February has been a busy month for the IECC TRIO Student Support Services program. Opening the activities was a visit to Eastern Illinois University for the Transfer Open House. This was the first Transfer Open House that EIU has offered; and, based on the comments from the students in attendance, it was a wonderful opportunity to visit and speak with advisors in the various areas of study in which they are interested.
The following day the WVC TRIO SSS group donned their attire to be “servers” at the elegant Wabash Valley College Foundation Crystal Ball. Many of the TRIO SSS students are involved in a variety of clubs and organizations on campus, as they feel the more involved they are, the better experience they will have while in college. They enjoy helping out in their various communities as well.
This past Saturday, the IECC TRIO SSS students attended a workshop held at Olney Central College. At this workshop, Ashley Spannagel, the Program Director of Grants, Compliance, and Research, gave a presentation on the IECC Sexual Harassment Policy and presented the documentary “The Hunting Ground” to help facilitate a conversation about Sexual Assault on larger college campuses. Since the TRIO SSS program encourages its students to transfer to four-year universities, the Academic Counselors want them to have knowledge of all aspects of being in a larger academic setting and being prepared. After lunch, the group headed to “The Master’s Hands” in Olney where they helped clean and organize the food pantry and the thrift store.
