LSUS Cares

It has been almost two months since LSUS has moved to its virtual reality.

While the doors to the university may be physically shut, the administration and faculty is working tirelessly to ensure that students are getting the resources they need to finish the semester strong.

With millions of people unable to work and the economy suffering, many students have struggled financially.

In order to help these struggling students, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on March 27. Part of this $2 trillion relief package provides funding for schools and Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

In a campus wide email from the Financial Aid Office, the administration lines out the important details of the CARES Act and how it applies to our students:

“The funds must be awarded to students enrolled in on-campus programs who are eligible for Title IV funds such as Pell Grant and Direct Loans.”

LSUS will issue Emergency Financial Aid Grants to all students enrolled in an on-campus program as of March 13. The grants will be given to students who meet the following criteria:

• Have a completed FAFSA
• Are eligible for Title IV aid
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

In order to meet SAP, students must maintain a certain GPA as required by the University and make progress toward completing their degree within a specific time frame. At LSUS, all undergraduate students must maintain the following cumulative GPA:

• 1 to 12 hours - minimum 1.50
• 13 to 59 hours - minimum 1.75
• 60 or more hours - minimum 2.00

Students are also required to complete 70% of coursework attempted in order to receive funding.

This funding can be used for anything a student may need since the campus operations have ceased whether that be technology-related needs, housing, textbooks, food, or even childcare. No matter what it is being used for, the grant can be used to help with each individual recipient's priorities.

The grant is meant to help students who have been impacted by this global pandemic. In order for the administration to properly document how our university has been affected, students need to complete an anonymous survey by May 6 at http://www.lsus.edu/cares-survey.

The Financial Aid Office is working hard to ensure that students will be awarded their funds within the next few weeks. All financial awards will appear under the Financial Aid Awards tab on myLSUS.

Any questions regarding the funding can be emailed to covidacademic@lsus.edu or the Financial Aid Office at finaid@lsus.edu.