Update from the Texas Civil Rights Review
(Last Updated Apr. 17, 2020)
Many college students in the USA are feeling left behind by a federal law that treats them as dependents, therefore ineligible to receive pandemic relief funding to their own accounts. In some cases, parents are eligible for relief, but in many cases parents are not eligible for relief, for example if parents are immigrants or self-employed.
This may give students an impression that Congress did nothing for students. While we agree that Congress has not yet done enough to address the needs of college students who are trying to continue their education, we offer some evidence of what Congress has done.
The CARES Act that authorized pandemic relief checks and small business loans also appropriates $13 billion to college campuses across the country. Here is one law firm’s summary of the education provisions:
https://www.chapman.com/insights-publications-CARES_Act_Higher_Education_Institutions.html
We have also obtained a breakdown of how much money has been allocated to each college campus, available here for download (1.3 MB pdf):
CARES Act College Funding Breakdown (1)
We notice that $6 billion, about half of the funding, is earmarked for “Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.”
We are still working to comprehend the meaning of what has been provided by Congress, how institutions will be passing this funding to students, and what remains to be done for college students who are striving to continue their educations during the pandemic.
In the meantime, we hope this summary update is helpful to students who are looking for answers and relief.
Web Sites to Watch:
NCAN (National College Attainment Network) has a page dedicated ton COVID-19 Resources:
NASFAA (National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators) has a COVID-19 Web Center:
https://www.nasfaa.org/covid19
EdLabor, the Education and Labor Committee of the US House of Representatives has a Combating the Corona Virus landing page:
https://edlabor.house.gov/issues/the-committees-response-to-covid-19
Check out EdLabor’s April 2, 2020 Fact Sheet on “Emergency Support for Students, Families, Educators, and Institutions,” archived here (299 KB pdf):
2020-04-02 COVID19 Response Education Fact Sheet
We hope this overview of the CARES Act inspires college students to see that Congress has shown interest in providing emergency relief to college students who are striving to continue their education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Don’t Give Up the Fight!”
Texas Civil Rights Review 