COVID-19 Operations / en Fairfax County Health Department recognizes Mason for outstanding partnership in pandemic response /news/2023-04/fairfax-county-health-department-recognizes-mason-outstanding-partnership-pandemic <span>Fairfax County Health Department recognizes Mason for outstanding partnership in pandemic response</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/231" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Wed, 04/19/2023 - 13:33</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">AV was recognized by the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) for being an outstanding system partner in managing and operationalizing the university's pandemic planning, response, and recovery. The partnership, which began long before the COVID-19 pandemic, has been vital in enhancing the health and well-being of the shared communities. </span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-04/230321612.jpg" width="450" height="300" alt="bunch of people lined up in front of signs" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Mason was recognized by the Fairfax County Health Department for being an outstanding partner in pandemic response. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>When the pandemic hit, Student Health Services (SHS) quickly reached out to FCHD to leverage their public health expertise, situational awareness, and access to vaccines. Safety, Emergency, and Enterprise Risk Management (SEERM), SHS, Athletics, Human Resources, and FCHD met frequently throughout the pandemic to share knowledge and resources and discuss strategies related to outbreak mitigation and management.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>As vaccines became available, Mason was able to expand access to the COVID-19 vaccine through mass vaccination clinics, mobile clinics, and routine vaccine clinics that are still in operation today. They also provided testing to the community, which alleviated some of the burden on regional and county testing sites.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>The success of the university's initial vaccine clinics reinforced the strong sense of trust and camaraderie between the university and the FCHD. This led to FCHD entrusting Mason with enough vaccine supplies to operate the region's second largest mass vaccination clinic, capable of offering up to 3,000 vaccines per day for the regional community, as well as Mason students, faculty, and staff.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>The university's vaccine clinics and testing capacity have alleviated pressure on regional health departments, increased access to tests and vaccines, and provided vaccines to underserved communities through a mobile vaccine clinic program. These efforts demonstrated Mason’s commitment to public health and serving the regional community. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Julie Zobel, associate vice president of SEERM and Mason’s COVID director, expressed her gratitude for the partnership between Mason and FCHD. "We are honored to have worked alongside the Fairfax County Health Department to serve our community during these challenging times,” said Zobel. “The success of our pandemic response would not have been possible without this partnership. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and commitment to public health”</span></span></p> <p><span><span>“We are grateful for our partnership with the Fairfax County Health Department,” added Steve Wintermeyer, interim director of SHS. “Their expertise in contact tracing helped us to contain outbreaks and provide expert, timely guidance to our student body. I am proud that Student Health Services had the opportunity to contribute to the overall health and well-being of our shared community. I am very grateful to our staff who helped so many students during such a challenging time."</span></span></p> <p><span><span>In recognition of Mason’s incredible contribution to the region's pandemic response, Gloria Addo-Ayensu, director of health at FCHD, visited Mason to present certificates of appreciation to key Mason players involved in the response to the COVID pandemic.</span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/206" hreflang="en">Faculty and Staff News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17886" hreflang="en">Safety Emergency and Enterprise Risk Management SEERM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1651" hreflang="en">Student Health Services</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:33:18 +0000 Colleen Rich 105101 at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report /news/2022-04/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report <span>Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Thu, 04/07/2022 - 14:38</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span><span>April 8, 2022</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>To the Mason Community:</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>On May 18, 2021, AV received a $32,116,557 supplemental allocation of funding for student emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law on March 11, 2021.  This third round of funding is commonly referred to as “HEERF III”.  </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Education has established eligibility and prioritization requirements for students to receive grants from the HEERF programs.  Recent updates to the eligibility guidelines have expanded the population of eligible students beyond those eligible for earlier rounds of HEERF awards.  Mason estimates that up to 38,000 students are eligible to receive HEERF III grants based upon these expanded guidelines.  Mason has the discretion to determine individual award amounts provided to eligible students.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>For the HEERF III awards, Mason is continuing to use a multi-prong approach which includes proactive awards to students with existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system and application-based awards utilizing our existing Student Emergency Assistance grant process.  Students were identified for proactive awards ranging from $500 - $1,350 with higher amounts awarded to students with the greatest need as indicated by estimated family contribution (EFC) as determined on the FAFSA.  Application-based awards are provided to eligible students experiencing adverse financial impacts of the pandemic based on information provided in their applications.  We anticipate that these funds will be fully disbursed during the 2021-2022 academic year.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The table below lists the award distributions made during the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2022, along with information on previous distributions for reference.  </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><span>ARPA – HEERF III Awards</span></strong></span></span></span></p> <table><tbody><tr><td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>Prior Quarters</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>1/1/2022-<br /> 3/31/2022</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>Grand Total</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total amount of HEERF grants distributed<br /> to students</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$15,952,916</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$15,037,370</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$30,990,286</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Number of students who received a<br /> HEERF grant (unduplicated)</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>14,414</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>12,448</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>15,840</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Students experiencing on-going financial hardships are encouraged to apply for emergency assistance available from the HEERF funds, and can submit applications for assistance via Mason’s </span></span><a href="https://ulife.gmu.edu/"><span><span>University Life</span></span></a><span><span> website.   The application is updated for each new semester.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 07 Apr 2022 18:38:44 +0000 Aju Cherian 68401 at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report /news/2022-01/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report <span>Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Mon, 01/10/2022 - 19:45</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p>January 10, 2022</p> <p> </p> <p>To the Mason Community:</p> <p>On May 18, 2021, AV received a $32,116,557 supplemental allocation of funding for student emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law on March 11, 2021.  This third round of funding is commonly referred to as “HEERF III”.</p> <p>The Department of Education has established eligibility and prioritization requirements for students to receive grants from the HEERF programs.  Recent updates to the eligibility guidelines have expanded the population of eligible students beyond those eligible for earlier rounds of HEERF awards.  Mason estimates that up to 38,000 students are eligible to receive HEERF III grants based upon these expanded guidelines.  Mason has the discretion to determine individual award amounts provided to eligible students.</p> <p>For the HEERF III awards, Mason is continuing to use a multi-prong approach which includes proactive awards to students with existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system and application-based awards utilizing our existing Student Emergency Assistance grant process.  Students were identified for proactive awards ranging from $500 - $1,350 with higher amounts awarded to students with the greatest need as indicated by estimated family contribution (EFC) as determined on the FAFSA.  Application-based awards are provided to eligible students experiencing adverse financial impacts of the pandemic based on information provided in their applications.  We anticipate that these funds will be fully disbursed during the 2021-2022 academic year.</p> <p>The table below lists the award distributions made during the calendar quarter ended December 31, 2021, along with information on previous distributions for reference. </p> <p><strong>ARPA – HEERF III Awards </strong></p> <table><tbody><tr><td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>Prior Quarters</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>10/1/2021–<br /> 12/31/2021</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>Grand Total</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total amount of HEERF grants distributed<br /> to students</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$14,597,933</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$1,354,983</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$15,952,916</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total number of students who received a<br /> HEERF grant</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>13,161</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>1,253</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>14,414</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p>Students experiencing on-going financial hardships are encouraged to apply for emergency assistance available from the HEERF funds, and can submit applications for assistance via Mason’s <a href="https://ulife.gmu.edu/"> University Life</a><span><span> website. The application is updated for each new semester. </span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:45:23 +0000 Aju Cherian 62916 at Amira Roess Answers Early Questions on the Omicron Variant /news/2021-12/amira-roess-answers-frequently-asked-questions-omicron-variant <span>Amira Roess Answers Early Questions on the Omicron Variant </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/811" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" content="John Brandon Cantrell" xml:lang="">John Brandon C…</span></span> <span>Tue, 12/07/2021 - 13:30</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/aroess" hreflang="und">Amira Roess, PhD, MPH</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><h3>Amira Roess, professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, answers questions about the emerging COVID-19 Omicron variant. </h3> <div class="align-right"> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2021-01/daniel-schludi-mAGZNECMcUg-COVID%20Vaccine.jpg?itok=g9GEn5L9" width="280" height="350" alt="COVID Vaccine by Daniel Schludi" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>What is The Omicron Covid-19 variant, and when can we expect it to emerge in the US? </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The Omicron variant is a variant of the COVID-19 virus and has several mutations on the spike protein. This is of significance because the spike protein is what current vaccines and therapeutics target. These changes or mutations may have implications for transmission and effectiveness of current vaccines and therapeutics. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Every day we will learn about new cases of the Omicron variant in the United States and throughout the world. Typically, by the time we identify the first case of a variant, there are dozens if not hundreds more that have not been identified. This is an artifact of our surveillance system and our testing strategy. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>What should people do differently over the holiday, in light of the new variant?  </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>There is a lot that we need to learn and we are gathering information quickly. Over the next several days we will have more data about the transmissibility of this variant and the possible implications of this on disease spread, and vaccine and therapeutic effectiveness. In the meantime, individuals should prioritize getting the vaccine and the booster if they are eligible and should continue to wear masks in crowded indoor settings. