The College Assistant Migrant Program, better known as CAMP, is part of a larger national organization, and one of the CAMP programs operates in the California State University Sacramento campus. According to the organization's website, "CAMP offers you an 'education services' pre-college transition and first year support services to help you develop the skills you need to stay in school and successfully graduate from college."

Who qualifies

CAMP accepts about eighty to ninety students per year. Right about now, you are probably asking yourself who qualifies and how do they qualify? Well, students or their parents must have worked in agriculture in the last two years for at least seventy-five days or be qualified as a migrant in the Office of Migrant Education via a certificate of Eligibility.

Free services

• Help with completing admission forms, financial aid documents, and any other university related documents.
• Individual and group counseling to help with the college transition (first year student).
• Tutoring support systems for Math and English.
• Housing assistance; help students figure out where to live.
• Financial Assistance for books, supplies, health insurance, and transportation (first year student).
• Introducing students to other organizations and clubs that provide support throughout a student’s college career.
• Networking with other students.

These services are offered starting senior level in high school, but intensively during the first year of college. Students can still receive some of the services after their first year. Selected first year students can receive scholarships for living expenses according to their financial needs. Students can go to the CAMP office to obtain the services while in college. When in high school, CAMP goes to different schools and tries to recruit students for the CAMP program. Students will be notified of how to receive these services while being a senior in high school.

Volunteers

The CAMP program is always accepting volunteer tutors to help college students with the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) disciplines as well as English. Volunteer tutors are required to have a grade of at least a B or higher in the class they will be tutoring for. Volunteer tutors can set up their own tutoring schedules because CAMP accommodates their schedules. There is no special training required to tutor, but there are mandatory meetings that tutors MUST attend.

Donations/Fundraising

The CAMP program is a federally funded program and also a non-profit organization. CAMP is ninety percent federally funded by a competitive grant from the U.S Department of Education and the Office of Migrant Education. The program fundraises and also receives donations from the private sector and alumni. Fundraising activities vary each year. The 2011 event celebrated CAMP’s 30th anniversary. The group who benefits the most from these fundraisers are the first year college students.

Director's quote

“CAMP students and alumni become leaders in our community and contribute greatly to the greater Sacramento area” (Diaz).

References

"Depression Era Public Works Web Exhibit." Photograph. Depression Era. Carl Morris. Oregon Blue Book, Web. 10 Nov 2011. <http://bluebook.state.or.us/facts/scenic/dep/dep09.htm>.

Diaz, Viridiana, Director. "College Assistant Migrant Program." College Assistant Migrant Program. CAMP, 2011. Web. 31 Oct 2011. <http://www.csus.edu/camp/>.

Photo credits to Manuel Pacheco.

Comments

This report was written for Cynthia Linville’s English Section 4 class at CSU, Sacramento Fall 2011. —KG20M