Skip to Content Skip to Footer

WesternU creates emergency support fund for students affected by COVID-19

by Rodney Tanaka

March 21, 2020

Read 2 mins

Western University of Health Sciences has created an emergency support fund to help students negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WesternU Student Emergency Support Fund is primarily designed to provide students with financial support for such priority needs as housing, utilities, food, medication, and health care, but it may also be used for academic supplies (books, technology, etc., not included in tuition and fees), travel costs related to the death or illness of an immediate family member, or replacing essential personal or academic belongings. The Fund will not provide financial support for such things as entertainment, recreation, non-emergency travel, or parking tickets.

The WesternU Student Emergency Support Fund application is now available to students within the new Award Management scholarship system at https://westernu.academicworks.com. WesternU students with emergency needs are encouraged to submit an application. Students will need to answer a few questions about their emergency situation and financial need.

Submitted applications will be reviewed by a small committee made up of representatives from University Student Affairs, Financial Aid, and University Advancement. The goal is to respond to each student’s application within two business days and provide a quick transfer of funds when warranted.

The WesternU Student Emergency Support Fund is made possible through a collaboration of campus partners and generous donors committed to helping students in need achieve their goal of graduating from WesternU. By providing financial assistance to meet immediate, essential expenses due to a temporary hardship, the Fund may prevent derailment of a WesternU student’s academic journey. COVID-19 was top of mind in setting up the Fund, but it is designed to serve students’ needs both now and in the future.

Emergency situations may include such things as injury, illness, theft, death of a family member, fire, natural disaster, or pandemic. Award amounts will vary depending on the type of emergency, individual circumstances, and the actual needs of the student affected by the emergency.

“I am happy to report that our former WesternU Board of Trustees Chair, Richard Bond, DO ’82, has already pledged a donation to the Fund, and the Student Government Association has also pledged to support their fellow students,” said WesternU Senior Vice President for University Advancement Diane M. Abraham, PhD, MBA, CFRE. “Solicitations will be sent to all WesternU alumni and donors inviting them to make a contribution online at https://giving.westernu.edu.

WesternU students inspire the next generation of health care professionals at events such as Mini-Medical School. Now, WesternU has created an emergency support fund to help current students during the COVID-19 pandemic and future generations of students. (Jeff Malet, WesternU).

 

Recommended Stories