Stimulus in check

BY ARIELLE ZOLEZZI

The CARES act has authorized the U.S. Department of Education to provide stimulus funding for universities and colleges, including Pierce College, to help navigate this unprecedented time.

The Career and Transfer Center is also in the process of using Google Voice so mentors can speak with students over the phone instead of video chatting.

“We are starting to roll out Google Voice to talk with students on the phone if they have poor internet or are not comfortable chatting online,” Franco said.

According to Franco, it will be up and running by next week.

Admissions and Records assistant Vivian Meshriky said that she hopes Cranium Café can be utilized even when the campus is allowed to be reopened.

“The Café should be a backup plan if another outbreak comes again,” Meshriky said. “I like the idea that after we go back to the office, we can provide virtual help for the students.”

According to section 18004 (a) (1) of the CARES act, total allocation that Pierce will be receiving is $7,694,796, with a required minimum of $3,847,398 of that money going toward Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

The federal stimulus package that had been ratified in March is supposed to send out around $14 billion in grants directly to “institutions of higher education.”

Institutions have the complete responsibility of determining how grants will be distributed to students, from how the amount of each student grant is calculated to the development of any instructions or directions that are provided to students about the grant.

Even if they wanted to, students cannot apply for assistance directly from the U.S. Department of Education. They should contact their institution or college for further information and guidance if assistance is needed.