Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund – Student Portion

The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund-IHE/Student Aid provides funding to institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet. Students cannot apply for assistance directly from the U.S. Department of Education but should contact their institutions for further information and guidance. Institutions have the responsibility of determining how grants will be distributed to students, how the amount of each student grant is calculated, and the development of any instructions or directions that are provided to students about the grant.

Southern Crescent Technical College (SCTC) signed and returned the Cares Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) certification and agreement form to the Department of Education (DOE), and agrees to promptly make available at least 50% of the emergency financial aid grants to students from the advanced funds directly to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses. The institution shall not use the advanced funds to reimburse itself for any costs or expenses, including but not limited to any costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus and/or any refunds or other benefits that the institution previously issued to students.

The college received its student portion of $1,956,144.00

In compliance with the HEERF agreement, SCTC has disbursed to date $1,837,825.00 to its Cares eligible students.

Based on guidance from the DOE, SCTC estimates 2,549 students enrolled spring term and 1,291 students enrolled summer term at the institution will be eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and therefore eligible to receive an emergency financial aid grant.

As of August 20,2020, SCTC released HEERF Care funds to 2,549 students enrolled in spring 2020 classes.

As of August 20, 2020, SCTC released additional HEERF Care funds to 1,291 students enrolled in summer 2020 classes.

As of January 4, 2021, SCTC released additional HEERF Care funds to 176 students enrolled in fall 2020 classes for a total of $88,000.00.

The CARES Act Legislation:

The CARES Act allows Southern Crescent Technical College to use its  own “significant discretion on how to award this emergency assistance to students.”  The only statutory requirement is that students use the funds for expenses related to the disruption of  campus operations due to COVID-19 and that students are eligible to complete a FAFSA application and are not exclusively enrolled in  distance education courses. The eligible expenses for this program are  the same as those outlined in the federal financial aid calculations for  determining a student’s cost of attendance.  These items include food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare, and childcare.

Southern Crescent Technical College CARES Act Grant Proposals

The CARES Act Legislation:

The CARES Act allows Southern Crescent Technical College to use its own “significant discretion on how to award this emergency assistance to students.”  The only statutory requirement is that students use the funds for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19 and that students are eligible to complete a FAFSA application and are not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses. The eligible expenses for this program are the same as those outlined in the federal financial aid calculations for determining a student’s cost of attendance.  These items include food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare, and childcare.

SCTC’s Approved Advanced Fund Allotment (student portion):  $1,956,144.00

• Must be direct cash payments (refunds) to the students
• Reporting required 30 days after certification and every 45 days thereafter
  • How grants were calculated
  • Instructions provided to students
• Secretary DeVos suggests prioritizing students with the greatest need, distributing funds quickly and widely
• Distribute funds within 1 year of date of agreement

Proposed Administrator:  Dr. Michelle Bedford

Rationale:

 The COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the College’s students in a variety of ways creating financial hardships related to employment, housing, childcare, food, utilities, and medical expenses. To address these hardships, the College is providing its eligible spring term 2020 students, excluding non-resident aliens,  DACA students, dual enrollment, distance education (online-only), students who have loans in defaulted/overpayment status, students who were only enrolled in a part of term that ended prior to 3/13/2020, students who have unresolved verification requirements, and transient students an emergency stipend to help relieve the financial hardship caused by COVID-19.

Qualified students must meet the following requirements: be enrolled after March 13, in at least 1 credit hour, eligible for Title IV funding, must have a 19/20 ISIR on file, and cannot have any C codes (no outstanding verification requirements).

The award amount will be calculated based on the number of credit hours in which the student is enrolled in during spring and summer terms 2020.  Full- time students enrolled in 12 credit hours or more will receive $650.00, part-time students enrolled in 9-11 credit hours will receive a $500.00 award and students enrolled in 8 credit hours or less will receive a $325.00 grant.  The spring disbursement equates to approximately 65% of the advanced fund allotment or student portion.  Additionally, approximately 25% of the advanced fund allotment or student portion will be disbursed to summer term 2020 students who were enrolled during spring term 2020 and the remaining funds will be used for emergency grants to mitigate extenuating circumstances documented by a student emergency grant application.  Funds that are not expended, in these categories, by the end of the grant period, may be reallocated to new students who were encouraged to complete a FAFSA, but were not included in the first cohort or previously eligible students.  A new student, for the purposes of this plan, is one who had not completed a FAFSA and did not receive an initial award, but was otherwise eligible and since completed a FAFSA.

The Emergency Grant fund will be disbursed to current fall term 2020 students who are eligible for Title IV federal aid.  An application with an attestation substantiating the student has been adversely impacted by COVI 19 will be required.  A one time $500 grant will be available to eligible students on a first come first served basis.