As a longtime Eugene resident and director of a federally funded TRIO program at the University of Oregon, I’ve seen firsthand the power of these programs to change lives.
That’s why I am deeply concerned about the threat to our most vulnerable citizens because of cuts to federally funded programs, including President Trump’s recent call to eliminate all TRIO programs.

TRIO refers to a group of eight federally funded programs initially established by Congress in 1965 to help students in need enter college, graduate, and go on to contribute to the societal and economic life of this country.

TRIO programs are not luxuries — they are lifelines. At the UO and across the country, these programs serve first-generation students, students from low-income backgrounds and students with disabilities, from middle school through community college and university.

The programs help students persist, graduate and thrive. Many of our students, who did not think college was possible, go on to become educators, scientists, artists, and leaders who contribute to our community in significant and meaningful ways. It is shortsighted and harmful to cut funding for programs that actively work to close opportunity gaps and increase economic mobility.

Education should be a door that opens wider, not one that closes on hardworking students doing everything right. Congress must protect funding for TRIO programs and the opportunities they make possible.

Tara Parrillo
Eugene