Delta College has been trying its best to help students coping with COVID-19. Not only with Success Coaches and counselors are working with students every day, but the department of Financial Aid, Scholarships & Veterans Services is busy responding to students online, as well as working on how to distribute the CARE Emergency Grant to students.
CARE (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Emergency Grant is the Federal fund that goes to California public and private colleges to help students those struggling to afford food, broadband service, and other living expenses.
“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,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Delta College is one of the nearly 5,000 colleges and universities across the country that are eligible to receive the money.
Students can’t apply for assistance directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Colleges are required to apply for the money, which the institution receives directly.
“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,” according to the U.S Department of Education.
Delta College applied after California enacted stay-at-home orders in March.
“We applied in mid-April for the funds and just received the funds a couple of days ago. The portion of the funds that are to go directly to students is just under $4 million,” said Tina Lent, Director of the Financial Aid, Scholarships & Veterans Services.
The department is working on distributing the money to eligible students, following the Department of Education’s CARES Act Guidelines since there are limitations on who can receive the funds and who can’t.
“In order to be eligible students must have a valid FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on file, some of the items need to be matched with the Department of Education such as valid social security number, citizenship requirements, selective service, etc. Students also need to be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress and if they were enrolled in ALL online courses pre-COVID19 they will not be eligible for these funds. These are the basics of the requirements,” said Lent.