Austin Daily Herald

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

Riverland Community College received additional resources through a $39,700 grant to help low-income students weather financial emergencies.

Students can apply for small grants to help cover expenses just beyond their means, which allows them to quickly return focus to their academic pursuits.

“The DASH Emergency Grant Program will help address short term financial emergencies for our students that might otherwise prevent them from attending classes or possibly ending their attendance for the semester,” Gary Schindler, Riverland dean of students, said in a press release. “Knowing that there are funds available for the unexpected household, medical, or transportation emergency will relieve the stress for students on a very tight budget.”

The student emergency grant program was made possible by a grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. Riverland is one of 31 community and technical colleges in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin that received a combined $1.5 million in Great Lakes grants to build emergency grant programs that help low-income students overcome financial obstacles that might otherwise cause them to drop out.

“Great Lakes is pleased to provide more resources to colleges like Riverland Community College that are dedicated to supporting students in times of greatest need,” Richard D. George, President and Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes, said in the release. “Emergency grants are a bridge to college completion and the financial security a degree can provide.”

Riverland will begin making student emergency grants of up to $500 each in spring 2016. Qualified expenses will be paid within 48 hours of an approved application. Students also will be referred to additional campus, community, and financial literacy resources to supplement the grants, address root causes or contributing factors to the financial emergencies, and further support students’ persistence.

To serve greater numbers of students throughout the Great Lakes grant period and beyond, Riverland will contribute matching funds during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 academic years.

The Riverland Community College Foundation established a crisis-emergency fund back in October 2012. Anyone interested in helping students may contact the Riverland Community College Foundation at 507-433-0630 to make a gift, or go online at MnGive.org.