TRIO has a new series of events taking place on Tuesdays this February at the Information desk, which will give students a chance to share their stories, learn about advocacy, and play some trivia. TRIO programs are a federal outreach and student services program. Doane’s TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) are located in the Academic Success Center (ASC).
This Tuesday, Feb. 10, will give students prompts so they can share their experiences with the hope of the responses being compiled into a video for social media. “Numbers and data are great and back up the advocacy work, but the stories and photos, postcards, news stories, and social media campaigns are what make the programs strong and strong in support,” said Executive Director of Academic Support Services Beth Jacobson
On Feb. 17, students both in and out of the program can learn about advocacy and write postcards to Nebraska congress members. These will be hand-delivered to Washington, D.C. march 11 or given to staff members of Congressman Flood and Senator Rickett’s offices who will be present at the National TRIO Day Celebration. Jacobson reports that TRIO funding was approved for the 2026-2027 academic year, but there is always more work to be done.
“TRIO advocates for funding increases or level funding in the current climate and, with the help of our national professional organization, the Council for Opportunity in Education, we organize and we advocate year after year”, said Jacobson, “because the future of TRIO is the future of educational access for all students.”
Feb. 24th will be TRIO Trivia Takeover, where TRIO SSS students, along with any other students, staff, or faculty, can answer questions about TRIO programs to win a prize. Jacobson spoke about the TRIO SSS program specifically, which she says has one goal: to help students successfully navigate and graduate from their post-secondary education.
National TRIO Day will be celebrated Feb. 28 at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL), an event-filled day that students can attend. Doane has collaborated with TRIO programs at UNL, Southeast Community College, and Peru State College, with a committee planning this day for several months. “By gathering to share stories and perform community service, students reinforce their social networks and prove that background should never limit a person’s potential for success,” said Jacobson. This year, the day will include TRIO alumni stories, community service, and awards given to students, staff, and TRIO supporters.
Jacobson also talked about some of the challenges Doane’s TRIO program currently faces. Time can be a constraint, with staff running out of time to plan all the events the program would like to offer. “Another challenge we have is attendance at events. We aim to have events around practice times or even offer the same event twice, but still have low attendance, so that is why you may notice we have fewer workshops,” said Jacobson. “Instead, we are trying to work with students individually, which simply takes more time.” She encourages students to email her, beth.jacobson@doane.edu, with suggestions.
Similarly, Jacobson encouraged individuals to get involved. Those in the TRIO SSS program can keep up with communications from the program and meet with their TRIO specialist throughout the semester. Students not in the TRIO program are encouraged to get involved and make sure their peers feel included.
