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March 17, 2020— As the region navigates the impacts of COVID-19, ��ӥ����ֱ�� launches a new Student Emergency Fund to support student success during this challenging time.

��ӥ����ֱ��’s COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund focuses supporting our students’ needs during the global pandemic—whether educational or personal. To accomplish this, ��ӥ����ֱ�� looks to raise funds to cover education related expenses, food and toiletries, transportation needs and other costs associated with life circumstances for students.

“As a steward of place with a commitment to student success, we hope this fund alleviates some of the anxiety that our students may be experiencing during this time of uncertainty,” said President Ashish Vaidya. “We are hopeful that this initiative will allow students to afford essential needs such as medication, food or personal items.”

Any student can use the resource to reduce a financial barrier associated with life circumstances during the COVID-19 outbreak, including:

• Providing food, toiletries and funding necessary medications;
• Aiding in any educational-related expenses as ��ӥ����ֱ�� moves to online classes;
• Assisting students who may need to travel home or to and from work;
• Helping cover unmet financial costs due to loss of employment; and
• Supplementing student wages unable to be earned due to closures.

��ӥ����ֱ��’s strategic framework, Success by Design, outlines three pillars of student success: Access, Completion and Career & Community Engagement. ��ӥ����ֱ�� continues to implement the framework’s First Five initiatives with a singular focus on aligning student success with the needs of the region. 

“Our strategic framework seeks to coordinate care for each of our students as they have challenges inside and outside the classroom. Given the complex and shifting nature of COVID-19’s impact on our students, the fund can help our campus community remove barriers to improve academic focus, provide opportunities for student development and growth and care purposefully for our students’ needs,” said Bob Alston, assistant dean of Students. “This fund is an excellent example of our institution’s agility and economic accessibility to keep students on their education journey.”

��ӥ����ֱ�� will begin immediately, and students can apply for funding now. To learn more about the Student Emergency Fund, visit its .