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Those with underlying conditions and the elderly should continue to be vigilant in order to avoid infection. If you are going to spend the holidays with individuals who are older or have multiple underlying conditions then it's extremely important that you, and they, get vaccinated and get the booster in order to minimize the chance of transmission at holiday gatherings.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>What are the best ways for an individual to protect themselves and minimize the spread of the Omicron variant?  </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Getting the vaccine and the booster are the most important things that you can do to protect yourself against this variant.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>The World Health Organization describes Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’ as scientists work to learn more. What precautions can the Mason Community take now for protection against this new variant? </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The Mason community should continue to do what it has been doing. We have a very high vaccination rate and now we need to increase our booster rate. If you have symptoms make sure that you get tested and quarantine or isolate as appropriate. We need to continue to wear our masks, especially in crowded indoor settings in order to protect ourselves and others. Remember that masks are effective in reducing the risk of transmission of covid-19 and other respiratory microbes.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>It seems like things are changing every day. Why and when can we expect to know more? Could it take weeks for the initial research to be done?</span></strong> </span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>We learn more every day. Each day we are identifying cases and investigating clusters. I suspect that in a week we'll have more information on the implications of the emergent variant on transmission dynamics, disease severity, and vaccine effectiveness. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The most important thing to keep in mind is that our current vaccines do seem to protect against severe disease and while this may change in the future, it does not change the fact that the Delta variant is still the dominant strain in the US and the vaccines that we have are highly effective against severe disease, hospitalizations, and deaths. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>Should you cancel your holiday party and festivities? Just as we are getting excited about celebrating over the holidays, after last year’s hugely restricted activities, the Omicron variant has surfaced. Is there any need to change the plan to be with family and friends over the winter break? </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>For now, we do not need to change our winter holiday plans. If you and all of those at your holiday gatherings have been vaccinated and have received a booster as appropriate then you have truly done everything you can to significantly reduce the risk of infection. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The recommendations for travel are the same. Continue to wear masks when you are in indoor settings, especially in crowded settings, which includes on airplanes, buses, trains, and in airports and shopping centers. If you have symptoms avoid contact with others until you get tested. These actions continue to greatly reduce the risk of infection.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>For those of us who are vaccinated, do our vaccines hold up against the Omicron variant? What about boosters?</span></strong> </span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Preliminary data suggest that individuals who have been vaccinated have mild symptoms when infected with the Omicron variant. This supports the recommendation that all eligible individuals really should get vaccinated and get the booster. We will learn more in the coming days and weeks.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>All three vaccine manufacturers in the U.S. – Moderna (MRNA), Pfizer (PFE), and Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) are already conducting research to determine how their vaccines fare against Omicron. When will the results be available?</span></strong>  </span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>These vaccine manufacturers have indicated that they may be able to produce a vaccine that is updated to respond to the Omicron variant in about 3 months. This timeline will be updated as more information emerges.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>There is still a significant number of “unknowns” about the mutant strain. What are the next steps?</span></strong> </span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Public health departments throughout the world are working on sequencing as many samples as they can in order to assess whether or not the Omicron variant will outcompete the Delta variant, that is will become the dominant strain. We are also collecting clinical and other information from individuals infected with the emergent variant to estimate the effectiveness of current vaccines and therapeutics against it and to better understand what symptoms are common among those infected with the Omicron variant.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>Is Omicron more transmissible and does it cause more severe disease? </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Right now we have very limited data on this. The Omicron cases reported from South Africa were primarily in younger adults and they tended to have mild symptoms. Younger adults infected with other variants generally have more mild symptoms than older adults and so this preliminary information, while promising, is not enough to definitively answer this question. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Fully vaccinated individuals who have been infected with the Omicron variant also seem to have no to mild symptoms and this is also promising. More data are needed though before we can have a definitive answer on this.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>Should people be flexible over the holidays? </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Flexibility is always a good thing. For now, it is important to follow the vaccine recommendations and get the booster if you are eligible. The higher our vaccination rates the lower the number of vulnerable individuals. If we can reduce the infection rates then we can keep our hospitals running and We can also reduce transmission cycles. The more opportunities we have for viral transmission the more opportunities there are for mutations to occur and variance to emerge.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>According to the W.H.O., Covid symptoms linked to the new Omicron variant have been described as “extremely mild.” Is this true?</span></strong> </span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>There is limited information about this. The cases that have been reported so far suggest that infection with the Omicron variant may lead to mild symptoms. However, this is preliminary information and more data are needed. We will learn more in the coming days.