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CARES Act

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND PUBLIC REPORTING

Motlow State Community College disbursed the first disbursement for emergency student assistance provided by the Coronavirus Act, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act the week of May 18, 2020. Updated guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) allowed additional payments to a new population of students who were not eligible for the initial emergency aid payment. Motlow sent the second and final disbursement on June 5, 2020. Motlow distributed all allocated funds.

Eligible Students

Students must have been enrolled by March 13, 2020, for the spring 2020 semester attending at least one traditional on-ground class with the non-eligible students described below.

Non-Eligible Students

Funding does not include the following:

  • Students initially enrolled exclusively in online courses as of March 13, 2020
  • Students who are transient, dual-enrolled, non-degree seeking, or in industry training programs are not eligible. Transient students are those students enrolled at one college and taking one or more courses at another institution.

 

HEERF I – CARES

The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) funding to higher education institutions provides disbursements to students with unmet expenses as a result of COVID-19. Funds must be used to cover costs related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as:

  • course materials
  • technology
  • food
  • housing
  • health care
  • childcare
  • or other costs of attendance related item

Students exclusively enrolled in online course prior to March 13, 2020 were originally eligible.  In accordance with the HEERF Certification and Agreement signed and returned to the USDOE, the institution will use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

Payment MethodOLOGY FOR SPRING 2020 – HEERF I

Our institution allocated funds to the largest number of students possible due to the impacts of COVID-19 related events. Following the initial guidance from Secretary of Education DeVos, Pell-eligible students received priority funding in the first disbursement. The institution then received additional advice that certain non-Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding, which was included in the second disbursement. Criteria for eligibility include:

  • An individual must have been a student as of March 13, 2020
  • Students cannot have been enrolled solely in an online format as of March 13, 2020

Disbursement Process FOR SPRING 2020

Any disbursed emergency grant funds were released to students by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on the student's method set up with the college. Payment is not necessarily a reflection of a student’s current student account balance. These funds are disbursed directly to a student, no matter if a current balance is owed.

The College began disbursing HEERF payments to eligible students the week of May 18, 2020.

Students determined eligible for HEERF payments received a confirmation email from the Motlow.

Email Communications FOR SPRING 2020

First Email to Students

Dear <Student_Name>,

Motlow State has initiated a CARES Act disbursement for you. As this process is underway, please be aware that qualifying students will see payments applied to their MyMotlow account statements and then refunds (when the actual payment is issued to the student) once the process is complete. This is all part of the multi-step process to issue these emergency aid payments. Please be patient as this will take some time – payments will not be immediate. If you are set up for direct deposit, your funds should be in your bank account on Friday, May 22 but may take until Monday, May 25 depending upon your bank. If you are not set up for direct deposit, a check will be mailed on Friday, May 22 to the address that appears immediately when you log into your MyMotlow account.

The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released guidance related to CARES Act emergency grant funding to higher education institutions. USDOE guidelines require emergency grants only be distributed to students who are eligible to participate in federal Title IV aid programs as outlined in Section 484 of title IV of the Higher Education Act. Students exclusively enrolled in online courses prior to March 13, 2020 are not eligible.

Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVID-19 related events. Following Secretary of Education DeVos’s guidance, Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution’s determined criteria, certain non-Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding. Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to you by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on the method you have setup with the college. A payment is not necessarily a reflection of your current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution.

Although you are considered qualifying based on institutional criteria and affected by the transition to online learning due to COVID-19, USDOE regulations require funds be used to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care). Therefore, any emergency grant funds disbursed to you must be used for such qualifying expenses. Your acceptance of the funding is considered confirmation you have a qualifying expense. If you wish to return the funds to the institution, you must contact [email protected].

Our staff are available and willing to assist you with any additional questions you may have at this time or as you think about re-enrolling for the summer and/or fall terms. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them at: [email protected].

