FAU organizes emergency fund for students
The fund is currently accepting donations from students, faculty and the community.
The emergency funds are considered financial aid for students and will be disbursed to student accounts, according to Ana Gagula, associate director of Student Financial Aid. Photo courtesy of FAU.
May 8, 2020
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida Atlantic University has established an emergency fund for currently registered students.
The fund is for “currently registered, degree-seeking students experiencing financial hardship,” and can be used for education-related expenses such as room, board and tuition, according to an FAU statement.
According to FAU Provost Bret Danilowicz, over 1,400 students have already applied.
“We’ve got a lot of demand among our students,” he said during a Board of Trustees meeting on April 21. “Everybody is anxious to get this into the hands of our students.”
The idea for the Emergency Fund came from an executive leadership meeting, says Dr. Larry Faerman, the acting Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. The group was discussing the impact on students during the university’s initial two-week closure when the Emergency Fund idea was brought up.
The students have all been impacted by the outbreak directly or indirectly. These 1,400 students have received $42,436 in donations via the Emergency Fund as of April 22, according to Faerman.
In order to apply for the Emergency Fund, Faerman said that students must have submitted their FAFSA for the upcoming year. Once they apply, the Office of Financial Aid begins to distribute money according to professional and federal guidelines.
Joseph Acosta is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @acosta32_jp.
