Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs

March 12, 2020

Dear TRIO Colleagues:

As you know, the pandemic known as the coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread to communities across the globe, resulting in school closures, travel restrictions, and quarantines. The District of Columbia recently declared a State of Emergency and Congress has limited public access to congressional office buildings. Yet, the needs of our students--particularly during this time of crisis--never cease.

Because the health and safety of our community is paramount, COE leadership has made the decision to move portions of this year's Policy Seminar to an online format. More specifically, the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education ("ED Relations Seminar") will take place virtually on Monday, March 23 and the two-day event officially known as the Policy Seminar will take place virtually on March 24-25 as initially planned. (The draft agenda for the ED Relations Seminar is available here and the draft agenda for the Policy Seminar is available here.) Unfortunately, our National College Opportunity Programs Leadership Summit ("Leadership Summit") and TRIO Alumni Relations Forum, both scheduled for Sunday, March 22, are cancelled for this year.

Because of the virtual nature of the event, COE is re-opening registration for the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education and Policy Seminar through next Wednesday, March 18 so that unregistered attendees may sign up to participate. Register here.

To assist you in addressing other concerns, we have created this list of FAQs.

Please remain well during this challenging time. Thank you for your continued TRIO advocacy and ongoing support of the Council for Opportunity in Education.

Sincerely,

Maureen Hoyler

President