Indiana University, Bloomington. Groups Student Support Services

The Groups Student Support Services program was established in 1968. The primary goal of the program is to to address low college attendance rates among first-generation, low-income, and physically challenged students at Indiana University.

The Groups Student Support services program was established in 1968 to help to address low college attendance rates among first-generation, low-income, and physically challenged students at Indiana University. The first year saw the enrollment of 43 students in the program, which has now grown to about 300 students per year. In 1972, the program received its first TRIO grant from the government and has existed as a TRIO program ever since. TRIO programs are federal academic programs that allow for educational opportunities for low-income and disabled Americans. The term TRIO was coined in the late sixties to describe three particular groups: Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services. In order to be a TRIO program 2/3 of the program’s participants must be from families with incomes lower than $28,000 per year. In addition to this, students participating in the Groups program are required to fit into one or more of the following criteria: they must be a first generation college student; have an income low enough to meet federal guidelines; have a physical or mental disability; or they must have a need for academic support.

Participants in the Groups program begin the process of enrollment long before they arrive on the Bloomington campus. They are required to attend an area visit in which they meet with a Groups-trained “recommender” in their area who tells them about the program and assesses their potential to complete the program successfully. In order to be selected for the Groups program the student must then be chosen by the recommender. Recommenders are comprised of high school principals, counselors, teachers, community organizers, social and welfare workers, and interested citizens. These persons are required to attend workshops in order to prepare them for making their recommendations. After attending the area visit the students must then come to the Bloomington campus and sign a contract to follow the rules of the program. The contract includes an agreement to attend group meetings and counseling sessions, as well as the responsibility to maintain a 2.0 grade point average. Prior to beginning fall classes at IUB, Groups students must enroll in summer session courses to help prepare them for the college level classes they will be facing.

The first director of the program was LaVerta L. Terry, who worked closely with Assistant Dean of the University Division, Rozelle Boyd, in order to get the project off the ground. Terry received a plaque in 1990 for her work from Senator Richard Lugar. The plaque contains the text of remarks that the senator made on the U.S Senate floor on February 22, 1990. The text is contained in the congressional record of that date. The program received a significant amount of attention in its early years and was complimented for both its initiative and how it was run. Terry continued to head the program until 1996, at which time it was taken over by Janice Wiggins.

However, despite the apparent success of the Groups program, by 1995 the program had still failed to graduate more than 25% of its students. This was the problem faced by Wiggins when she took on her role as director. In order to amend the problem Wiggins immediately proposed changes in the program. She asked for more student contact with the faculty and advisors, more tutorial sessions, more financial aid, more tracking of student’s progress and more outreach programs. She also strove to further define the roles of the administration and the faculty involved in the program. She fought to debunk the perception that the participants of the program were getting a free ride as well as the belief that the program was a ‘minorities’ program.

In 2005, she was rewarded for her efforts when she won the Sagamore of the Wabash award. It was in this year that the Department of Education also awarded the Groups program a five year grant of $2.1 million. The graduation rate of the program has increased 20% since 1996 and the percentage of students who return after their freshman year is as high as the rest of the Indiana University campus.