To help first generation college students and students from low-income households navigate through college, TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) has offered access to scholarships, peer mentoring, advising and workshops. However, TRiO’s five year grant from the Department of Education has ended.
As of Sept. 1, TRiO’s office in Coquina 101 has become home to Compass, a program designed to provide assistance to first-time-in-college students.
Former TRiO mentor and current compass peer coach leader, Nicole Messina, a 21-year-old senior, said the programs are essentially the same.
“The difference is that every incoming freshman student is matched up with a peer coach and we serve more students than we used to,” she said. “Compass is also supporting student success through programming such as Learning Journeys and workshops.”
The official mission of the Compass program is to encourage retention among freshman students by promoting a sense of belonging and integration within the USFSP community.
Thirty-two upperclassmen currently serve as peer coaches. Their job is to help students learn more about campus programs, activities and resources.
The Compass program is run by Rebecca Woskoff, a former TRiO adviser. Woskoff is just one of several TRiO staff members transitioning to Compass.
Former TRiO Director Terrye Wilson said that while the program was ending, some services will remain for students who were in the program.
Scholarships previously received through TRiO will be renewed each year as long as students meet the criteria set for individual scholarships, which include maintaining a certain GPA or earning a minimum amount of credit hours each semester. TRiO students will still have access to Coquina 101 for free printing and a place to study.
“The students who were in TRiO SSS are still welcome to use the office and we are still here to support their academic success,” Wilson said.