Stay safe!
Sincerely,
Michael Torrence
President
Motlow State Community College

Second Email to Students

Dear <Student_Name>,

The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund-IHE/Student Aid provides funding to institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet.
Motlow State has initiated a CARES Act disbursement for you. As this process is underway, please be aware that qualifying students will see payments applied to their MyMotlow account statements and then refunds (when the actual payment is issued to the student) once the process is complete. This is all part of the multi-step process to issue these emergency aid payments. Please be patient as this will take some time - payments will not be immediate. If you are set up for direct deposit, your funds should be in your bank account on Tuesday, June 9 depending upon your bank. If you are not set up for direct deposit, a check will be mailed on Tuesday, June 9 to the address that appears immediately when you log into your MyMotlow account.

Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVID-19 related events. A payment is not necessarily a reflection of your current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution.

Although you are considered qualifying based on institutional criteria and affected by the transition to online learning due to COVID-19, USDOE regulations require funds be used to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student's cost of attendance, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care). Therefore, any emergency grant funds disbursed to you must be used for such qualifying expenses. Your acceptance of the funding is considered confirmation you have a qualifying expense. If you wish to return the funds to the institution, you must contact [email protected].

Our staff are available and willing to assist you with any additional questions you may have at this time or as you think about re-enrolling for the summer and/or fall terms. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them at: [email protected].

Stay safe!
Sincerely,
Michael Torrence
President
Motlow State Community College

Please direct all questions to [email protected].

HEERF I Payment Allocation Information

Category Number
Number of Title IV eligible students who may qualify for HEERF payments: 2,335
Total amount of HEERF aid available for payments to students: $1,589,392
Total amount of HEERF aid paid to eligible students: $1,745,626.14
Total number of eligible students paid: 3,438

* This is the final quarterly posting covering all remaining HEERF I fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion funds.

HEERF II – CRRSAA

Funds awarded under section 314(a) of the CRRSAA must be reserved to provide students with financial aid grants, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare. 

If an institution obtains a student’s written (or electronic), affirmative consent, an institution is permitted to apply these grants directly to the student’s institutional account; however, students must be informed that they retain the option to receive a direct disbursement of the financial aid grant and that an institution may not require that the grant be applied to the student’s account. 

Unlike the CARES Act, the CRRSAA requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants, in awarding financial aid grants to students. However, students do not need to be Pell recipients or students who are eligible for Pell grants to be identified as having exceptional need. In addition, the CRRSAA explicitly provides that financial aid grants to students may be provided to students exclusively enrolled in distance education.

PAYMENT METHODOLOGY FOR SPRING 2021 – HEERF II

Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impact of COVID-19 related events.  Following the United States Secretary of Education’s guidance, Pell eligible students received priority funding. Additionally, based on our institution’s determined criteria, certain non-Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding.  Criteria is outlined below:

  • An individual must have been as student as of March 30, 2021
  • Dual Students, transient or non-degree seeking students, as well as students enrolled in non-credit courses are not eligible

DISBURSEMENT PROCESS FOR SPRING 2021

Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to students by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on the method the student has setup with the college. A payment is not necessarily a reflection of a student’s current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution.

The College plans to disburse funds by the end of April 2021 to eligible students.

As of April 1, 2021, eligible students for HEERF payments have received two emails.  One reminding students how to sign up for direct deposit and how to update their addresses.  The other email was sent to students that have been determined to be eligible for HEERF II funding.

FIRST EMAIL TO STUDENTS

Dear <Student_Name>, 
 
CARES Act Emergency Grant Funding payments are scheduled to be disbursed during the month of April.  We do not know the payment amount at this time but we will send an updated email as soon as we know a specific date for the direct deposit and check runs.  If you are not set up for direct deposit, a check will be mailed to your address. To avoid delays, please verify that your current MyMotlow mailing address and/or direct deposit information is current.  Your address appears immediately when you log into your MyMotlow account.   
 
The easiest and fastest way to receive your payment in your bank account is to sign up for an electronic direct deposit by April 1st. Just follow these easy steps: 

  • Go to: MyMotlow
  • Click on the Student Tab
  • Click on Student Account 
  • Choose: Set up Direct Deposit 

Our staff are available and willing to assist you with any additional questions you may have at this time.  Please email [email protected] or call (931) 393-1531 for assistance.   
 
