Update: December 7, 2021
The Fall 2021 process is now closed
Daemen College will once again be awarding federal dollars to students in need. The disbursement of stimulus dollars that Daemen College will be receiving is to be used in part to assist students and their families for “direct payment of grants to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care.” Once again, students can "opt-in" to allowing any money received be used to cover current or past balances owed to the College.
We will be using the same committee structure as we did previously comprised of administrators from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion, and Financial Aid. The committee developed a simple, straightforward process for students who have been directly affected by COVID-19 to request funds. Per current federal government guidelines, the application process is inclusive of all students who are US citizens, regardless of the modality in which they took their courses.
Below are some FAQ’s of the process and parameters being used. Please read carefully and note that the guidance from the US Department of Education continues to vary so changes could be made to this process and/or the criteria used based on revised guidance.
All Daemen College students who are currently registered for the fall 2021 term. This includes students who are undergraduate or graduate; full-time or part-time; residential or commuter; Amherst, Branch Campus or Online; international, undocumented, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or domestic Students.
The federal government has awarded Daemen College with $2,506,436 which the committee disbursed approximately half of in the spring of 2021. During the fall 2021 process, the college has $1,265,786 left to disperse. Eligible students in the fall 2021 process include all students who are currently registered for the fall 2021 term.
The federal government has been very clear, these funds must be provided directly to students who have had disruptions in their education due to COVID-19 and can be used for items such as housing, food, books, child care, course materials, technology, employment and more,
No, that is not true. The Federal Government needed a formula to provide a portion of the money to colleges and universities to award to students to help them complete their education. The way they did that was based on a formula that used combined Pell grant status of students, FTE, and headcount. That said, an individual’s financial status before the event is inconsequential to the awarding of funds. Funds are awarded based on need and impact from COVID-19.
No, it is neither. It is essentially money that will be awarded to the student directly to pay their expenses. The student can use that to pay existing tuition or future balances at the college if they so choose.
Students will be able to have these funds electronically deposited into their account once they receive notification of dollars awarded. Students who do not have a bank account, or who have concerns about this, can be provided assistance to set-up a bank account at our partner bank, Lake Shore Savings, and receive a debit card and such. Students can also "opt-in" on the application form to have the funds directly applied to their outstanding bill. Student Affairs can assist students with those needs. In rare circumstances, the College can issue paper checks if needed, but this will take longer.
From application to disbursement of funds, the process should take about 4-6 weeks, probably less. You will receive a confirmation of your application to your Daemen email account, and a letter once a decision has been made regarding your request. Please note: All communications will be sent to your official Daemen email account.
Students will receive an email to their Daemen account from our Federal Stimulus Account (COVID19-stimulus@daemen.edu) with a decision and detailed instructions.
Please note: All communications will be sent to your official Daemen email account.
Please know that Daemen College is here to support its students. If you have continued concerns or questions about finances or recent unemployment due to the impact of COVID-19, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@daemen.edu.
Additionally, the CARE Team can potentially assist with some short term funds and resources to help with emergency housing, food, etc. We would encourage you to contact Financial Aid to set up a time to speak with us or someone from the CARE Team to discuss additional options at kspicer@daemen.edu or sfennell@daemen.edu.
There is not a deadline per se, BUT the funds are limited and are available on a “first-come, first served” basis, meaning that students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. This does NOT mean that the person who applies first gets the money first; it just means that once funds are gone, they are gone.
Daemen’s goal is to provide as many funds to as many people as possible. So while there is no maximum amount, we ask students to be reasonable and detailed with their requests.
Daemen College is now, and will always be, committed to our students’ success. With a limited amount of funds, it is likely that not everyone who applies will be able to receive funds. To that end, you may get all of your request, none of your request, or some of your request. Regardless, Daemen will not turn their back on a student. There may be other things we can do including emergency housing, food, use of CARE Funds, additional financial aid, and more. The bottom line- our students’ success is our number one priority.
International, undocumented, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students who were or are currently who were or are currently registered for the fall 2021 term are eligible for these funds.
The Fall 2021 process is now closed