that Wisconsin's two-year colleges have the 
opportunity to apply individually for the TRIO grants they see fit.
  By clarifying the ``Different Campus'' and ``Different Population of 
Participants'' in the TRIO regulations, this legislation makes UW's 
two-year colleges eligible for all the programs TRIO has to offer. No 
definition or regulation should get in the way of qualified Wisconsin 
students gaining access to TRIO programs and the chance to earn a 
college degree.
  I have heard from many Wisconsinites who have shared their personal 
stories about how TRIO had made a difference in their lives. TRIO 
offers hope to millions of students across the country who dream of a 
college education, and students at the University of Wisconsin's two-
year colleges should be no exception. Waukesha can be proud of the TRIO 
program that has served so many students at UW-Waukesha.
  Now it's time to give UW-Waukesha, and other two-year colleges around 
my State, an opportunity to open more TRIO programs, and open the doors 
of higher education to more Wisconsin students.
  I urge my colleagues to co-sponsor this legislation.
                                 ______