Sincerely, 
 
Motlow State Community College 
 
Although you are considered qualifying based on institutional criteria, USDOE regulations require funds be used to assist with any component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care. Therefore, any emergency grant funds disbursed to you must be used for such qualifying expenses. Your acceptance of the funding is considered confirmation you have a qualifying expense. If you wish to return the funds to the institution, please respond to this email.

SECOND EMAIL TO STUDENTS

Dear <Student_Name>,

The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released guidance related to HEERF emergency grant funding to higher education institutions. You will be notified via email and text as soon as we know when payments will be distributed.

Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVTD-19 related events. Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution's determined criteria, certain non-Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding. Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to you by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on the method you have setup with the college. Although you are considered qualifying based on institutional criteria, USDOE regulations require funds be used to assist with any component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care. Therefore, any emergency grant funds disbursed to you must be used for such qualifying expenses. Your acceptance of the funding is considered confirmation you have a qualifying expense. If you wish to return the funds to the institution, you must reply to this email at [email protected].

Our staff are available and willing to assist you with any additional questions you may have at this time. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them at [email protected] or call (931) 393-1531 for assistance. 

Stay safe!
Sincerely,
Michael Torrence
President
Motlow State Community College

THIRD EMAIL TO STUDENTS

Subject Line: CARES Act Funding Update

Dear <student name>,

You are receiving <amount> in CARES Act Emergency Grant Funding being disbursed starting on April 9th.  If you have direct deposit, funds will be deposited in your bank account within two business days.  If you did not elect direct deposit, a check will be mailed to the address on file in your MyMotlow account before April 16th . 
 
Our staff are available and willing to assist you with any additional questions you may have at this time.  Please email [email protected] or call (931) 393-1531 for assistance.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Motlow State Community College
 
Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVTD-19 related events. Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution's determined criteria, certain non-Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding. Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to you by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on the method you have setup with the college.  Although you are considered qualifying based on institutional criteria, USDOE regulations require funds be used to assist with any component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care. Therefore, any emergency grant funds disbursed to you must be used for such qualifying expenses. Your acceptance of the funding is considered confirmation you have a qualifying expense. If you wish to return the funds to the institution, you must reply to this email at [email protected].

HEERF II PAYMENT ALLOCATION INFORMATION

Category Number
Number of Title IV eligible students who may qualify for HEERF payments: 3,556
Total amount of HEERF II aid available for payments to students: $1,588,892.30
Total amount of HEERF II aid paid to eligible students:  $1,588,892.30
Total number of eligible students paid: 3,544

Table is initially published no later than 30 days after the institution received HEERF funds and is updated no later than 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter.

HEERF III – ARP

Student HEERF funds awarded under the ARP must be reserved to provide students with financial aid grants, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare. 

If an institution obtains a student’s written (or electronic), affirmative consent, an institution is permitted to apply these grants directly to the student’s institutional account; however, students must be informed that they retain the option to receive a direct disbursement of the financial aid grant and that an institution may not require that the grant be applied to the student’s account.

The ARP requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants, in awarding financial aid grants to students. However, students do not need to be Pell recipients or students who are eligible for Pell grants to be identified as having exceptional need.

Payment Methodology

Motlow State determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVID-19 related events. Following USDOE’s guidance, Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution’s determined criteria, certain non-Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding.

Criteria for eligibility include:

  • An individual must have been enrolled on or after March 13, 2020. 
  • Students did not have to be title IV eligible. 
  • Students complete an application requesting assistance and confirming they have a financial need due to COVID-19. They may also authorize payment towards current account balances, but this is not required for eligibility.

Disbursement Process

Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to students by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on if the student has an e-refund profile set up with the college. Students were provided the option to authorize payment towards current account balances, but this was not required for eligibility. 

A payment is not necessarily a reflection of a student’s current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution, unless the student provided authorization for application to account balances.

Students determined eligible for HEERF payments will receive a confirmation email from the college.

