Good Afternoon MEEOA and Beyond! 

👋I hope you all have had a wonderful few days off and are back, ready to push through the end of the semester. We are so close, and you know what that means: MEEOA CON is right around the corner! Because of that exciting little fact, I come to you with a digest of information about the upcoming conference as to not bombard you with a multitude of emails. We've been working hard over here in Farmington, along with our many colleagues from around the state who have graciously volunteered to help, to make this conference happen. We are so fortunate! I am about to drop a lot of information on you, so be sure to read all the way through as to not miss any of the deliciousness we are cooking up! You'll especially want to read the part about the conference schedule! I apologize in advance for my lack of brevity, but I tried to at least make it entertaining, so hopefully you will forgive me. 

✍If you have not yet registered, that's alright! There is still time. Registration closes on December 26th, but the catch is, no registrations after that day will be accepted. Our suggestion is, perhaps tomorrow, when you are potentially snowed in, curl up with a nice cup of coffee or tea, and work your way through that registration. What could be a more fun way to weather a storm?! Or maybe you could tack it onto your Cyber Monday shopping list!  Here is the link to register for MEEOA CON 2020! 

🛏This year, we are so thrilled to be staying at the Atlantic Oceanside for the conference. Did we mention that EVERY ROOM HAS AN OCEAN VIEW?! An ocean view for $99 in one of America's most beautiful destinations is basically unheard of, which is why you will want to make sure to secure your room ASAP, before our block gets released to the general public. On December 15th, our room block gets opened up to anyone who may also want to spend a few wintery days on the coast of Maine. If you make your reservation after the 15th, the rate will still apply, it is just not guaranteed that you will have a room to reserve. The reservation link is located on the Conference Registration page link above. 
    
📰I'd like to remind everyone about the opportunity to place an advertisement in the 2020 conference booklet. Attached, you will find a form to use for placing an ad in it. To view the 2019 MEEOA conference booklet, you may click on the link and you will see ads on page 9 from Bowdoin UB, page 18 shows one from the two UMF TRIO programs, and on page 21 is an ad from MEOC. Prices, billing information, and graphic information can all be found in the document. Additionally, if you know someone who may have an interest in setting up a vendor table, please pass along the form or let us know and we can reach out to them.

💸We are so lucky to have Shelbie Ross setting up the auctions this year. She sent out an email recently (to the MEEOA listserv) requesting items for donation to the chance and/or live auctions. Every year, the auctions are one of the highlights of the conference and always a great source of entertainment. This year we even have a real, professional auctioneer volunteering his time to make the experience more authentic. I am linking the auction item form so you all can let us know of any donations you may have secured. Please refer back to Shelbie's email from November 25th for more information!  Auction Item Donation Form

📃Lastly, as many of you have been anxiously and patiently awaiting, I want to share our tentative conference schedule with you! It will be attached below. Feel free to browse that and get even more excited about our conference! This document is subject to change, and will, as we fill in some of the final details. Some things I would like to draw your attention to, however, are the Night at the Museum Pre-Con, the SSS director grant writing workspace (open throughout the conference...with chocolate), the hospitality social time with the youthful theme of: Come Dressed in What You Wore When You Were in Your 20s (if you are still in your 20s, try to shoot for what you wore in the beginning of this decade of your life), as well as a new conference segment which is a discussion entitled Understanding Major Disparities in College Opportunity.  Below you will find a more detailed explanation of what this is going to look like. We are really excited about this! 

We are thrilled to be partnering with COE to present you with this enthralling discussion with stakeholders from across the state to discuss data presented in the Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States-2019 Historical Trend Report. Using the Indicators report, participants will engage in discussions concerning three specific concerns impacting college opportunity: stratification within higher education, unmet financial need, and challenges to postsecondary completion. During the group dialogue session, participants will consider policy proposals to address these obstacles. The guest list includes administrators from Maine colleges and universities, directors of educational access organizations, and individuals with a vested interest in this important work. Representatives from congressional offices will be present to participate and listen to the experiences of the attendees in order to inform policy making at the state level.
 
👏If you have lasted this long, I thank and applaud you. We are so thrilled to see all of you at the conference! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns at all. Best of luck during the last few weeks of your semester. Here's to hoping they go swiftly and smoothly. 

Take care, 

Elyse, Mary, and Eric  
-- 
Eric Pratt
Pronouns: He|Him|His

Academic Counselor 
MEEOA Government Relations Chair
Upward Bound | University of Maine at Farmington