Upward Bound participants upset about halt of project

For Eric Barnes, the Upward Bound Project was more than just a program to get away from his hometown of East Chicago – it was a family tradition and his gateway to finding his life goals and meeting new friends.

“I’m mad that the program won’t be continuing here in Bloomington because my older sister came here too, kind of like a family tradition,” the high school junior said. “This really helped me to see how college life really is and I think it’s the best program out there for kids like us.”

IU decided to halt the program until the next cycle of grant applications in 2011, because of unexpected changes and late amendments to the Upward Bound Project’s regulations created by the Department of Education. These changes required twice as many students to be admitted to the program, but only half of those students would participate in the program’s activities. This would allow the Department of Education to compare the two groups of students and help them evaluate the program’s effectiveness.

Associate Vice President for Academic Support and Diversity Edwardo Rhodes and other IU officials decided not to renew the grant application for the program because of these changes, Rhodes said. The changes were eventually taken out of the program, but by then there was not sufficient time for the University to reapply for the grant, Rhodes said.

Barnes is not the only student who is disappointed about the program discontinuing on the Bloomington campus, for a few years. Many of the program’s faculty members and other students have expressed their concern and sadness that the program won’t be held this year.

Although the program won’t be held in Bloomington for a few years, Rhodes said students in Upward Bound can still participate in summer programs at other IU campuses and still encourage other teens to get involved with Upward Bound.  
But Barnes and his friends are still not satisfied with the program not taking place in Bloomington. Barnes said that he was hoping to come back to campus next summer for his fourth and final year as an Upward Bound student. However, because the program won’t be hosted in Bloomington and he doesn’t want to attend other IU campuses’ summer programs, he said he’s not sure what he is going to do next year.

Barnes also said he wanted to come to IU and become a Resident Assistant for the Upward Bound Project so he can share his experiences with other younger students.
Wesley Smith, a high school senior and fourth-year Upward Bound student from Gary, said Upward Bound Director Marshal Chaifetz, told him the program would not continue in Bloomington. Smith said he was unhappy about the news. 

“I was really upset because I wanted my little brothers and my little sister to come down to Bloomington for this program because this definitely helped me out with academics and to not lose what others would lose over the summer,” Smith said.  
Upward Bound RA Charles Henderson said he was displeased that the program won’t be back in Bloomington next year because he was already looking forward to returning to Bloomington as an RA again.

Barnes said he still hopes to attend IU as a college student and stay in contact with the friends he made from the Upward Bound Project.

“I still want to come to IU for college and keep in touch with all the friends I made from all over Indiana,” Barnes said. “I also want the program to reopen again in Bloomington.”