cation if it were not for the services provided by the Special Services project at the University of Wyoming.

The complete recommendation for the eligibility requirements in the Special Service program is as follows:

Not less than two-thirds of the participants must be physically handicapped or they are both low-income individuals and first generation college students. The remaining participants must be physically handicapped or low-income or first generation college students.

Thank you for the opportunity to present these recommendations to this subcommittee and I welcome any questions or further inquiries about any or all of these recommendations.

Mr. FORD. Thank you very much.

Mr. Dease.

STATEMENT BY LUTHER DEASE, DIRECTOR, UPWARD BOUND PROJECT, WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, KALAMAZOO, MICH.

Mr. DEASE. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee. My name is Luther Dease. I am appearing before the subcommittee as the Upward Bound director at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. I am also president of the Michigan Council of Educational Opportunity programs and a member of the Mid-America Association for the Educational Opportunity Program personnel. My comments are my own, and are based upon my experiences and knowledge acquired from available literature on the subject and 10 years as the project director of the Upward Bound program.

As president of the Michigan Council for Educational Opportunity programs, I along with my colleagues am concerned with the improvement not only of Upward Bound but also with the improvement of quality program effectiveness within the State of Michigan as far as the TRIO programs are concerned.

Mr. Mitchem and Mr. Adachi discussed some points that I will not repeat. Instead, I will discuss the Upward Bound program. Historically speaking, education was planned for the elite and those who could afford it. Those who had poor preparation in high school and had inadequate financial support were seen to view college as beyond their reach.

Upward Bound gives students a sense of hope and a space in which to grow. In order for a student to survive in school, it is essential to evaluate Upward Bound as one of the programs that prepares students for the survival skills and motivation that the student will need while he is in school.

In view of the declining enrollments in colleges around the country, we see a paramount interest, in terms of Upward Bound and other programs, to be particularly concerned about the quality of education not only within the high schools, but also in terms of what we are providing for the Upward Bound students.

As far as Upward Bound is concerned, we aim to do three things which we have successfully accomplished at Western. Other programs are doing likewise.

No. 1. To decrease the dropout rate from high school by increasing the retention of students in high school.

No. 2. To generate the skills and the motivation necessary for college success. That would be in the areas of reading, writing, math, and et cetera.

No. 3. To increase the entry rate in postsecondary institutions and, in so doing, we realize that there are two big barriers:

The first barrier that prevents students from entering into higher educational institutions would be (1) poor academic preparation, or college acceptance-one or the other. The second barrier is insufficient financial resources to defray college expenses.

I see here that the TRIO and financial aid recommended legislation tie in together, hand in hand. I cannot see a student going to college if the necessary resources are not available, nor with inadequate preparation.

In the recommended legislation, there are core functions that are important to view. I am looking at six that were not listed in the past recommended legislation:

No. 1. The reading, writing, and math skills, along with the listening skills, are very important, that are listed, and should be implemented within the program. I wholeheartedly endorse it.

No. 2. Personal counseling is something that is needed, and is being done throughout the Upward Bound programs from the progress record down to the counseling.

No. 3. Academic advising is very important in high school. Students not only look at the classes that they are now taking, but also the classes that they should take in order to have good college preparation. High school preparatory classes will enable them to be well qualified to go to college.

We do not want students to get into a general contracting system. We want them to be prepared to take the right classes. There is the tendency for some students to shun math and sci

ence.

No. 4. Tutorial services are recommended not only at the high school level. In working with students, many high school administrators have seen the need to establish within their own high school a tutorial system.

No. 5. Exposure to cultural events. We have taken students to see the King Tut Exhibit. We have taken them to a lot of other places. Some liked the experience and some did not, but they had the opportunity to see things of this nature for the first time. It has often been said that if a student is required in an art class to draw an oak or a cherry tree, and the student has never seen that tree, it is very difficult for the student to do the drawing. So what we do in the Upward Bound program—and I am glad to see this in the recommended legislation for education-is to expose the students to a variety of cultural events, not only exhibits in museums, but also a lot of the social events that they are interested in. But we like to expose them to a number of other things as well.

No. 6. The last thing that I believe is very important is that it has been recommended that we expand the age of students who are going to be eligible candidates for the Upward Bound program from age 13 to 19-in the legislation.

Mr. MURPHY. What is the present age in the bill?

Mr. DEASE. Fourteen.

Mr. MURPHY. Fourteen to nineteen.

Mr. DEASE. Right. We recommend dropping it down one age. Mr. MITCHEM. From fourteen.

In 1977, they made a provision for veterans.

Mr. MURPHY. Providing for the veteran?

Mr. MITCHEM. Yes, sir. That is my understanding.

Mr. MURPHY. Thank you.

Mr. DEASE. In the legislation we should encourage the students to pursue the study of science.

A study that I recently completed showed that Upward Bound students, that is, in our host institution, did not select science majors at a higher rate than non-Upward-Bound students. In other words, there was no significant difference between the groups that selected science majors. As I mentioned previously, minority students and Upward Bound students, particularly, try to shun away from the sciences. They do not look at science as the subject that they would like to select as a major.

With the new legislation, we hope that in the recommended legislation, we would try and increase the number of students who are going into the science majors.

The Resource Triangle Institute at North Carolina recently completed a study which revealed two important findings as far as Upward Bound is concerned:

No. 1. The Upward Bound program increased entry into postsecondary education for 71 percent of the Upward Bound participants as compared to 47 percent of non-Upward-Bound participants of similar background.