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>Currently, the U.S. has restricted travel from South Africa and 7 other Southern African countries. What recommendations do you have regarding air travel? </span></strong></span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Individuals who plan to travel should get their boosters before doing so and should wear masks while they are in transit in order to reduce their chance of infection.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span><strong><span>What advice do you have about wearing masks? Can a medical-grade mask help protect against Covid, colds, and flu? What should we know about the latest mask mandates?</span></strong> </span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span><span>It's a very good idea to continue to wear masks in indoor settings throughout the winter in order to reduce your chance of getting COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory infections. Many jurisdictions have removed mask mandates or are scheduled to lift them. I would not be surprised if we saw a return to mask mandates given the increase in cases, the emergence of the Omicron variant, and the fact that we are entering cold and flu season. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Masks are simple to wear and are effective in reducing the transmission of respiratory pathogens.</span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/376" hreflang="en">Covid-19</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8461" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Testing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 07 Dec 2021 18:30:04 +0000 John Brandon Cantrell 61486 at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report /news/2021-10/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report-0 <span>Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Fri, 10/08/2021 - 14:05</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span><span><span>To the Mason Community:</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>On May 18, 2021, AV received a $32,116,557 supplemental allocation of funding for student emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law on March 11, 2021.  This third round of funding is commonly referred to as “HEERF III”.  </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Education has established eligibility and prioritization requirements for students to receive grants from the HEERF programs.  Recent updates to the eligibility guidelines have expanded the population of eligible students beyond those eligible for earlier rounds of HEERF awards.  Mason estimates that up to 38,000 students are eligible to receive HEERF III grants based upon these expanded guidelines.  Mason has the discretion to determine individual award amounts provided to eligible students.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>For the HEERF III awards, Mason is continuing to use a multi-prong approach which includes proactive awards to students with existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system and application-based awards utilizing our existing Student Emergency Assistance grant process.  Students were identified for proactive awards based on a combination of factors including (but not limited to) estimated family contribution (EFC), unmet need, student level, and residency status.  Application-based awards are provided to eligible students experiencing adverse financial impacts of the pandemic based on information provided in their applications.  We anticipate that these funds will be fully disbursed during the 2021-2022 academic year.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The table below lists the award distributions made during the calendar quarter ended September 30, 2021.  This was the first calendar quarter in which HEERF III awards were made.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><span>ARPA – HEERF III Awards</span></strong></span></span></span></p> <table><tbody><tr><td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>7/1/2021 – 9/30/2021</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total amount of HEERF grants distributed to students</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$14,597,933</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total number of students who received a HEERF grant</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>13,159</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span>Students experiencing on-going financial hardships are encouraged to apply for emergency assistance available from the HEERF funds, and can submit applications for assistance at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span><a href="https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-fall-2021/">https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-fall-2021/</a>.</span></span> The application is updated for each new semester.</span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 08 Oct 2021 18:05:37 +0000 Aju Cherian 55221 at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report/FINAL /news/2021-10/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report <span>Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report/FINAL</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Fri, 10/08/2021 - 13:44</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>To the Mason Community:</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>On February 16, 2021, AV received a $10,427,512 supplemental allocation of funding for student emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as authorized under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed into law on December 27, 2020.  This second round of funding is commonly referred to as “HEERF II”.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Education has established eligibility and prioritization requirements for students to receive grants from the HEERF programs.  Recent updates to the eligibility guidelines have expanded the population of eligible students beyond those eligible for earlier rounds of HEERF awards.  Mason estimates that approximately 23,600 students were eligible to receive HEERF II grants based on the guidelines.  Within those guidelines, Mason has the discretion to determine individual award amounts provided to eligible students. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>For the HEERF II awards, Mason used a multi-prong approach which included proactive awards to students with existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system and application-based awards utilizing our existing Student Emergency Assistance grant process.    Students were identified for proactive awards based on a combination of factors including (but not limited to) estimated family contribution (EFC), unmet need, student level, and residency status.  Application-based awards were provided to eligible students experiencing adverse financial impacts of the pandemic based on information provided in their applications.  