CARES Act funding released to eligible Southwest students

By Diana Fedinec and Suzanne Gibson

Eligible Southwest Tennessee Community College students impacted by COVID-19 received $3,284,304 in emergency assistance relief funds through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act June 4, 2020, in accordance with U.S. Department of Education guidelines.

The relief funds are intended to help students cover expenses such as course materials, technology, healthcare and childcare that are related to campus disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The College distributed 90 percent of its federal allocation of $3,649,219 to full-time or part-time Title IV students who were enrolled on or after March 13, 2020, for the spring 2020 semester, and met the USDOE criteria. Payments were disbursed electronically through direct deposit into a checking account if students were enrolled in the College’s eRefund system or via checks in the mail if they were not. Payments to individual students varied due to the federal funding formula. Southwest prioritized students with the greatest needs, while also seeking to ensure that these funds were distributed as widely as possible.

The remaining 10 percent of CARES Act funding will be disbursed as special payments to eligible students who apply for additional emergency assistance.

For questions or concerns about the CARES Act disbursement, email CARES@southwest.tn.edu.