093_HR0064

 
                                     LRB093 08391 HSS 11193 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS,  Our  nation  has  asserted  a   commitment   to
 3    providing   educational   opportunity   for   all   Americans
 4    regardless   of   race,   ethnic   background,   or  economic
 5    circumstance; and

 6        WHEREAS,  In  support  of   this   commitment,   Congress
 7    established a series of programs to help low-income Americans
 8    enter  college,  graduate,  and  move  on to participate more
 9    fully in America's economic and social life; the programs are
10    funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and
11    are referred to as the TRIO programs,  initially  just  three
12    programs  were  available;  while financial aid programs help
13    students overcome financial  barriers  to  higher  education,
14    TRIO  programs  help  students  overcome  class,  social, and
15    cultural barriers to higher education; and

16        WHEREAS, Over 1,900 TRIO programs  currently  serve  over
17    746,000  low-income  Americans between the ages of 11 and 27;
18    many programs serve students in grades six through  12;  over
19    1,200   colleges,   universities,   community  colleges,  and
20    community agencies offer TRIO programs in America; TRIO funds
21    are distributed to institutions through  competitive  grants;
22    and

23        WHEREAS,  Students  in  the Upward Bound program are four
24    times more  likely  to  earn  an  undergraduate  degree  than
25    students  from similar backgrounds who did not participate in
26    TRIO; nearly 20 percent of all African-American and  Hispanic
27    freshmen  who  entered  college  in  1981 received assistance
28    through  the  TRIO  Talent  Search  or  Economic  Opportunity
29    Centers  programs;  students  in  the  TRIO  Student  Support
30    Services program are more than twice as likely to  remain  in
31    college  than those students from similar backgrounds who did
32    not participate in the program; and
 
                            -2-      LRB093 08391 HSS 11193 r
 1        WHEREAS, TRIO college graduates are working in  business,
 2    industry,     government,     medicine,    law,    education,
 3    communications,  sales,  finance,  politics,  transportation,
 4    publishing, law enforcement, computer science and technology,
 5    engineering, and accounting; and

 6        WHEREAS,  National  TRIO  Day  is  celebrated  the   last
 7    Saturday  of  the month of February; each year, colleges from
 8    the central part of the State of Illinois gather at the State
 9    Capitol to celebrate and commemorate TRIO Day; this year, the
10    colleges will meet at the Capitol  on  Friday,  February  21;
11    therefore, be it

12        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
13    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
14    we  recognize  the  value  and importance of TRIO programs to
15    low-income students in Illinois and we commend  participating
16    Illinois  universities,  colleges, and community agencies for
17    their support of TRIO programs; and be it further

18        RESOLVED, That we name Saturday, February 22,  2003  TRIO
19    Day in the State of Illinois.