The majority of the HEERF II awards were disbursed to students during the Spring 2021 semester. Emergency awards continued to be awarded during the summer 2021 term. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The table below lists the award distributions made during the calendar quarter ended September 30, 2021, along with information on previous distributions for reference.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><span>CRRSAA – HEERF II Awards <em> </em></span></strong></span></span></span></p> <table><tbody><tr><td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>Prior quarters</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>7/1/2021 - 9/30/2021</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>Grand Total</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Amount of HEERF II grants </span></span></span><br /><span><span><span>distributed to </span></span></span><span><span><span>students</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>$10,265,892</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>$113,012</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>$10,378,904</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total number of students who </span></span></span><br /><span><span><span>received </span></span></span><span><span><span>a </span></span></span><span><span><span>HEERF grant</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>9,748</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span><strong>64</strong></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>9,812</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The remaining unallocated HEERF II funds, along with any amounts from adjustments or uncashed checks from previously issued awards have been rolled over into the funds available for distribution under HEERF III grants (funded by the American Rescue Plan Act).  As such, this is the final quarterly report for Mason’s emergency student awards under HEERF II.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Students experiencing on-going financial hardships are encouraged to apply for emergency assistance available from the HEERF funds, and can submit applications for assistance at<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span><span><span><span><span><a href="https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-fall-2021/">https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-fall-2021/</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span> The application is updated for each new semester.</span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 08 Oct 2021 17:44:07 +0000 Aju Cherian 55216 at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report /news/2021-08/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report-0 <span>Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Wed, 08/11/2021 - 10:44</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>To the Mason Community:</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>AV received supplemental allocations of funding for student emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as authorized under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed into law on December 27, 2020 as listed in the table below.  </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Education has established eligibility and prioritization requirements for students to receive grants from these programs.  Recent updates to the eligibility guidelines have expanded the population of eligible students beyond those eligible for earlier rounds of HEERF awards.  Within those guidelines, Mason has the discretion to determine individual award amounts provided to eligible students.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <table><tbody><tr><td> <p><span><span><span><em>January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021</em></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>CRRSAA – HEERF II</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Date of award notice</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>February 16, 2021</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total amount of funds that the institution will receive for grants to students</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>$10,427,512</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total amount of HEERF grants distributed to students during this quarter</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>8,124,080</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to receive HEERF grants</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>23,601</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total number of students who received a HEERF grant during this quarter</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>7,802</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>For the HEERF II awards, Mason used a multi-prong approach which included proactive awards to students with existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system and application-based awards utilizing our existing Student Emergency Assistance grant process.    Students were identified for proactive awards based on a combination of factors including (but not limited to) estimated family contribution (EFC), unmet need, student level, and residency status.  Application-based awards were provided to eligible students experiencing adverse financial impacts of the pandemic based on information provided in their applications.  The majority of the HEERF II awards were disbursed to students during the Spring 2021 semester. The remaining funds are still being used for Emergency awards for the summer 2021 term. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Students experiencing on-going financial hardships are encouraged to apply for emergency assistance available from the HEERF funds, and can submit applications for assistance at: </span></span><a href="https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-summer-2021/"><span><span>https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-summer-2021/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span><span><span>.</span></span></span></span><span><span> The application is updated for each new semester.</span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 11 Aug 2021 14:44:29 +0000 Aju Cherian 49426 at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report /news/2021-08/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report <span>Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Wed, 08/11/2021 - 10:39</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>To the Mason Community:</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>AV received supplemental allocations of funding for student emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as authorized under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed into law on December 27, 2020 as listed in the table below.  </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Education has established eligibility and prioritization requirements for students to receive grants from these programs.  