TRIO/Student Support Services (SSS) Program
Medaille College’s Student Support Services (SSS) Program is a federally-funded TRIO Program that provides services to help eligible students graduate from college. SSS staff, services and activities all foster an institutional climate supportive of the success of students in the Program.
Workshops
TRIO provides workshops on topics in English and mathematics, along with personalized workshops for students who can't attend the regularly scheduled workshops. For TRiO students who would like to attend one or more Java Junctions but whose timetable does not permit them to come to regularly scheduled workshops, the TRiO Program has an alternative: Personalized Workshops.
Read on for the fall 2008 schedule and topics »
History of Student Support Services
Since 1980, Medaille College’s Student Support Services Program has served an average of 200 students per year. The SSS Program offers a comprehensive array of academic and personal support activities designed to assist students pursuing post-secondary education. Government funding enables the College to provide tutoring, computer-aided instruction, supplemental instruction, peer mentoring and other services to qualified students.
Who Is Eligible for Services?
Guidelines for eligibility are established by the United States Department of Education for Student Support Services Programs. Students may contact any SSS Counselor and fill out an application. The number of students who may participate is proscribed by the College, and it is to the student’s benefit to begin participation as soon as eligibility has been verified.
Academic Support Is Our Focus
As a SSS student, you will be able to take advantage of extensive tutoring, mentoring, and workshops in addition to those services offered to the College’s general population. You will have the opportunity to work closely with a professional academic specialist who will assist you in designing an Individual Student Plan. This plan will be tailored to allow you a greater opportunity for a successful college experience.
In addition, SSS students are assured the personal touch resulting from the ongoing dialogue between SSS staff and college chairpersons, faculty, and administrators. This interaction helps us understand student needs and ensures efficient implementation and delivery of services.
Tutoring and Academic Support
SSS offers individual tutoring in most subject areas by peer and professional tutors. SSS students can sign up for either half-hour or hour-long tutorial sessions.
Supplemental Instruction is provided in conjunction with courses that typically present barriers to new students, such as English 100. In addition, the SSS computer lab is equipped with SkillsTutor, a web-based supplemental instruction and tutoring program. This interactive program provides practice in reading, writing, math, and science. Students can also access software including Microsoft Office, as well as Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe, and Encyclopedia Britannica Deluxe.
Professional tutors are provided for SSS students with limited English proficiency. Each student’s English skills are evaluated and a program established to meet individual needs.
To facilitate SSS students’ access to the software and technology necessary to remain competitive at Medaille, laptops are available for students to use at home. Before borrowing the laptop, students must attend a laptop seminar, during which the rules for laptop use are discussed.
Peer Mentoring Program
The SSS Peer Mentoring Program matches first-year SSS students with peer mentors who act as resources, sounding boards, and allies to participants navigating the first-year experience. Since the peer mentors are SSS participants who have successfully completed at least one year at the College, they are uniquely suited to provide student-centered support to first-year TRIO students. Care is taken to match students with mentors who share similar majors and life experiences.
Educational and Career Support
The SSS computer lab houses information on a wide variety of graduate programs in New York State. SSS students are encouraged to use these materials as part of their research on graduate education options.
The SSS Program also provides students with the opportunity to visit area graduate schools, offers workshops on cover letter and resume writing, and provides preparatory materials for graduate school entrance exams in order to assist students with post graduate plans and prepare them for career goals.
Services for Students with Disabilities
Students with documented disabilities may be provided with note-takers, testing accommodations, books-on-tape, use of adaptive equipment, and other services when appropriate. The SSS technology lab, located in the Academic Skills Center, has computers equipped with Dragon Naturally Speaking, Zoom Text, and Kurzweil Reader.
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