A Check in the Mail for Students in Need
Late afternoon, in the 11th week of spring semester, the campus of Santa Monica College (SMC) is deserted, on Thursday, April 30 2020, in Santa Monica, California. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in late March all SMC campuses were closed and classes moved to online only. On Thursday, April 30, the college announced all the fall semester classes will be online. (Marco Pallotti/The Corsair)
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is providing $12 million in emergency financial assistance to Santa Monica College (SMC). Fifty percent will act as institutional support and about $6 million will be distributed to students who have been affected economically by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 27, Congress unanimously passed the $2 trillion financial aid package that President Donald Trump signed into law. According to the CARES Act, this financial aid was meant to provide assistance for individuals, families and businesses affected by the pandemic.
SMC received an official notice and general guidelines from U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos on April 9, and SMC is currently evaluating the student population to locate students with the maximum necessity, according to the Chair of the Board of Trustees Nancy Greenstein.
“SMC is anxiously anticipating [a] receipt of $6,096,757 for CARES Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students to address [their] financial needs,” Greenstein said.
Qualifications that will determine which students are eligible to receive this aid include special programs such as Pell Grant students, California Promise Grant Fee Waiver eligibility, sudden changes of circumstances such as loss of income, the unmet need amount for tuition, being enrolled in six units, and other criteria, according to the SMC Associate Dean of Financial Aid and Scholarship, Tracie Hunter.
Undocumented and international students are not eligible for this aid relief, according to SMC Vice President of Enrollment Development Teresita Rodriguez. As of May 5, about 6,400 students who qualified for a waiver have already been selected, according to Rodriguez.
The Financial Aid office will reach out to students to evaluate and confirm their economic situations primarily through Corsair Connect, via email and phone calls. There is no application form for students to be considered for the emergency aid. Students can only await to receive a survey, or a notification to confirm their emergency needs. Faculty and staff have been instructed to notify the Financial Aid office of any students that have expressed financial insecurity due to the pandemic.
Once determined who qualifies, the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office will allocate the funds in the form of a check directly to the students. Students will receive between $250 and $1,500 within the next year. Students who did not qualify for financial aid prior to the pandemic, but had a change of income in the months since, are able to reapply, according to Rodriguez. The CARES Act relief aid doesn't count against any other funding aid, according to SMC Vice President of Business and Administration, Christopher Bonvenuto.
“We have not received the funding as of yet, so we are unable to award. The Department of Education has given schools a year to award the funding, although we will award these funds much sooner than that,” Hunter said.
SMC student Adrian Rocha is one of the many students depending on state-funded programs designed for low income households. “I haven’t received any email yet as far I know,” Rocha said. "Since both [me] and my mother are currently unemployed by the recent outbreak of coronavirus, we've been scraping by with whatever we come across to help feed my little brother and ourselves."
Linda Herrera, an SMC student not aware of the CARES Act emergency aid, had to postpone her bills and borrow $500 to pay her month’s rent.
“I grew up with not a lot of money and money insecurity so I am not as shocked and don't feel too afraid but at times I do think... am I going to end up homeless?” Herrera said.
Chair of the Board of Trustees Greenstein assures that the board does “not want to leave anyone behind.” According to Greenstein, they have reached out to all faculty in order to get the most broad input to determine eligibility and need amongst students.