Recent updates to the eligibility guidelines have expanded the population of eligible students beyond those eligible for earlier rounds of HEERF awards.  Within those guidelines, Mason has the discretion to determine individual award amounts provided to eligible students.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <table><tbody><tr><td> <p><span><span><span><em>April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021</em></span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>CRRSAA – HEERF II</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Date of award notice</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>February 16, 2021</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total amount of funds that the institution will receive for grants to students</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>$10,427,512</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total amount of HEERF grants distributed to students during this quarter</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>2,141,813</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to receive HEERF grants</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>23,601</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr><tr><td> <p><span><span><span>Total number of students who received a HEERF grant during this quarter</span></span></span></p> </td> <td> <p><span><span><span>2,018</span></span></span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Click <a href="https://www2.gmu.edu/news/2021-08/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report-0">HERE</a> to access the January - March 2021 report.</strong></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>For the HEERF II awards, Mason used a multi-prong approach which included proactive awards to students with existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system and application-based awards utilizing our existing Student Emergency Assistance grant process.    Students were identified for proactive awards based on a combination of factors including (but not limited to) estimated family contribution (EFC), unmet need, student level, and residency status.  Application-based awards were provided to eligible students experiencing adverse financial impacts of the pandemic based on information provided in their applications.  The majority of the HEERF II awards were disbursed to students during the Spring 2021 semester. The remaining funds are still being used for Emergency awards for the summer 2021 term. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Students experiencing on-going financial hardships are encouraged to apply for emergency assistance available from the HEERF funds, and can submit applications for assistance at: </span></span></span></span><span><span><span><a href="https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-summer-2021/"><span><span>https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-summer-2021/</span></span></a></span></span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span><span><span><span><span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span> The application is updated for each new semester.</span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 11 Aug 2021 14:39:59 +0000 Aju Cherian 49421 at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report /news/2021-07/higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-student-report-0 <span>Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Tue, 07/13/2021 - 12:35</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>To the Mason Community:</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>AV received supplemental allocations of funding for student emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law on March 11, 2021 as listed in the table below.  </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Education has established eligibility and prioritization requirements for students to receive grants from these programs.  Recent updates to the eligibility guidelines have expanded the population of eligible students beyond those eligible for earlier rounds of HEERF awards.  Within those guidelines, Mason has the discretion to determine individual award amounts provided to eligible students.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mason is currently evaluating alternatives for distribution of the HEERF III student aid funds.  We anticipate that these funds will be fully disbursed during the 2021-2022 academic year.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>For the HEERF II awards, Mason used a multi-prong approach which included proactive awards to students with existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system and application-based awards utilizing our existing Student Emergency Assistance grant process.    Students were identified for proactive awards based on a combination of factors including (but not limited to) estimated family contribution (EFC), unmet need, student level, and residency status.  Application-based awards were provided to eligible students experiencing adverse financial impacts of the pandemic based on information provided in their applications.  The majority of the HEERF II awards were disbursed to students during the Spring 2021 semester. The remaining funds are still being used for Emergency awards for the summer 2021 term. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Students experiencing on-going financial hardships are encouraged to apply for emergency assistance available from the HEERF funds, and can submit applications for assistance at: </span></span><a href="https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-summer-2021/"><span><span>https://ulife.gmu.edu/student-emergency-assistance-funding-summer-2021/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span><span><span>.</span></span></span></span><span><span> The application is updated for each new semester.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 13 Jul 2021 16:35:26 +0000 Aju Cherian 46846 at March 31: CARES Act Disclosure /news/2021-03/march-31-cares-act-disclosure <span>March 31: CARES Act Disclosure</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/241" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Aju Cherian</span></span> <span>Wed, 03/31/2021 - 11:12</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>March 31, 2021</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>To the Mason Community: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>AV submitted the Certification and Agreement for the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) allocation for Student Emergency Aid on April 13, 2020, and received notice of the award on April 22, 2020. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mason has used, or intends to use, no less than the $10,427,512 that will be received under this program. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Education has established eligibility requirements for students to receive grants from this program. