Weekly Hornet

Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News

The Extended Opportunity Programs and Services program has some of the most enthusiastic staff members on campus, and the recent Title V award they received proves just how dedicated they are to their jobs.

EOPS is a state-funded program that was implemented in 1969. It assists high-risk students financially, academically and personally so that they can achieve their educational goals.

Students in this program face many life obstacles including poverty, abuse, homelessness and single-parenthood.

"The EOPS program goes above and beyond to create opportunities for students who wouldn't have a chance otherwise," explained EOPS Manager Cecilia Alvarado.

Some of the many benefits EOPS provides include personal counseling, free tutoring or skills development and grants to provide additional money for needy students.

These benefits do come with stipulations, however - students enrolled in the program must sign a contract stating that they will follow through with their academic responsibilities.

Although the EOPS staff constantly pushes their students to do their best and stay on track, they are also the students' biggest supporters and advocates.

"All these students need is someone to believe in them. When they find that encouragement in our support staff, they blossom," Alvarado said.

It is also extremely important to the staff that the students understand what their responsibilities are as EOPS students. The program is not simply a "free ride" for low-income students - the students must work hard to make it to commencement. They are required to enroll in at least 12 units and maintain a minimum GPA, among other things. CARE/Cal-works require students to work 20-30 hours a week.

The importance of students understanding their EOPS duties is so essential, it actually serves as the basis for the entire Title I-V competition. The Title V award is presented to the school that best represents their students' knowledge of EOPS contractual requirements.

This year, FC held auditions for EOPS students to see who could best relay their understanding of EOPS requirements in a fun and creative way. Twin brothers Brandon and Bryan Forest blew the judges away with their presentation, which was their rendition of a song called "EOPS/Back" set to the beat of Justin Timberlake's "Sexy/Back."

Their presentation was so outstanding, it won over the judges at the Title V competition as well.

Alvarado attributes the award and the continued success of the EOPS program to the ­­­dedicated staff, many of whom were once EOPS students themselves.

"This staff is all heart. The people involved in this program are what make it great. We love going to work every day," Alvarado said. Now they have the plaque on the wall to show their most recent achievement.

For information on EOPS visit http://eops.fullcoll.edu/.

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