No. 2. Seventy-six percent of the Upward Bound students beginning college entered 4-year colleges and universities as compared to 45 percent of the controlled group.

I am very pleased to have been invited to give testimony on behalf of Upward Bound, and I hope that my remarks will prove useful to this committee.

Thank you very much.

Mr. MITCHEM. Mr. Ealum.

STATEMENT OF DANNY EALUM, TRIO DESK DIRECTOR, UNITED STATES STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Mr. EALUM. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to be here today. My name is Danny Ealum. I am director of the TRIO desk, an intern position with the United States Student Association.

I am on leave from Vincennes University in Indiana, where I am currently enrolled as a freshman in the prelaw program. I would not have made it this far if it had not been for the TRIO programs, namely, Upward Bound.

Born and raised in Evansville, Ind., where I am the oldest of five children, my family has had difficult times just like many other disadvantaged families.

When I was a high school freshman, I had a very difficult time adjusting to the new school to which I had been bused. This difficulty grew worse until I was expelled from high school for the rest of the semester.

During this period, I was fortunate enough to meet Mrs. Verna Cooper, who was in charge of the Upward Bound program in Evansville, Ind. Mrs. Cooper got me into the Upward Bound program, and encouraged me to return to school and graduate.

I found, through my personal experience, that Upward Bound was not a welfare program, but a strong educational program. The intensive instruction in math, reading, and English improved my basic skills so that I could compete effectively in the classroom. The elective classes offered in the Upward Bound curriculum broadened my horizons and outlook. I learned to think in terms of a professional career.

Not only has Upward Bound provided me with totorial assistance and career counseling, but most of all, Upward Bound has given me the feeling of being somebody.

When I was in Upward Bound, we lived on campus at Vincennes University, and really got the feeling of being on our own. The program also encouraged us to get involved in activities even if we were not the best in them.

Staying and participating in the Upward Bound program has made my mother very proud of me, and has also helped me to set an example for my three brothers and one sister.

In particular, I found that Upward Bound helped me realize there are people who are willing to help you when times get rough. Without TRIO programs, such as Upward Bound, and the beautiful people who have helped me, I would not have reached this point today. I probably would have delayed going to school and graduating. Upward Bound has given me the opportunity to get a college education while, in the process, teaching me to respect myself and others around me.

I have come before you to tell you how important and effective the TRIO programs are, and the need for reauthorization of these programs.

It is my duty, as a TRIO student, to testify and make way for the millions of disadvantaged students, like myself, who have not yet experienced the unusual opportunities in the TRIO programs to their fullest potential.

As a general comment, the United States Student Association, which represents three million college and university students, is requesting that the authorization level be raised from $200 million to $400 million.

In 1976, the authorization level was raised from $100 million to $200 million as a result of an amendment introduced by Mrs. Chisholm.

The fact that Mrs. Chisholm introduced an amendment to raise the authorization level from $100 million to $200 million, a substantial increase, tells us that the TRIO programs are effective and necessary for providing the economic and culturally deprived student with access to a postsecondary education. Yet, funding at the $200 million level would provide access to only 9 percent of the eligible population.

There are currently over 1,200 TRIO programs in existence, but applications number over 1,400. Given the size of the target population and the level of appropriations and increases which would be

necessary to begin to meet unmet needs, it was determined that $400 million is an appropriate and necessary authority level.

If the authorization level were raised to $400 million, it would allow the provision of TRIO services to more students who are eligible for the program, but cannot participate because of the lack of funding.

The first generation concept: The reauthorization language for eligibility of participants in Upward Bound and Special Services for disadvantaged students should be changed to include the first generation concept. A first generation college student should be defined as a person whose natural or adoptive parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree.

This is an important concept if we are truly concerned about keeping the spirit in which the legislation was originally passed That is, to open doors, and to provide access to postsecondary education where the doors have seemed closed.

In my case, I am a first generation student. Although my parents do not have a college education, they do have a dream that I will be college educated. My going through those college doors, hopefully, will have a rippling effect. My brother and sister, seeing my success, will be encouraged to try harder to achieve, and surely, I will see that my sons and daughters complete postsecondary schooling.

The first generation concept is a good one because it will have the effect of insuring wider access, and it will insure a efficient use of money because of the rippling effect it will have in individual families.

Therefore, I feel strongly that the eligibility criteria language should be amended to include the first generation concept.

My last point is one that I would like to make about student financial aid. One point of concern for all students enrolled in Special Services for disadvantaged students programs is financial

aid.

Coming from a disadvantaged background, program students are unable to bring financial resources to school. It is important that schools receiving Federal funds for Special Services programs be committed also to insuring that Special Services students receive adequate financial aid packages so that these students may stay in school.

A strong directive needs to come from this reauthorization process to the host schools so that program moneys and financial aid moneys are not wasted, but are wed in a common goal: The suc cessful completion of postsecondary education by program students. These are some of the most critical points for reauthorization. To aid you in your consideration for the reauthorization is a statement of detailed information about the TRIO programs, including descriptions of each program, summary statistics, evaluations, and funding history.

As you can see, TRIO programs have been very effective in increasing high school retention and graduation rates, and college entrance, retention, and graduation rates.

USSA views TRIO as an investment to protect the multibillion dollar investment the Federal Government has in student aid. If disadvantaged students are given the financial support they need