TRIO Student Support Services Director Harry Harris talks to a group of first-generation college students at a welcome breakfast before the start of the fall semester. TRIO Student Support Services serves first-generation and low-income students as well as students with disabilities, providing academic coaching and helping connect them with other resources. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

Harry Harris appreciates having the TRIO Student Support Services office located just off The Nosh on the ground floor of the Millennium Student Center.

He wants it to be close to where the students are but also offer a quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of life on campus of the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Harris, who has served as TRIO’s director for over a year, keeps the candy jar well stocked so students can get a sweet treat when they need it, and the student lounge provides them with a comfortable spot to step into and pass the time between classes.

“When I talk with our students, I tell them I want this to be their third place,” Harris said. “Their first place is home. Their second place is their job. That’s where they’re spending a lot of time. I want our office to be that third place, that place that they feel comfortable coming to, asking questions, just hanging out, getting some homework done. We’ve really tried to set up a welcoming and warm environment with our staff here.”

UMSL opened its TRIO office about four years ago after receiving a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Student Support Services program. The office is currently serving about 80 students as part of the program.

There are eight types of programs under the federal TRIO umbrella, all designed to identify and provide services – including tutoring, mentoring and training in financial literacy – to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“With TRIO Student Support Services, the main feature is three different student populations that often overlap – students who have a disability; students who meet income guidelines, which is really 150% of the poverty level or lower; and students who are first gen, and that typically is the biggest population of TRIO students,” Harris said. “It’s perfect for the student population that we have here on campus and who we really serve. We serve a ton of first-gen students.”

Students have to apply to receive services through TRIO, and Harris has been working hard at trying to recruit new applicants since leaving his previous advising role in the College of Nursing to take over as TRIO’s director.

Once a student applies, they must interview with Harris before getting admitted to the program. They are required to meet at least three times a semester with TRIO’s dedicated success coaches, who provide students with academic coaching, time management and how to connect with other resources they might need – whether tutoring assistance, help with food insecurity or financial aid – to navigate through their experience in college.

Harry Harris (back left) led a group of 10 students in UMSL’s TRIO Student Support Services program on a retreat to Shafer Leadership Academy in Muncie, Indiana, in early October. (Photo courtesy of Harry Harris)

It’s already proved an invaluable resource in freshman business major Kaine Koehler’s first semester on campus.

“There have been various times throughout the year that I was faced with challenges that me and my parents didn’t know much about how to handle,” Koehler said. “TRIO, they’re always open door. You can walk in, and they help me navigate those problems.”

Koehler felt like he’d bitten off too much earlier this semester, working two jobs – one as a campus tour guide and another as a political canvasser – along with a 15-hour course load. He needed the income from both jobs – the canvassing role paid $19 an hour – but found himself too tired to devote adequate time to all his classes.

“They helped me drop a class that I wasn’t able to handle,” Koehler said. “It was very hard for me because I don’t like admitting defeat. But they also told me that it wasn’t defeat. It was just something that I wasn’t able to handle at this moment.

“UMSL is great at giving you advisors and all the things academic, but your TRIO advisor understands every aspect of your situation, because you’re not just a student; you also have to be an employee, and you also have to explore all these avenues that have never been introduced to you before.”

The TRIO team works regularly with Student Financial Services to make sure they understand each student’s financial needs.

“When students apply, I meet with them and go over their application, talk to them a little bit about what their goals are, how we can help them, what our program expectations are,” Harris said. “The way I talk with them about that is to think about running a race around the track. They’re starting off college, and they’re running that race, and we’re there to be beside them and help move any of the barriers out of the way. So, if there’s hurdles on the track, we’re there pulling them away. If trash gets on the track, we’re there cleaning it up. We’re trying to help them ultimately get to graduation.”

Junior communication major Miah Williams was part of the TRIO program when she began college at Northern Illinois University, so she figured it made sense to apply again when presented with the opportunity after transferring to UMSL.

She’s been impressed by the support and opportunities provided by UMSL’s TRIO team.

“They advocate more for yourself than you do,” Williams said. “They are like, ‘OK, you are going to set up a meeting and you’re going to do that at first.’ I wasn’t used to that. I’m used to doing it myself, so it’s good that that support is there, that they want you to strive and thrive in the TRIO program.”

The team puts on a series of Commit to Success Workshops each semester to help students learn about scholarship opportunities, managing stress if they’re also parents taking care of kids, and spending wisely and avoiding living beyond their means. Last month, they held a Café de TRIO event in The Nosh featuring a guest chef sharing tips on preparing a quick and easy meal.

In October, Harris and the team also organized a retreat at the Shafer Leadership Academy in Muncie, Indiana. Ten students took advantage of the opportunity to grow their leadership skills over a weekend away. TRIO covered the cost of the trip, and the students also had a chance to tour the campus of Ball State University and learn more about graduate school.

“It was a very good experience,” Williams said. “I got to connect with other TRIO students. It was a good bonding thing.”

Harris wants to continue growing the community of TRIO students on the UMSL campus and has been working on an application to renew the program.

“We’ve been trying to get in front of a lot of our advisors to make sure that they’re letting students know as they’re coming in, ‘Hey, this program really might work for you,’” Harris said. “I’d love to see us grow for the future.”