Currently enrolled EU students to receive $450 each through CARES Act

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the CARES Act authorizes expansion of the Federal Supplemental Educational and Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) to allow institutions of higher education to provide emergency grants to undergraduate and graduate students for unexpected expenses and unmet financial need as a result of a qualifying emergency. Edinboro cited the recognition that “all students are experiencing some financial hardship in these uncertain times” as reasoning for their distribution.  

Half the CARES Act funds are being used in these student payments and are being “placed in a discretionary account to meet extraordinary needs.” The other half delivered to Edinboro will help “offset a portion of the costs incurred by the University as a result of the Coronavirus."

Colleges from around the country are receiving these funds, and according to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: “Of the amount allocated to each institution under this formula, at least 50 percent must be reserved to provide students with emergency financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. We are prioritizing this funding stream in order to get money in the hands of students in need as quickly as possible.” 

The letter also states that higher education institutions have “significant discretion” on how to give out this emergency assistance to their student population.

The $450 given to Edinboro students follows refunds from the university for unused portions of university fees and charges, such as parking permits, housing, meal plans and the student activities fee. 

Along with the information about the CARES Act, Huang provided a link to a survey. Questions revolve around Edinboro’s response to COVID-19, along with student experience at this time. The last question asks if the student plans to return to Edinboro.

You can read more about how universities are distributing the CARES Act funds at The Chronicle of Higher Education.  Penn State is set to receive $55 million from the Act, with half of those funds going toward students, according to The Centre Daily Times. They have not decided how they will distribute them yet.