ST. SCHOLASTICA HOSTS OVER 300 AREA
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THE SCARY GUY
AT TRIO DAY PROGRAM AND COLLEGE FAIR

FEB. 5, 2004 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT BOB ASHENMACHER (218) 723-6075

DULUTH, MN – The College of St. Scholastica will host over 300 area high school students from six colleges’ TRIO programs at a TRIO Day event and college fair from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in the Mitchell Auditorium on campus.

The Scary Guy, an entertainer and motivational speaker who has worked with over 5 million people around the world to promote peace and tolerance, will be the featured speaker at 10:30 a.m. and again at 12:45 p.m.   The program will break at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and a college fair with representatives from 17 colleges.

For more information call Sue Hollis at 723-5955 or Amy Galarowicz at 723-6760.

With his blue hair and goatee, tattoos and facial piercing, sunglasses and all-black attire, The Scary Guy commands students’ attention to his message promoting the elimination of hate, violence and prejudice worldwide. He has been featured in over 1,700 articles, 700 radio interviews and hundreds of television shows about his motivational programs, which are tailored for all ages and education levels.

TRIO Day is in honor of TRIO programs in Duluth and the surrounding area.  For more than 35 years federally funded TRIO programs have helped students from disadvantaged backgrounds finish high school, enter postsecondary education and successfully graduate.  Initially just three programs, TRIO now includes six outreach and support programs that assist low-income, first-generation college, and disabled students to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.  In Duluth and surrounding communities, these programs annually spend over $1million serving more than 900 students.

The College of St. Scholastica is one of only 47 postsecondary institutions nationwide with at least five TRIO programs on campus.  St. Scholastica’s programs include Talent Search, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math and Science, Student Support Services and the McNair Scholars Program.

In addition to St. Scholastica TRIO students, TRIO Day will be attended by high schoolers from TRIO programs at Lake Superior College, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Itasca Community College, Mesabi Range Community and Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.  St. Scholastica college students are also invited to attend.

TRIO is hosted at more than 1,200 colleges, universities and agencies throughout the United States.  There are over 2,000 TRIO programs serving nearly 780,000 students.  Four percent of TRIO students are Asian-American, five percent are Native American, 16 percent are Hispanic, 36 percent are African-American and 39 percent are White.  Sixteen thousand TRIO students have disabilities.

The College of St. Scholastica is regularly recognized as one of the finest colleges of the Midwest. The 2004 “America's Best Colleges” survey by U.S. News & World Report magazine ranks St. Scholastica in the top tier of Midwestern universities.  The Washington Post has rated St. Scholastica as one of the nation’s 100 “hidden gems” among U.S. colleges and universities.  St. Scholastica provides intellectual and moral preparation for responsible living and meaningful work.