President Mark Volk Provides Information on the CARES Act
President Mark Volk provides information on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act, the Emergency Relief Grant Fund and how Lackawanna College will distribute this funding to students.
Dear Students and Families,
Let me start off by offering my sincere congratulations on your handling of the transition to online learning and completing the semester remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. I know this situation has not been easy, and that many of you had to take on extra family, work and other personal obligations. Please know that all of us at Lackawanna College are proud that you met this difficult challenge with such tenacity, confidence and class.
We realize that this disruption has also led to many of you taking on other financial obligations such as housing, internet, health care and child care costs to name a few. No one could have prepared for or predicted that we would end our semester like this and we are sorry that you had to unexpectedly take on these burdens.
Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act, which was signed into law March 27, 2020. This bill includes the Emergency Relief Grant Fund, which provides emergency financial assistance to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. The College received this funding, which we are now able to pass along to our students.
Our goal was to divide the funds as fairly and equitably as possible to help students who are eligible to receive this grant and who have a financial need. To achieve this, each eligible residential and commuter student will receive a payment of $545 to cover expenses, deemed eligible by the CARES Act, which resulted from the disruption of campus operations. Eligible students, as defined by the Department of Education (see requirements under the FAQs link provided below) will receive this one-time payment via check mailed to the student’s last known address on file at Lackawanna College so please contact our Registrar’s Office immediately if your address has changed.
If you are an eligible student and can substantiate additional costs associated with the disruption of campus activities due to the coronavirus, you may submit a request for additional funds through Lackawanna College’s Application for CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant. The application can be found under Student Accounts on the Portal. You only need to fill out this application if you would like to be considered for any additional funds above the $545 per student grant.
Because the amount of the CARES Act funding is limited, the College cannot guarantee additional funding to any student, but each application received will be considered until the funds are exhausted. The College reserves the right to use its discretion in evaluating the applications and determining the amount of each award, which may include establishing a maximum amount.
For more information on the CARES Act grant or the additional funding, please go to lackawanna.edu/coronavirus to find a list of FAQs.
I never could have imagined that my last semester as President of Lackawanna College would end this way, but I am truly amazed by the work ethic and resilience I have witnessed from our students, faculty and staff through these tough times.
For those of you graduating, we are all so proud of you! Even though the ceremony was postponed, your degrees are still conferred and you are officially graduates on Sunday, May 17, 2020. We know that you want and deserve a graduation ceremony, so we’ve scheduled it to take place on Friday, October 2, 2020, at 7 p.m. at the Scranton campus. We will share more details as they become available.
Thank you all and congratulations on a job well done! Through all of the stress and struggle, you persevered. I hope you and your families and friends stay healthy and safe. We will get through this.
Respectfully,
Mark Volk, President
Lackawanna College