Emergency support for college students is a matter of financial equity, and it’s everyone’s business

Photo credit: Julie Leopo / EdSource

California State University Northridge in Los Angeles.

Photo credit: Julie Leopo / EdSource

California State University Northridge in Los Angeles.

Monica Lozano & José A. Quiñonez

June 16, 2021

Emergency aid funds for students in our state budget, coupled with recently approved federal aid, recognize an important lesson from the pandemic: flexible cash aid works.

California offers relatively generous financial aid programs, but their application is limited and too many of our students face serious financial burdens outside of class that threaten to derail them. When used judiciously and equitably, flexible support can help students who have financial difficulties staying in school and graduating. It can change their chances and put California on the path to building a truly inclusive economy.

At the start of the pandemic, the College Futures Foundation and Mission Asset Fund worked together and engaged with peer funders to create the California College Student Emergency Support Fund. It provided $ 500 in unlimited cash assistance to low-income, full-time students in the California Community Colleges, California State University, or University of California systems.

The deluge of responses – with over 65,000 students signing up for an application within the first 72 hours – made the need clear. We’ve heard of students who lost their jobs and faced impossible decisions – pay rent, buy food, or stay at school?

The imperative was clear: focus on those who could benefit the most from cash grants – especially those who lost income, were excluded from incentive checks, and were responsible for supporting their families. In a post-scholarship survey, we found that 90% of students lost incomes, resulting in skipping meals, postponing doctor appointments, and not paying bills on time, which hurt their creditworthiness.

One scholar who had to move home to support her father and brother financially said, “When the lockdown ends, [I] have little to no money, and I run the risk of losing my remaining two jobs. I have a lot to deal with, and that affects my academics. I want to break the cycle of poverty with my education, but these adverse circumstances make this goal very difficult. “

In addition to providing practical help for a range of financial needs, flexible grants can also provide strong psychological support. Students face challenges to work, become parents, run their household, maintain their health, and excel in classes. The students we interviewed said that financial pressures and insecurity profoundly affected their self-confidence and mental health; when they struggled to meet their financial obligations, they questioned their ability to graduate.

We heard that our scholarships, while modest, made a difference to the students. Some could buy tech supplies for distance learning, pay rent or medical bills, or repair broken cars. We also heard that the imparting of respect to the disbursement of funds and the way we asked questions about the students’ situation worked beyond the dollars.

Students shared that the experience of receiving the scholarships made them feel like someone is listening and caring about their success.

Our fund experience has also shown that the first-come-first-served approach of providing services that are too often used by government and other aid programs does not change the odds; In fact, it increases inequality and diminishes hope. The applicants, who rarely come first, are told all over again that the world is against them.

So let’s change the odds. Let’s update our traditional ideas about who students are, what their daily life is like, and how best to provide help in times of need.

There is no time to waste. This spring and summer, many students are weighing difficult decisions and deciding whether to enroll in college or continue to graduate. Sharp declines in school enrollment tell a troubling story: The pressures and demands are too great for underrepresented color students, low-income and first-generation students, and those supporting family members.

In managing its current and future resources, the state should prioritize flexible and holistic support that will fill the gaps for these students and trust them to know what financial needs they are most urgent.

Likewise, California’s higher education systems, philanthropies, and corporations need to recognize their common interests and work together to develop better models to holistically and equitably assist students in their graduation so that they are not displaced from near-term benefits – deadline costs and challenges.

The pandemic and recession exposed and exacerbated existing inequality and racism. But this moment, coupled with a national race balance, also paved the way and built the public will for change. To recover as a state and build an inclusive economy, we must focus on serving better the diverse college students of today – the doctors, teachers, and civic leaders of tomorrow.

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Monica Lozano is President and CEO of the College Futures Foundation. Jose A. Quiñonez is the founder and CEO of Mission Asset Fund.

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