June 3, 2020
Arkansas State University Three Rivers recently received funds through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act allows ASU Three Rivers to distribute $334,662 directly to eligible ASUTR students who were affected by the disruption of campus operations during the spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Education provided guidance regarding eligibility, awarding and distribution. In order to be eligible, students must have been enrolled in on-campus (as opposed to exclusively online) coursework as of March 13, 2020, have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or be eligible to file a FAFSA, and be a U.S. citizen.
The CARES Act allocation will help ASUTR students with the financial burden caused by the COVID-19 crisis and assist with the costs of attending college by providing money directly to them.
“Like so many in our community many ASUTR students are struggling financially due to COVID-19. Although the funding provided by the CARES Act won’t solve all of their problems, we are pleased to provide some financial assistance to our students, thanks to the actions of the federal government,” said ASUTR Chancellor Steve Rook.
The amount distributed to each student was based upon the number of hours enrolled during the spring 2020 semester. Therefore, not all eligible students received the same amount of funds. For this first round of funding, $233,970 was sent to 422 ASUTR students on May 26, 2020. A second but smaller distribution of CARES Act funds will be made this fall to students who were enrolled during the spring semester, reenroll in the fall 2020 semester, and meet the same requirements as listed above.
For questions regarding ASUTR’s distribution of CARES Act funds, students may e-mail studentaccounts [at] asutr.edu.