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>We estimate that since the inception of the program 27,551 Mason students met the government’s eligibility requirements.  </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mason has the discretion to determine the amount of each individual emergency financial aid grant provided to Mason students who meet eligibility requirements. To do this, Mason developed a multi-prong approach to the grant disbursements.  </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <h2><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>First Round of Proactive Awards </span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></h2> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mason identified students with greater financial need based on existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system. Students who fully utilized the financial aid awarded to them from other programs and who meet certain criteria have been offered a CARES Act-funded grant. The awards were subject to the student providing a certification of financial impact related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care). </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On May 8, 2020, we notified 4,554 students of award offers totaling $4.6 million. Of these award offers, 4,296 students accepted the offered amounts, completed an online certification of impact, and received payments totaling $4,344,371. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <h2><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>Second Round of Proactive Awards </span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></h2> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mason identified students enrolled for summer classes with greater financial need based on existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system.  Students who had not previously received a CARES Act-funded proactive award in the first round were prioritized.  The awards are subject to the student providing a certification of financial impact related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On July 7, 2020, we notified 1,675 students of award offers totaling $1.7 million.  Of these offers, 1,599 students accepted the offered amounts, completed an online certification of impact, and received payments totaling $1,636,100. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <h2><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>Third Round of Proactive Awards </span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></h2> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mason identified students enrolled for Fall 2020 classes with greater financial need based on existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system.  Students who had previously received a CARES Act-funded award were not disqualified from receiving a proactive award in this round.  The awards are subject to the student providing a certification of financial impact related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On September 2, 2020, we notified 3,264 students of award offers totaling $2.9 million.  Of these offers, 3,182 students accepted the offered amounts, completed an online certification of impact, and received payments totaling $2,874,700 as of December 31, 2020. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <h2><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>Student Application Process </span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></h2> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mason previously established a Student Emergency Assistance Fund, in which students can apply for grants to cover expenses following the shift in campus operations. Since March 27, 2020 (the date the CARES Act was signed), we have disbursed 1,874 awards totaling $1,569,313 meeting the criteria for CARES Act funding as of March 31, 2021. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <h2><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>CARES Act HEERF fully expended </span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></h2> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>As of March 31, 2021, Mason had fully distributed the $10,427,512 received under the CARES Act HEERF program.  There were, however, 76 checks totaling $70,819 to students that were not cashed.  After repeated attempts to contact students, these awards were cancelled and the funding transferred to the HEERF II program (see below) for future student aid awards.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>This is the final quarterly report of the CARES Act funding.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <h2><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>Additional Student Emergency Funding </span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></h2> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On December 27, 2020, the federal government enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which included additional funding for the HEERF program created under the CARES Act (establishing the “HEERF II” fund).  Mason is using $10,427,512 of the HEERF II funds for direct aid to students, (with another 70,819 added from remaining CARES funds). The majority of these funds have been distributed to students at this time. Emergency applications are still being considered for the remainder of the funds.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On March 11, 2021, the federal government enacted the American Rescue Plan Act which established the “HEERF III” fund.  Mason is currently awaiting additional information from the Department of Education about the funding Mason will receive under this program.  We expect the majority of the HEERF III Student Emergency Aid funding to be distributed in the next year. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Additional information about Mason’s administration of the CARES Act funding, including Frequently Asked Questions, is available on the university’s </span></span></span><a href="/safe-return-campus/mason-covid-updates"><span><span><span>COVID-19 information page</span></span></span></a><span><span><span>. All students received correspondence in May 2020 regarding the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds as included in our reports on <a href="http://www2.gmu.edu/news/585891">May 22</a>, <a href="http://www2.gmu.edu/news/587631">July 6</a>, <a href="https://www2.gmu.edu/news/588046">August 20</a>, <a href="https://www2.gmu.edu/news/589866">September 30</a> and <a href="https://www2.gmu.edu/news/2021-01/december-31-cares-act-disclosure">December 31</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1261" hreflang="en">Admissions Updates</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/666" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1266" hreflang="en">Admissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4166" hreflang="en">CARES Act</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4161" hreflang="en">Admissions and Financial Aid</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 31 Mar 2021 15:12:09 +0000 Aju Cherian 45401 at