Glen Oaks Community College will award $288,341 in emergency grants to assist eligible students whose lives and education have been disrupted by the Coronavirus outbreak.
The funding is part of the overall $6 billion package from the U.S. Department of Education through the Higher Education Emergency Relief fund, authorized by the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in early April.
“We are so pleased for our students who will receive these funds to help them through this challenging time in their educational journey,” said Glen Oaks President David Devier. “We look forward to continuing to serve them going forward.”
Students must meet a number of criteria in order to be eligible for these grants. High school students are not eligible. Students who were enrolled in face-to-face classes for the Winter 2020 semester should visit: glenoaks.edu/coronavirus for detailed requirements.
“We know that many students’ lives were affected by the Covid-19 outbreak in many ways,” said Tonya Howden, vice-president of student services. “Many of our students are struggling to meet basic needs, such as housing and food as they or their family members may now be unemployed. Others lack access to computers or the internet and we are encouraging students to use these funds to help them meet these needs.”
Students may use the emergency grants to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations, including cost of course materials, technology, food, housing, healthcare, and childcare. The emergency grants will not need to be repaid.
Amounts allocated to students will be determined by eligibility requirements and the number of credit hours in which students were enrolled during the Winter 2020 term. Students were notified of the grants through a college-wide email on April 27.
If students have questions regarding eligibility of the emergency funds, they should contact the Financial Aid Office at (269) 294-4260 or financialaid@glenoaks.edu.