Congress passed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law on Friday, March 27th, and $1.9 million trickled down to MCCC to be given directly to students.
I know what you’re thinking. There’s no such thing as free money. But CARES money is free in the sense that the government doesn’t expect you to pay it back. They just expect you to use the money to replace funds that would have been available to you if not for COVID-19.
As someone personally affected by the coronavirus, the opportunity to avoid being crippled by student loans for the rest of my life was too hard to pass up.
The money is given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. To be eligible you first have to fill out the 2019-2020 FAFSA and the 2020-2021 FAFSA, which can be done online here. Most of us have already done that before but it can take time if you haven’t or if you don’t have your tax information handy.
Next you have to fill out the Mercer County Community College CARES Act 2020 application form, which can be found through this link. That one only takes about 10 minutes.
Although I didn’t have to prove I was affected by the pandemic (hard to prove, though I did suffer through the illness this past summer), I advise against requesting funds if you aren’t in dire need because someone out there surely is.
About a week after I applied, an email was sent to me, asking if I accepted the terms to receive the money. These terms stated that “I agree to stay registered, attend, and complete all classes to the best of my ability.” There is always fine print.
The terms also stated that “I understand I can request assistance with modifying my class schedules by contacting the advising center.”
As someone who always prefers to organize my own schedule, this was frustrating. Apparently, it didn’t just mean that I could request assistance when modifying my classes but that I had to request assistance when modifying my classes.
A class I knew I was eligible for was denied to me by the advising counselor I spoke to, and by the time I spoke to someone else, the class had filled up.
The troubles didn’t end there. In October, when I was searching for documents required for a transfer application, I discovered that I could not purchase my official college transcript without first contacting the Bursar’s office.
Are other students having the same experience?
I asked Kelly Williams, a Television broadcasting major in her second year, said she faced similar problems with how MCCC handled the CARES act funds distribution.
“They could have been more communicative,” Williams said.
She compared those responsible for managing the CARES act funds as being like “a dad who goes to the store for milk and doesn’t come back.” She claimed “they didn’t answer calls” and expressed her frustration at being left in the dark saying,” Do you want me to magically come to you guys? I can’t teleport. What am I supposed to do?”
For those applying for CARES funds, it is important to understand the exact implications of the agreement.
Aside from the few hassles, receiving the funds was quick and easy. After I accepted the terms of the agreement, two checks of $550 were sent to me within a week. The whole process from application to signing and depositing the checks took 20 minutes.
