OHIO community stepping up to support and send a little Bobcat love to students financially impacted by COVID-19

 

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on April 28, 2020.

On March 11, the Ohio University Emergency Microgrant program received a request for financial assistance from a student who had lost their job – because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first of hundreds of requests to come.

As they worked to answer students’ cries for help, OHIO staff quickly realized that the need was greater than resources available through the Emergency Microgrant program, a donor-supported initiative created to help students facing financial difficulty due to emergency situations or one-time hardships that stand in their way of graduation.

“The broad impact that COVID-19 has had on our Ohio University community is heartbreaking,” said Kathy Fahl, assistant dean of students who administers the Emergency Microgrant program. “That impact goes beyond our students. It’s also impacting their families and creating a domino effect.”

Fahl and staff in the Dean of Students Office, which manages the microgrant program, collaborated with University leadership and the Division of University Advancement to launch the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund. Using the administrative structure created for the Emergency Microgrant program, the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund is providing microgrants to students who are experiencing financial hardships as a result of COVID-19 and necessary COVID-19 response measures.

The COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund debuted on March 19 as part of the Bobcats Take Care campaign, providing members of the OHIO community a way to support and connect with each other while celebrating the many ways Bobcats are serving others in this unprecedented time of need.

As of April 24, approximately 778 Ohio University students, including undergraduate and graduate students on all of the University’s campuses, have applied for assistance through the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund. More than 280 of those applications have been approved for funding, providing those students with microgrants of up to $500 to help cover the cost of technology related to distance learning, books and other instructional expenses, housing, utilities, food, childcare and other basic needs. A total of $124,130 has been awarded so far through the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund.

“Most of the requests we’ve received are for help with things like rent or food,” Fahl said. “Students are worried about how they’re going to eat and how they are going to pay rent. Many are reporting parents who have lost their jobs, and so the support they receive from them may be gone. A lot of our international students are here often with their families and watching from afar the uncertainties in their home countries right now because of COVID-19. On our regional campuses, we have more students with families and children, and supporting the entire family during this time is a challenge.”

Stepping up to help ease the financial burdens of these students are the 829 and counting Ohio University alumni, faculty, staff and friends who are embracing the #BobcatsTakeCare spirit and have donated more than $166,000 to the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund.

On April 20, OHIO’s Office of Annual Giving announced a match program for the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund. The program is the result of many OHIO alumni and friends – including President M. Duane Nellis, Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs, several deans and University administrators – who created a $93,000 pool to match dollar-for-dollar every donation to the fund until the pool is exhausted.

Requests for assistance through the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund are being processed by employees throughout the University, including staff in the Dean of Students Office and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships who are screening the applications. Those applications are then reviewed by a committee composed of employees who bring varied perspectives to the process, including staff from the Office of the President, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, the Office of the Executive Dean of Regional Higher Education, the Department of Housing and Residence Life, the College Achievement Program and academic advisers.

“This time is one that is difficult, stressful, and unprecedented in our recent history,” said Jennifer Kirksey, BSJ ’98, MA ’16, who is the chief of staff in OHIO’s Office of the President and serving on the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund review committee. “But there are unbelievable moments of strength and selflessness and to see that from our alumni and friends who have made this fund possible is heartwarming. It also is a demonstration of how much we believe in our students and how invested we are in their success and in helping them, especially during this very difficult time. At Ohio University, we truly do take care of one another.”

For the students receiving these microgrants, the financial assistance is not only helping them meet their immediate needs but also connecting them to their Bobcat family.

“Thank you so much for your unforgettable thoughtfulness during these times,” wrote one student who was approved for funding. “As a Bobcat community, it really shows how close this University and its alumni are. Even a small donation is able to help a student know when they’ll get their next meal or how they’ll pay their rent. It is undeniable that OU produces people who care not only about the school, but the Athens community. I will forever be grateful for the help that I received and will do my best to be in the donors’ shoes when I start my career.”

Another COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund recipient said: “I want to seize the opportunity to thank both the donors and the University administration for coming to my rescue. The support came at a time when I needed it the most.”

For the donors contributing to the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund and the OHIO staff administering it, this initiative is as much about supporting students in the moment as it is about supporting them in their academic journey.

“At the end of the day, we want all of our students to finish the semester strong,” said Fahl. “When you’re worried about where you’re going to live or if you’re going to eat or not, it’s hard to focus on thinking about your classes or a paper that’s due or exams. Hopefully this funding takes some of that pressure off.”

The Bobcats Take Care campaign and the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund will remain active through through June 30, 2020, or until the match pool is exhausted, whichever comes first.

“To all those participating in OHIO’s Bobcats Take Care campaign and giving generously to help our students, you will never fully know the impact you are making through your donations and by showing your support and love on social media and in our communities,” said Fahl. “It is so uplifting for students to feel like they’re not alone in moments that feel very isolating. I’ve heard over and over from students who say they feel like they are part of a family and they feel like people care about them, and this is definitely a time when we all want and need to have those feelings.”

To contribute to the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund, click here. For more information about the Bobcats Take Care campaign, click here.