May 1, 2020

To: Students
From: Laurence B. Alexander, J.D., Ph.D.
Re: CARES Act Funding

Greetings Students. We hope that you and your family continue to take precautions to stay healthy and safe. The administration continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation. Our number one priority is your safety and well-being. The purpose of this email is to address a few concerns some of you have raised.

First, you may have read about the CARES Act funding. The CARES Act, which establishes and funds the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), provides funding to institutions to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. As of today, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has not received student emergency funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The application for the funds was successfully submitted. Once the funds are sent to the university, we will begin disbursing the funds as quickly as possible. In the interim, our administrators are working on the protocol to use in disbursing them. Please note, only students who are eligible for Title IV can receive funds from the CARES Act. Title IV eligibility includes but is not limited to the following: U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen; a valid Social Security number; registration with Selective Service (if the student is male); and a high school diploma, or GED. You should monitor your email and the university website for additional information.

Next, several students have contacted the Office of Development about the COVID-19 emergency funds advertised on the website. These emergency funds are NOT from the CARES Act. We received those funds from generous donors who want to help our students during this challenging time. The pool of money is very limited. Therefore, it will only fund a fraction of the request we have received. We realize that the amount and numbers of grant awards will not address everyone’s needs.

Lastly, many of you have inquired about the room and board adjustments to your accounts. If you are a graduating senior, room and board adjustments will occur by May 5, 2020. If you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, non-graduating senior, or graduate student, your accounts will be adjusted by July 1, 2020.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.