EOP ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

Kendall Welcome to the EOP online Alumni Newsletter. As the Director of EOP I would like to encourage you to support EOP Homecoming 2007.

This year EOP is recognizing the contributions of fraternities and sororities, and you can continue to show your support by being a part of the challenge to raise money to benefit the mission and philosophy of EOP. This program has been, and continues to be, a great support to its constituents. The homecoming festivities for this year promises to be an evening of fun, excitement and generosity.

Thank you for taking the time to read this edition of the EOP online newsletter. Please be sure to share this with your friends and other alumni. We hope that you will submit your success story with EOP so that you can be featured in this newsletter.

To find out more or to register for Homecoming 2007 please visit http://homecoming.binghamton.edu.

Thank you,
James Pogue, PhD
EOP Director

HOMECOMING 2007

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2007

A FUN FILLED DAY
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE MISSION OF EOP

1:00 – 3:30 P.M.
NETWORK AND DIALOGUE WITH STUDENTS
GENTLEMEN – UU324
LADIES – UU325
REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE

7:30 – UNTIL
D.C. DUNSTERS (FORMERLY ZAZOU)
23 HENRY STREET
BINGHAMTON, NY
$35 ADMISSION

Hotel accommodations available at Binghamton Regency (607.722.7575)
Limited rooms available.

Children’s programming available on Binghamton University campus
(must pre-register)
To buy ticket and register for homecoming go to: http://homecoming.binghamton.edu

EOP REACHES TOP RANK… WE’RE #1!

EOP at Binghamton University is the number one program in the state and country. Currently, our graduation rate is 77%, and our retention rate is 91%.
We believe this is due to motivated and dedicated students in our program,
both past and present, that we are the premier program in the nation.

INCREASED FUNDING FOR EOP STUDENTS

Books It is very exciting that our program has been able to receive increased allocations to officially fund 600 students from a program of 576. This means that we have been able to raise the current amount of EOP direct aid for our students. This increase in allocations has allowed all EOP students to be the recipients of an EOP Book Award.

FUNDRAISING SUCCESSES:

EOP has been the recipient of donations from generous alumni, friends of EOP and anonymous donors. These munificent individuals have made it possible to give current and incoming students the help needed to be successful.

BOLOTSKY EOP SCHOLARSHIP – This very generous donation will allow two students to receive a scholarship for demonstrating leadership qualities. David Bolotsky ’85 is an avid supporter of BU and an ardent sponsor of the Manhattan Comprehensive Night - Day High School.

PETTUS CAREER TRACK AWARD – Mr. Charles Pettus ’76 also gave a generous donation to support the mission of the Career Track component of the EOP Summer Program. This module is designed to introduce pre-freshmen to the different schools and majors available at Binghamton University. Students, who displayed exemplary motivation, interest, and participation in the area of their chosen field, were the recipients of this award.

THE MATH COMPONENT- staff members of the 2007 EOP Summer Program also donated funds to allow incoming freshmen to receive a monetary award for their outstanding achievements, dedication and hard work in their math classes.

LOUIS DELVALLE REMEMBERED

Del Valle's Louis A. DelValle ’76, MPA ’78, was a counselor, advisor, colleague and friend. Louis, Louie to those who knew him well, counseled thousands of EOP undergraduate students from 1978 to 2004. He had an open heart and open door policy that never wavered and many called Louie a “second father”. It is very disheartening to have such an open hearted man pass away at the age of 65 in May 2007 from lung cancer.

In memory of Louie’s incredible impact on the students of EOP, we have renamed the Latino/a Award to the Louis & Mimi DelValle Latino/a Achievement Award, which was established during his tenure at EOP. Contributions to this award can be made by check, payable to Binghamton University Foundation – Acct # 10955. Credit card gifts can be made online at http://give-to.binghamton.edu.

NEW ADDITION

J Cardona The EOP office wants you to join us in welcoming Joanna Cardona ’02, MASS ’05 as the new EOP Counselor. Joanna comes to us from Undergraduate Admissions and has been solely responsible for the incoming EOP class for the past two years. In EOP, she will be the liaison to the Career Development Center, advisor to Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society (XAE), and advisor to EOP students interested in the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, Coordinator of the Binghamton Success Program (BSP).

Nicole Sirju-Johnson MPA ‘99 is the new EOP Admissions Counselor.

EOP SUPERSTAR: DID YOU SAY 3 DEGREES?!

harris Orlando Harris graduated in May 2007 with degrees from Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, the Decker School of Nursing, and the College of Community and Public Affairs (formerly SEHD). Orlando was also on the EOP Director’s List for students who have a 3.0 and above cumulative GPA.

Orlando is currently enrolled in the combined Master’s/PhD Family Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. His goal is to obtain his doctorate degree in order to pursue a career in AIDS research. Orlando is the first and only person to graduate from Binghamton University with a triple degree.

CAREER CORNER

Shameeka Mattis ’03 (BEP’99) is a Social Worker and a Behavioral Health Liaison at the Riverside Correctional Facility for Women, which is a part of the Philadelphia Prison System. Shameeka received her BA in Sociology and English, and her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania.

EOP interviewed Shameeka (via email) to ask her to share her experiences & give advice to our current students regarding campus involvement, study tips and so much more.

We now have an MSW program at Binghamton. For students interested in your area of social work what responsibilities does your position entail?

Case management, referrals to prison classes, life skills program, major correspondence between inmates and court system, which impacts prison release process.

While in college what groups, associations and/or internships did you participate in?

I was president of the Students of Color Support Center (SCSC), a member of the University Judicial Board, a Peer Counselor BEP ’01, JUMP Nation host.

If involved in a sorority, what advice would you give to students going along this same path?

As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated I advise all students to learn about themselves as students first. This is integral to their development as young adults…. Membership obtained too soon can thwart growth that is supposed to take place when one enters a university setting.

Were you involved in any community service projects?

Penny Drives for Battered Women, clothing and book drives, Binghamton Multicultural Weekend (BMW) host, Jump Rope for heart…. See entire list here

What advise would you give to students taking the type of courses you took (study tips)?

Read the d@#% books! Reading is the only way to know what you’re learning and writing about. Some class assignments are boring but there may still be something to learn from one chapter out of millions. Also participate as much as possible in class discussions.

What job Seeking advice do you have or students?

Do not work freshmen year if you can help it. It takes away from the learning process and the conditioning needed to be a stellar student. Work for residential life or something that will pay for room and board, because paying back loans will hurt. I was most marketable in my professional life because of campus related job opportunities.

Is it okay to display your email so that students can contact you in regards to school or life as a social worker?

shamroad@yahoo.com, shameeka.mattis@prisons.phila.gov, smattis@alumni.upenn.edu

Do you have any other words of wisdom that you would like to relay to other EOP students?

Party, join organizations at your leisure, participate in community service events because it’s your responsibility as someone in a higher learning institution, fight for what you believe in and you all better graduate!

*To see Shameeka’s interview in its entirety, click here.