HEERF III – TEXT AND EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS FOR FALL 2021

Notification Text for Campus-wide Campaign – 8/16/21 and 8/26/21

“There may be help!  You may log into your MyMotlow, then under the Student tab click HEERF Emergency Grant.  The form will be available for until 4:00 today and requests can be up to $2000 on a first come first serve basis while funding lasts.”


Notification Text for Campus-wide Campaign – Sent 10/11/21

FIRST NAME>- Please check your Motlow student email for possible emergency grant funds!  Deadline to apply is 10/19/21. This is an automated text message, so please do not respond. Motlow Business Office. -DO NOT REPLY-

Notification Email Campus-wide Campaign – Emailed 10/11/21
 
Dear <STUDENT_NAME>,

The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released guidance related to HEERF emergency grant funding to higher education institutions to assist students with any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care.

HEERF funds are emergency grants and do not require repayment. Students may request funding by following the steps below.

  1. Login to MOTLOWHUB.
  2. Click the MyMotlow icon to login to Banner self-service.
  3. Click the Personal Information link if you are not directed there.
  4. Click ‘Answer a Survey’ link.
  5. Complete the HEERF III survey questions.
    • Question 1 allows you to request assistance.
    • Question 2 allows you to authorize the aid apply to your student account prior to any refunding.

Award amounts vary and are based on the number of applications received and amount of available funding. Pell Grant eligibility status is also considered to meet USDOE’s requirement to prioritize students in exceptional need. The Fall 2021 term survey will remain open until midnight October 19th. Students requesting assistance must do so by this date.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call (931) 393-1531 for assistance.
 
Thank you,

Reminder Text for Campus-wide Campaign – Sent 10/14/21

First Name>- If you haven't checked your student email since 10/11, please do so for info on possible emergency grant funds! Deadline to apply is 10/19/21. This is an automated text message, so please do not respond. Motlow Business Office. -DO NOT RESPOND-


Email notification on the amount the student is receiving – Sent 10/21/21

Subject Line: HEERF Emergency Grant Funding Update

Dear <student name>,

The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released guidance related to HEERF emergency grant funding to higher education institutions. You are receiving <amount> in HEERF Emergency Grant Funding being disbursed on October 21nd and 22st.  If you have direct deposit, funds will be deposited in your bank account within two business days.  If you did not elect direct deposit, a check will be mailed to the address on file in your MyMotlow account. 

Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVID-19 related events. Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution’s determined criteria, certain non-Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding. Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to you by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on the method you have setup with the college. However, a student may have also authorized funds be applied to an eligible outstanding balance on a student account. A payment is not necessarily a reflection of your current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student in the absence of an authorization or may not have been sufficient to cover a student’s full outstanding balance. 

Although you are considered qualifying based on institutional criteria, USDOE regulations require funds be used to assist with any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care. Therefore, any emergency grant funds disbursed to you must be used for such qualifying expenses. Your application for funding completed in the student portal confirms you have a financial need due to COVID-19. 

Our staff are available and willing to assist you with any additional questions you may have at this time. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them at [email protected] or call (931) 393-1531 for assistance.  

Stay safe!
Sincerely,

Motlow Business Office

HEERF III PAYMENT ALLOCATION INFORMATION – DECEMBER 2021

Total amount of HEERF III aid available for payments to students: $5,762,274
Total amount of HEERF III aid paid to eligible students: $2,764,302
Total number of eligible students paid: $1,851
Event Date
Date Institution Submitted HEERF Certification Agreement to USDOE:
 April 14, 2020
Date Information Originally Published Online:
 May 14, 2020
Website Updated with new information form USDOE:
 June 12, 2020
Website Updated (1st 45-day requirement):
May 28, 2020
Website Updated (2nd requirement): July 8, 2020
Website Updated (3rd requirement)
October 9, 2020
Website Updated (4th requirement)
January 5, 2021
Website Updated (5th requirement)
April 5, 2021
Website Updated (6th requirement)
May 26, 2021
Website Updated (7th requirement)
October 6, 2021

HEERF Quarterly Reporting

 

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