April 2, 2020 - Panola College has announced a financial relief package available to assist students who have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Students who are enrolled in the spring 2020 semester or who are enrolling in the May, summer or fall 2020 terms are eligible to apply for assistance.
“The Panola College Foundation has voted to establish a fund that will provide one-time payments to students who need help with expenses to complete this semester,” said Jessica Pace, Director of Institutional Advancement. “Awards will range from $100 to $250, with a maximum award of $500.”
For detailed information and a link to the application form visit https://www.panola.edu/public-relations/covid19studentrelief.html.
Panola College staff members will review the applications and contact students to discuss their requests for assistance.
Expenses that may be covered by the relief fund include tuition, books and other essential academic expenses; transportation related to academic needs; food and hygiene items; utilities; medications and other costs related to medical care or safety needs.
“We want to eliminate some of the barriers to success that COVID-19 may have created for our students in their educational journey. The awards may be paid directly to vendors where the expenses are incurred, so students will need to submit supporting documents, such as invoices, receipts, unemployment letters or any documentation that directly applies to their request,” Pace said.
To qualify, the financial hardship must have resulted from COVID-19, the expense must have occurred after April 1, 2020, students must be enrolled for at least six semester credits, all other resources must have been considered and found to be insufficient or unavailable, and all questions on the application form must be complete and include supporting documentation. Applications will first be prioritized by students scheduled to graduate in the spring 2020. After this initial phase, awards will then focus on high priority area of studies (nursing, EMS, Health Sciences), students closest to graduation and the most compelling cases.
“The Panola College Foundation has been such an asset to Panola College, and we appreciate their swift action to set aside funds to help establish relief aid to help students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of students that we will be able to serve will depend on the funds available, and we invite friends and alumni to contribute to the effort. We are dealing with an unprecedented event, and we know many of our students and their families are suffering financial hardships right now,” Pace said.
Donations to the fund may be made through PayPal or credit card on the COVID-19 Student Relief webpage listed above. Funds not dispersed for COVID-19 relief will roll over to the Panola College “Feed the Need” and scholarship programs.
