SUNY Geneseo’s Access Opportunity Program (AOP) is often referred to as a "family," and for many students the AOP office in Blake Hall is their home away from home.
AOP began in 1968 when the Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) extended a helping hand to students who did not meet Geneseo’s general admission requirements, due to economic or situational factors.
In 1985, the Transitional Opportunity Program was created and unique to Geneseo. It supported the students, many of whom were minority students, who were not able to attend Geneseo due to economic restrictions associated with meeting the eligibility for EOP and admission expectations.
In 1987, the birth of AOP came about by combining both EOP and TOP. Isom Fearn was the first to manage AOP, and the torch was passed down to Calvin Gantt in 2006, who recently took a similar position at his alma mater, SUNY Binghamton, after 15 years at Geneseo. Serving as Geneseo’s interim AOP director is Gabriel Iturbides, who had been serving as a counselor in Geneseo’s AOP office.
“Calvin had a clear vision of what he wanted, and seeing that was inspirational,” said Iturbides. “But he’s still the guy who sings show tunes and does dramatic drops on peoples’ couches. You felt comfortable working with him every day. He truly believed in you and wanted what was best for us and all the students.”
Iturbides says he has a great love for the program at Geneseo and stepping into the position on an interim basis will boost his own strengths.
“I want our graduation rates to grow and we need to work with the campus as a whole and build new relationships,” said Iturbides. “AOP is a humongous family––that’s the best part about my job. I always look forward to the hugs I get at the beginning and end of each year. That’s what tells me this is a great place to be.”
During Gantt’s time in AOP, the program grew almost 50 percent. It serves about 487 students and provides both personal and academic assistance from a counselor.
“My adviser is Ms. Lofquist and I will be thanking her until the end of time for what she does for me,” said Justin Alexander, a freshman from Brentwood, Long Island (pictured left). “She is like a second mom and she’ll always be there for me. It’s like Blake C is a box and in that box are people with the common goal of us being successful.”
The department also hosts workshops that help with topics like learning how to study efficiently and effectively. AOP also provides scholarships which qualifying students must apply for by writing an essay, and provides tutors at no additional cost.
“I love AOP because they looked at me as a person and not just another piece of paper”, said Debbieann Santana, a freshman from Millwood, N.Y. (pictured below). "It's special because it’s made up of people who are fighting for their education."\
During Gantt’s time in AOP, the program has grown almost 50 percent. It serves about 487 students and provides both personal and academic assistance from a counselor.
"The AOP staff is really cheery, I never see someone upset no matter how many appointments or responsibilities they have," said Alexander. "To them, it's not a job, it's something they love to do."
New AOP students come to campus to attend the AOP Summer Program. The program is run by department staff and other AOP students who serve as mentors and tutors. The pre-freshmen are put through intensive college courses like strategies for college success, math, and science courses. Milne Library also hosts a program to help students understand how to properly and effectively conduct research for a college essay.
“I remember writing a 10-page paper in 10 class periods,” said Santana. “I remember thinking to myself, I wrote that. I was able to get through.”
Santana says that the whole department, starting from the secretaries and going up the hierarchy, is supportive.
“I feel everyone in the department is great and actually really wants me to do well. I love the connection,” she says.
Alexander says the summer program gave him the stepping stone to be successful, helping him with time management and the transition in the fall so he could hit the ground running.
“When our students succeed, we are genuinely happy and proud of them,” said Iturbides. “When their hearts break, we have been known to mourn with them, whether they see it, or not. We always see the best in them and we expect the best. If they can’t see their best, we help them find it. We care about every single one of our students, past and present.”
Story written by Angelique Santiago, a communication student at SUNY Geneseo. The article was submitted as part of a College Communications Workshop instructed by Michael Saffran.