SGA discusses fundraising efforts to restore TRIO textbook vouchers for students
As funds for TRIO textbook vouchers have depleted, members of the Student Government Association (SGA) are discussing possible solutions and alternatives for TRIO students to acquire the textbooks they need.
Currently assisting 140 students, TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) is a grant-funded program enacted by the Department of Education providing oft-disadvantaged students with the proper resources and support to succeed and graduate from Maryville College.
Students must meet at least one of three eligibility requirements to be a member of the program. These include being a first-generation college student, having a documented disability with Maryville College, and/or having high-financial need. With numerous students in the program meeting this last criteria of enrollment, an immense focus has been placed on, even with restrictions, helping TRIO students meet financial needs.
Dr. Sylvia Turner, project director of TRIO SSS, states that this process can be difficult, as there are certain limitations that come with grant-funding.
“The Department of Education does not allow us to purchase textbooks, or pay tuition for that matter, with grant funds. We can accept donations,” she said.
In spring of 2022, after lengthy discussions concerning student needs, former Director of Financial Aid Erin Johnson informed Turner that there was some money available to help purchase books for TRIO students. This enacted a textbook voucher program, where TRIO students received book vouchers to help assist them with textbooks required for their courses.
“After a student had requested assistance to pay for their books, we’d prepare a book voucher request that they would then take over to the Office of Financial Aid,” Turner stated. “The student would take the voucher to the bookstore, pick up their books, and take the receipt back to the Office of Financial Aid.”
This system proved to be very successful, with an estimated 30-40 TRIO students requesting textbook vouchers every semester. However, right before the start of the Spring 2024 semester, Turner was informed that Maryville College would not be able to continue the textbook voucher program.
“I appealed to the administration, and they came up with $4,000 but cautioned that it would be the last semester we would be able to have the voucher program,” Turner said. “With the limited funds, we changed the process. Instead of buying all of everybody’s books, we purchased books in major courses. We either bought used books or rented books for core and/or elective courses.”
As the Fall 2024 semester began to approach, Maryville College tried to look for funds to further support the textbook voucher program, but was unsuccessful. While MC is currently in the process of looking for funds and grants to further support the program, Turner wants to emphasize that even though it was limited, TRIO SSS is very grateful for the textbook voucher funds that MC was able to provide, and hopes that an alternative solution can be found in the future.
Charlie Anderson (‘26), TRIO academic tutor and peer mentor, believes that the textbook voucher program is extremely beneficial to TRIO students.
“Having access to book vouchers helped some of our most diverse students, populations that already face an uphill battle when it comes to equal access to education, have a chance to learn class material, study it effectively, and in some cases pass the class.
“Some classes have a barrier to access where a textbook is necessary in order to complete the homework, meaning that failure to purchase or rent required textbooks means failure of the class. Given the inhibitive cost of textbooks, textbook vouchers give lower income students a chance to participate in their lectures and pursue their education where they may otherwise be unable to,” Anderson said.
Anderson is currently the Pearson’s Hall Senator in SGA. Given their position and affiliation with other SGA members, Anderson felt as if bringing the issue towards SGA and promoting the idea of an informal committee to discuss the situation would prove beneficial.
“The student government’s job is to serve the needs of the students on the Maryville College campus first and foremost.”
On Oct. 10 during Student-Voice Forum in SGA, Anderson suggested the idea of an informal committee being made to handle the issue of textbook vouchers head-on, prompting Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Harvey (‘26), secretary and chair of the Compassions Committee, to propose that Compassions take on the project. Harvey believes this can help alleviate the process of generating ideas and possible solutions for the textbook vouchers.
“As Compassions Committee Chair, this relates to my position as our committee works on things that impact our students, faculty and staff and their wellbeing. With this situation, it felt like it related to our committee as it impacts a lot of students and how they are able to accomplish their work here at MC,” Harvey said.
Although a definitive solution hasn’t been reached, many proposed ideas have been put forward with further exploration on the horizon.
“We have been looking into the possibility of outside funding through grants, and thinking of community-oriented solutions,” Anderson said. As a multitude of ideas present themselves, deciphering a specific route to take proves to be a struggle as numerous perspectives and questions of feasibility are brought up.