EOPS History

Senate Bill 164

The Extended Opportunity Programs and Services program (EOPS) was established in 1969 through Senate Bill 164..authored by the Honorable Alfred E. Alquist to extend the opportunity for community college enrollment to all who may profit from that education regardless of economic, social, and educational status.

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EOPS was established to provide support to community college students whose socioeconomic, academic, and educational backgrounds might prevent them from successfully completing college.

EOPS was specifically designed for students with a multitude of educational needs who are first-generation, English language learner, underprepared, reentry, or at-risk college students, or students who may fall into more than one of these categories.

The Nickel and the Nail

The Story behind the Nickel and the Nail

The story goes that a young man, years ago in the deep South, walking down a long, unpaved, dusty road to visit his lady friend, was all too aware that he had but a nickel in his pocket and that his self-esteem would be questioned if he were unable to indicate that he was a man of means. Noticing two gnarled horseshoe nails lying by the side of the road, he picked them up and put them in his pocket. As he jingled these ferrous objects together with his meager fortune, he walked a little bit straighter and with a little more pride and dignity.

Similarly, the Extended Opportunity Program endeavors to enhance self-esteem, foster pride and dignity, and motivate those whom the program serves, enabling them to more effectively define and pursue career goals. It is important that they too have "something to jingle".

Further, the nails are twisted into a puzzle, suggesting that the complete enigma has still yet to be unraveled for helping those who, through societal circumstances, have been limited in successfully meeting their educational challenge.

The information shared above was retrieved from https://www.ccceopsa.org/nickel-nail