Panola College will receive a $1,507,332 federal grant to provide direct emergency cash to students, and to cover school expenses related to the coronavirus and COVID-19. The funding is available through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

 

Half of the funding received will provide direct cash payments to students to help with housing, utilities, food, and other expenses they may have incurred during the coronavirus crisis. The application will be available on the Panola College website from April 27 to May 22, 2020.

 

Eligibility requirements, set by the U.S. Department of Education, are as follows:

·        Be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours at Panola College as of March 13, 2020.

·        Be enrolled in at least one face-to-face course as of March 13.

·        Be eligible to apply for financial aid through FAFSA. (This excludes international, DACA, and dual credit students.)

·        Must NOT be enrolled in high school – dual credit students do not qualify.

·        Be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.

·        Must have a valid Social Security number.

·        Male students must be registered with Selective Service.

·        Must have a high school diploma, GED or have documentation of completion of high school in an approved home school setting.

 

The online application will be a simple form asking for name, student ID number, and current mailing address. The form will include boxes for applicants to check indicating what financial needs they have that are related to the coronavirus.

 

Students will have 30 days to complete and submit the form. Once the applications are verified and grant amounts are determined, the Panola College business office will send the funds directly to the students by debit card, direct deposit or check. Students may indicate their choice of fund delivery by logging into their Campus Connect accounts on the Panola College website.

 

“With this funding, we will be able to award individual relief grants,” said Dr. Greg Powell, Panola College President. “The CARES Act will not only help our students, but the funding will also assist the College in expanding remote learning programs and identifying technology needs that will help us serve our students in the future.”

 

Panola College recognized early the potential negative impact on students. On April 1, the Panola College Foundation announced a plan to provide emergency financial relief to students through grants from the Foundation.

 

“We were fortunate to already have the Panola College Foundation step up to provide the first wave of emergency relief to our students,” said Jessica Pace, Director of Institutional Advancement. “Now the CARES Act Student Relief Fund will provide additional grant funds to help us implement a second wave of support to our students.”