Hancock Provides Direct Aid to Students Through CARES Act

MAY 1, 2020-- Allan Hancock College students facing financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak began receiving direct financial help from the college via the federal government’s CARES Act on Friday, May 1.

As part of the first phase of distribution, a total of 2,874 students received $200 in direct aid from the college. The funds can be used to help students with food, housing, technology and other critical needs.

“We know that many of our students are struggling financially during this difficult time, and we hope that this money can help alleviate some of that burden for them,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “Along with the other resources Hancock provides for our students, our goal is to ease their hardships and encourage them to continue their education.”

Hancock began distributing the payments to students electronically within 24-48 hours of receiving the CARES Act funding. Students receiving the funds were identified based on their financial need and were not required to fill out an application or any paperwork in order to get the money.

“Our students are already facing a lot of obstacles and challenges at this time, and we did not want to add to or create additional barriers for those who have the greatest need,” said Hancock Associate Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services Nohemy Ornelas, Ed.D.

Additional Hancock students may qualify for future CARES disbursements. In order to be considered for CARES Act funds and possible additional Federal and/or State funding, they must be enrolled at AHC for the spring 2020 semester and have a 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file. If students plan to enroll at Hancock for the summer 2020, fall 2020, or spring 2021 semesters, they also need to complete a 2020-2021 FAFSA to be considered for future CARES Act funds.

The CARES Act (S. 3548/ H.R. 748) is the third federal stimulus packet in response to the Coronavirus. On April 9, the U.S. Secretary of Education announced that $6 billion of the total $13.95 billion Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund would be distributed immediately to colleges and universities to provide direct emergency cash grants to college students. California Community Colleges received $290 million in the first allocation.

The CARES payments are part of an extensive array of resources available to Hancock students. After transitioning 98 percent of its classes to remote formats, the college continued providing critical support services to students. These include offering virtual tutoring, library services, academic counseling and physical and mental health services to students. The college also enacted a laptop lending program for students struggling with access to technology, and distributed food to more than 23,000 students and other community members during biweekly emergency food distribution events. The college also offers qualified students additional financial assistance through the Allan Hancock College Foundation’s Student Emergency Fund.

For more information about the CARES Act at Hancock, go to www.hancockcollege.edu/finaid/cares. To learn more about resources and support services for Hancock students, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/covid.