COVID-19 (Coronavirus) INFORMATION
CARES ACT (HEERF I) FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.
Cayuga Community College applied for, was approved, and completed the Department of Education’s Certification and Agreement acknowledging that no less than 50% of the funds received under section 1800(a)(1) of the Cares Act will be used to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
Cayuga Community College has received a total of $748,802 to be distributed to students over a one year period.
Cayuga Community College has distributed the following CARES Act funding to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act
| Date | Reporting Requirement | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 5/5/2020 | 30 day | Cayuga Community College has not yet distributed Emergency CARES Grants to students. |
| 6/18/2020 | 45 day | Cayuga Community College has awarded $290,900 in CARES Grant funds to #401 unduplicated students. |
| 8/2/2020 | 45 day | Since June 18, 2020 Cayuga Community College has awarded $75,475 in CARES Grant funds to #116 unduplicated students. The total amount distributed in CARES Grant to date is $366,375 to #517 unduplicated students. |
| 9/30/2020 | Quarterly Report | Since August 2, 2020 Cayuga Community College has awarded $171,481 in CARES Grant funds to #73 unduplicated students. The total amount distributed in CARES Grant to date is $537,856 to #590 unduplicated students. |
| 10/31/2020 | 45 day | Since September 30, 2020 Cayuga Community College has awarded $55,661 in CARES Grant funds to #23 unduplicated students. The total amount distributed in CARES Grant to date is $593,517 to #613 unduplicated students. |
| 12/30/2020 | Quarterly Report | Since October 31, 2020 Cayuga Community College has awarded $90,605 in CARES Grant funds to #74 unduplicated students. The total amount distributed in CARES Grant to date is $684,122 to #687 unduplicated students. |
| 02/15/2021 | 45 day | Since December 30, 2020 Cayuga Community College has awarded $40,655 to #37 unduplicated students. The total amount distributed in CARES Grant to date is $724,777 to #726 unduplicated students. |
| 03/31/2021 | Quarterly Report | Since February 15, 2021 Cayuga Community College has awarded $7,950 to #8 unduplicated students. The total amount distributed in CARES Grant to date is $732,727 to #732 unduplicated students. |
| 06/31/2021 | Quarterly Report and Final Report | Since March 31, 2021 Cayuga Community College has awarded $18,150 to #8 unduplicated students. The total amount distributed in CARES Grant to date is $748,802 to #740 unduplicated students. There was $2,075 of Cares Institutional funds that was awarded to students for a total of $750,877. |
ALLOWABLE EXPENSES
Each student who receives CARES Act grant funds are required to certify that their grant is to be used for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations. Allowable expenses include:
- Food
- Housing
- Utilities
- Course Materials
- Lab Equipment
- Technology Costs
- Internet Costs
- Health Care
- Child Care
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Students will be eligible for Cares Act grant funds if the College verifies the following:
- Enrolled at Cayuga in the Spring 2020 semester
- In good academic standing
- Has a valid FAFSA on file for either 2019-2020 or 2020-2021
- Eligible for federal financial aid funds
- Not in default or owes a refund on any Title IV assistance
- Was not enrolled exclusively in online academic programs
DETERMINATION OF AWARDS
Cayuga intends to distribute these grant funds as quickly as is practicable via check or electronic funds transfer to allow students to manage expenses resulting from the disruption of campus operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We realize these funds are available to distribute to impacted students for up to one year. However, the College intends to have all funds disbursed by October 2020.
CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
- Number of Students registered for Spring 2020: 3,510
- Number of Students who completed a FAFSA for Spring 2020: 1,387
- Number of Students currently enrolled who received a Pell Grant in Spring 2020: 644
- Number of Students who completed a FAFSA and were eligible for Title IV aid, including above Pell recipients: 1,104
The College will distribute these funds in two methodologies:
- Priority 1: 60% ($449,725) will be first offered to eligible enrolled spring 2020 Pell Grant recipients
- Priority 2: 40% ($299,077) will be offered to all eligible students who complete and are approved through an application process.
Priority 1 students will receive awards based on their official federal EFC ranges. CARES Act Grants are kept confidentially. Only the number of students, award averages offered and accepted will be updated monthly.
Chart below represents funds awarded and distributed as of April 20, 2021.
| FAFSA EFC Ranges | Total Offered Awards | Total Accepted and Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | # of students = 377 Average Award = $823 |
# of students = 340 Average Award = $826 |
| 0-2200 | # of students = 139 Average Award = $635 |
# of students = 120 Average Award = $636 |
| 2201-4200 | # of students = 94 Average Award = $430 |
# of students = 81 Average Award = $431 |
| 4201-PELL Cap | # of students = 38 Average Award = $350 |
# of students = 34 Average Award = $350 |
| Total | # of students = 648 Average Award = $698 |
# of students = 575 Average Award = $702 |
Priority 2 students will be able to apply for CARES Act emergency funds through a College application process. Students will be required to describe how the disruption of moving to online learning affected their ability to pay for costs associated with food, health care, technology, course materials, child care, housing, and transportation. The College reserves the right to request supporting documentation with each application as it deems necessary.
The College’s Emergency Relief Funds Committee will review each application and award funds based on need. Due to the demand of these funds, it is the committee’s intention to max awards at $3,000 (amended from original plan on September 14, 2020). It is the intention of the Committee to use the above average awards and calculated EFC from the FAFSA application in the above chart as a guide in awarding these funds through the application process. Pell Grant recipients who received funds in Priority 1 may also apply for additional assistance through the application process up to the maximum allowable award.
The CARES Act Emergency Grant application will be available on the College’s website until September 30, 2020. If unallocated funds exist at this time, the College will develop a methodology to equitably distribute the remaining funds to students.
Distribution of Funds under the Application will be updated monthly. To protect students’ privacy, only the number of students, award averages offered and accepted will be updated.
| # of Applications Received | Offered CARES Act Grants | Accepted CARES Act Grants |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | # of students = 192 Average Award = $1,296 Total Awarded = $248,907 |
# of students = 177 Average Award = $1,308 Total Accepted = $231,452 |
As of December 1, 2020, the College recognized that all students offered Cares Grant funds in Priorities I and 2 were not going to accept their awards or they were unable to certify the use of the funds according to the federal regulations governing the program. The College recognized that new students entering Cayuga Community College for the first time were struggling with many of the same financial and academic challenges that faced our students in the spring 2020. The College decided before the fall semester to offer 85% of their courses in a remote learning environment. This is extremely hard on our lowest income students who are faced finding the technical resources needed to be successful academically. The College decided to award its remaining limited CARES Act Grants to first time, Pell Grant eligible students with a “0” EFC in a block grant of $1100.
| Offered CARES Grant | Accepted CARES Act Grants |
|---|---|
| # of Students = 127 Average Award = $1,100 Total Awarded = $139,700 |
# of Students = 105 Average Award = $1,100 Total Accepted = $115,500 |
COLLEGE CARES ACT COMMITTEE
- Jeff Rosenthal, VP for Student Affairs, Chair
- Cathy Dotterer, Dean of Students/Chief Diversity Officer
- Cathy Patella, Director of Financial Aid and Compliance
- Lisa Hoskey, College Bursar
- Kelly Diego, Admissions Representative