Three Paths, One Unknown: The End of TRIO

This year, TRIO, a program that supports students at campuses across the United States, was denied funding by the federal government. This has affected the Langston University campus TRIO program as well, cutting funding and forcing students to look elsewhere for support.

While the TRIO programs primarily serve low-income, first-generation college students, and also serve students with disabilities, veterans, homeless youth, foster youth, and individuals underrepresented in graduate education. The funding for TRIO was cut by Trump’s administration.

According to Inside Higher ED,

“Colleges and nonprofits that had already been approved for the award expected to hear by the end of August that their federal funding was on its way. But rather than an award notice, program leaders received what’s known as a ‘no cost extension,’ explaining that while programs could continue to operate until the end of the month, they would not yet be receiving the award money.”

In addition, a report from The Institute for College Access and Success said,

“On May 2, the White House Office of Management and Budget released the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 ‘skinny budget’, proposing massive cuts of $163 billion to non-defense programs. Included in the cuts, TRIO and GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) face near elimination, depriving students from families with low incomes, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities of critical support services at institutions that promote achievement throughout the educational pipeline.”  

Dez Lewis, a primary contact for the TRIO program, serves as the events coordinator and the director for TRIO at Langston University. He and Langston’s public relations team issued a statement saying that there are several other resources on campus now that the TRIO has been discontinued.

Some of the things they did mention are the academic advisor’s financial resources, the office of financial aid, and scholarships. These resources are available to all students, but many students do not know about them. Other resources, such as tutors and the writing center, are available to help the students become more successful.

The Federal TRIO Programs consist of eight distinct initiatives aimed at assisting low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities.

This program was first established in 1965 under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and it was signed into law on October 10th, 1965, by President Lyndon B Johnson. This program has been around for 60 years to achieve the goal of helping students become successful, academically and financially, and also professionally.

According to the Langston University Public Relations Department, ”Under the LU grant-funded TRIO Student Support Services program, the awarded funds were utilized to provide academic support services to approximately 140 students each year, directly through the TRIO Student Support Services Office.”

Each year, 140 students are selected for the program based on their needs. This includes first-generation college students, students with disabilities, and those from low-income backgrounds. Eligibility is determined by the federal government, ensuring that the program reaches those who will benefit the most.

The TRIO programs are the primary federal programs providing support services to disadvantaged students to promote achievement in postsecondary education. Although there are now six distinct TRIO programs, the name TRIO originates from the Higher Education Amendments of 1968 (P.L. 90-575), which consolidated a “trio” of programs under one overall program. This report describes the TRIO programs, authorized in Title IV-A-2-1 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329 as amended).

In FY2024, the TRIO programs were funded at $1.191 billion, and they served more than 880,000 secondary, postsecondary, and adult students. The TRIO programs have been designed to encourage and prepare qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds for success throughout the educational pipeline from secondary school to undergraduate and graduate education.

As a TRIO student myself, I received all of the services they offered and many scholarships. During my time within the program, I had the opportunity to work at a food pantry with several other trio students, who have graduated and gone on to carry their new legacies.

I joined TRIO to be a part of something that was beneficial to help me succeed during my time here at Langston University. It has shown me a lot of growth and development in personal and professional areas of my life. This program gave me lots of hope and passion for my education, and the people who were a part of the program were amazing.

One of my mentors was a woman by the name of Priscilla Mayberry, who gave me all the tools to be successful before her retirement. She was the one who welcomed me into the program as a freshman coming into Langston University. Paris Evan has also played a role in my life while I was in TRIO simply because he was a big brother to me, and he encouraged me to keep going and keep striving for greatness.

The program of TRIO will be missed and remembered for all the good times and the many students that it has helped in various areas of life. The community service events were amazing times.

Dez Lewis denied my request to photograph the TRIO office and its surrounding area for this story. I was told a secondary office existed in the Student Success Center, but when I arrived, there was no TRIO space to be found.