OSU CAMP beats 11 universities, receives funding

Despite lack of history, CAMP program has grant request approved, students waitlisted in anticipation for services

By: Ryan Gunderson

Posted: 7/1/09

By Ryan Gunderson
The Summer Barometer

The OSU CAMP - College Assistance Migrant Program - has recently had their grant request approved by the Department of Education for nearly $420,000 annually, which will keep the program running until at least 2013, when they will once again have to apply for funding.
According to information provided by CAMP, it is a federally funded program designed to help eligible students from migrant and seasonal farm-worker backgrounds during their freshman year.
OSU CAMP received all the funding they requested after they finished second out of 43 programs that applied for 13 available slots, according to OSU CAMP Program Director Amas Aduviri, who joined OSU CAMP in 2005.
Aduviri previously worked with CAMP at Eastern Washington University, and jumped at the opportunity to run the OSU program.
"We've tried to connect CAMP with the rest of the University, and provide new students with the best opportunity and support we can," Aduviri said.
Aduviri explained that the program has been so successful in the past four years that there is now a waitlist to join CAMP.
The program, which had existed at OSU in the 1990's, was dormant until 2004 when they were once again approved for funding. However, the program is receiving nearly $70,000 more per year now than they have been the previous five years. They plan to serve 30 students in each of the first two years and 35 in each of the years thereafter.
"I heard about it from my older brothers, who are involved with CAMP at PCC," Freshman-to-be Roberto Luis-Ramirez said. He went on to say that being in CAMP will help make his freshmen year easy, due to all the services available through the program to eligible first-year OSU students.
"If anyone purposely passed on this, I'd have to ask them if they are stupid. This is such a great opportunity," Angelica Perez added. She was one of many students meeting on the third floor of Waldo Hall in the CAMP offices this week.
Perez and Luiz-Ramirez, along with Angelica Rodriguez, are just three of the incoming freshmen who will benefit from this unique opportunity here at OSU. All three expressed a lot of gratitude in being accepted in the program, and they agreed that it was nice to have a way to meet new people with whom they have much in common.
OSU CAMP went up against many programs that have been around for 20 years or longer with their CAMP programs, but still had the second most impressive grant application. Aduviri believes that having the right kind of people in the program - passionate and committed staff members - along with dedicated students who want to be involved, has allowed OSU CAMP to be ranked among the best in the country, despite not having the history or pedigree of many of the other programs.
"We were competing against great programs that have been around for a long time," Aduviri said. "We're one of the top programs in the country, but we've only had five years of experience. Some of these programs have had 25 years plus of experience."
CAMP is a very well-known and supported program on campus and tries to branch out to all parts of the university. Students are required to spend two hours a week during fall term learning what resources are available on campus, so that they will utilize them throughout their college careers.
"We have good communication with EOP, the Academic Success Program, and the writing center," Aduviri added. "We want to connect the students with their resources and with other students."
CAMP also has a peer mentor program available to new students, with older students who have previously been involved with CAMP when they were freshmen. This allows former CAMP members to help assist incoming freshmen with any questions or concerns they might have, as well as being a way to make new friends.
In the future, Aduviri hopes CAMP will be able to help even more students, and do away with the waitlist altogether.
For more information about OSU CAMP, visit their website at http://oregonstate.edu/dept/camp or call them at (541) 737-3998.

Ryan Gunderson
news@dailybarometer.com,737-2231