West Virginia University is preparing to provide student emergency financial assistance, with some considerations.
The details and procedures were announced in a letter sent to Students Tuesday from WVU Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Rob Alsop and Dean of Students Corey Farris.
The letter was also made public and given to area media.
“Dear WVU Students and Parents,
“Thank you once again for your understanding as West Virginia University diligently works to ensure the health and safety of the University community. We appreciate your continued patience as we respond to this unprecedented event and continue the excellent learning experience you expect.
“If you are a current resident in the residence hall system or the university apartment system or have a dining plan, the University will provide student emergency financial assistance, with the following considerations:
“Student emergency financial assistance will provide approximately
40% of the current semester housing cost for any student who is a current resident in the residence hall system. The emergency financial assistance is based on the number of days services were not provided (March 23 to May 9).
“ ·Students with a Dining Services dining plan will receive student emergency financial assistance for approximately 40% of the respective spring semester rate. The emergency financial assistance is based on the number of days services were not provided (March 23 to May 9). Any remaining Dining Dollar balances for Spring 2020 will also be applied to the student’s account through student emergency financial assistance. The value of unused Dining Dollars will be added to the amount calculated for the dining plan financial assistance and applied to the student’s account.
“ ·Students living in a University Apartments community (College Park, University Park, University Place and Vandalia) who do not plan return to their apartment from April 1 through April 30, need to request student emergency financial assistance. The University will use funding available to credit student accounts in the amount of rent due for April or to provide a refund to students who have already paid April rent. To request emergency financial assistance relating to College Park, University Park, University Place, and Vandalia, WVU students should log in at myhousing.wvu.edu using their WVU credentials. Once logged in, they should select the COVID-19 Assistance link at the top left of their screen and follow the prompts; students must provide their WVU ID number to submit the request. Requests must be submitted no later than Friday, April 10. Students will receive email confirmation their request has been received and will be processed.
“The emergency financial assistance will apply to any current outstanding charges on a student’s bill and then will be applied to Summer 2020 charges, if applicable. If the above adjustments produce a credit balance on the student account, a refund will be issued to the student. The most efficient way to receive your emergency financial assistance refund is via direct deposit.
“We expect all refunds to be completed/received by the end of April. Again, please note the quickest method to receive your refund is direct deposit. This timeline will allow us to calculate amounts and give students time to verify their profile at wvu.afford.com.
“If you have not updated your wvu.afford.com student account refund profile, please do so by April 10. If your refund profile is not established, the University will mail your refund to you. Please ensure this mailing address in your wvu.afford.com account is updated by April 10, if a mailed check is preferred.
“We understand you may have questions about this process. We have created an FAQ to help. Please submit any questions you may have to coronavirus@mail.wvu.edu; we will respond as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience as we work to respond to each individual.
“Once again, thank you for your understanding during this challenging time. We are inspired by the resilient determination of our students to continue learning, and for everyone’s commitment to ensure the safety of our campus community.
“Thank you,
“Rob Alsop, vice president for Strategic Initiatives
“Corey Farris, dean of students”
