Binghamton University’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) has brought in a new director who will oversee the organization’s summer program and tutorial center.
Randall Marie-Jacques Edouard began his work on March 2 to coordinate the EOP’s 2009 summer program.
According to Edouard, he deals with the many day-to-day operations of the EOP.
One of the EOP’s largest aspects is the four-week summer program, which focuses mainly on summer classes. The program teaches students how to navigate college life and learn proper decision-making skills, Edouard said.
“EOP is almost like a small college within a college,” Edouard said.
According to Edouard, this past summer the program received its highest attendance of 162 students. Usually the program allows a maximum of 150 students.
The goal of the summer program is to give birth to higher education opportunities for disadvantaged students, he said.
He described disadvantaged students as “those who have potential but not the resources to succeed.”
The program also has a director’s seminar, which Edouard personally teaches.
As the new director of the EOP, Edouard has enacted many new initiatives into the program, including study hours for students from 7 to 10 p.m., no cell phones during the course of the program and no trips off campus unless accompanied by a staff member from the EOP.
Edouard said that with these initiatives they are able to teach students the rigors of college life without the distractions that can accompany it.
There is also an initiative that Edouard would like to eventually put in place regarding book stipends for students.
“A lot of the students don’t have the ability to purchase books themselves,” Edouard said. “Putting in the ability to obtain a book stipend would allow students to gain the tools they need for success.”
Students who have participated in the program are often pleased with the results.
“The program was a very rewarding experience,” Emily Yu, a senior finance major, said. “The program provides an opportunity for students to experience college before college, which is often a helpful tool.”
Another student, Nia Terrelonge, a sophomore environmental studies major, enjoyed the program’s variety in providing experiences for students.
“[The program] was very helpful in that it showed college experiences in the social and academic form,” she said. “This way students have an opportunity to mature before they begin formal classes in the fall.”
Coming from a disadvantaged background, Edouard said he is especially enjoying working as director of the EOP.
“I was in an EOP program myself, and it is truly a dream come true to be in this position,” he said.
Through his work with BU’s EOP, Edouard is hoping for it to become a much stronger academic institution with a family atmosphere.