Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting

Acknowledgement of Certification and Agreement

On April 16, 2020, Massasoit Community College signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid. As required by Section 18004(c) of the CARES Act, Massasoit Community College agreed to use no less than fifty percent of the funds received to provide emergency grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19 (including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care).

Total Amount of Funds Received

On April 25, 2020, Massasoit Community College received access to $1,790,687 or fifty percent of the expected $3,581,374 to distribute as direct emergency grants to students pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement.

Estimated Total Number of Students Eligible

Massasoit Community College identified an estimated 3,540 students who could be eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), and thus potentially eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

This figure includes enrolled students for whom Massasoit Community College received a 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) as of October 7, 2020 and that were meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements during the applicable award year. It excludes students that withdrew from the Spring semester prior to the campus disruption as well as students who were enrolled exclusively in online classes on March 13, 2020, the date of the President’s Proclamation, “Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel COVID-19 Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak,” Federal Register Vol. 85, No. 53 at 15337- 38, as these students were not eligible for emergency grants.

Method to Determine Institutional Award

Massasoit Community College committed to providing COVID-19 Emergency Grants directly to students in the most transparent and expeditious manner possible. Our methodology reflected an institutional goal to meet the intent of this federal relief effort and to follow available U.S. Department of Education guidance. Within this context, the college created the following awarding methodology to be utilized in conjunction with the COVID-19 Student Emergency and Technology Grant Application.

Given the discretion provided to institutions to determine an appropriate distribution strategy, Massasoit Community College awarded grants based on the presumption that all students incurred expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19 (including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care).

Massasoit believes this premise to be both valid and compliant and it enabled the college to prioritize its’ neediest students for immediate grant distribution, which aligned with both congressional intent and the federal mandate that institutions make available emergency financial grants to those in-need as soon as possible.

Therefore, Massasoit initially distributed $1,296,250 in emergency grants to a priority group of 1,572 students who were enrolled in a degree or Title-IV eligible certificate program at least half-time, had a FAFSA on file with Massasoit Community College, met the HEA’s Section 484 eligibility criteria, received a Federal Pell Grant in the Spring 2020 semester and had a calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) between 0 and 5576. Grant amounts were intended to be impactful, were “tiered” by enrollment status and ranged from $500-$1,000.

Massasoit distributed the remainder of the allocation to students via an application process that was made available on May 21, 2020. Although the premise that all students incurred expenses due to the campus disruption caused by COVID-19 remained, having an application process that required students to affirmatively indicate the category or categories of expenses incurred ensured that remaining grant funds were appropriately and meaningfully disseminated.

Students that received a grant in the initial phase of funding that applied for supplemental emergency funds were required to provide a written explanation of expenses incurred as a result of the campus disruption as a result of COVID-19 that exceeded the amount of the initial grant. Initial emergency grants that were awarded as a result of the application process were typically in the same denominations awarded to students in the priority group, tiered by enrollment status, while supplemental grants were generally capped at $500.

Students that applied for grant funds to defray technology costs related to changes in course modalities were required to certify the category or categories of expenses incurred. Eligible students were awarded standard amounts based on the selected categories as well as any qualitative information provided on the application.

Massasoit Community College reserved the option to make grant awards outside the parameters listed above on a student-by-student basis referencing additional expense information and informed by professional judgment and/or via awards targeted at affected students with demonstrated high levels of financial need. Irrespective of methodology, no award exceeded the maximum Pell grant amount, as recommended by the Secretary.

Funds were disbursed through student’s accounts and delivered via electronic transfer payments and paper checks.  Since CARES Act student grants had to remain unencumbered by the institution, the fund was set up as a “pass through”, and under no circumstances were grants applied to outstanding charges, even if such treatment was explicitly requested.

Instructions, Direction or Guidance to Students

Massasoit Community College has used multiple methods to communicate the availability of COVID-19 Student Emergency Grants to students including but not limited to:

• Developed a comprehensive webpage with a link to the application and guidance for students.
• Notified all students of grant availability and the application process via an email from the college president.
• Students in the priority funding group that received an initial grant award were sent an email confirming their selection as a grant recipient and the grant amount. The notification informed them that grant funds are not intended to be used for outstanding tuition and fees, but are to be used to help defray expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus, including but not limited to food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care expenses. The notification also instructed students of their responsibility to return funds in the event that they did not have any qualifying expenses.
  

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  This reporting is accurate as of October 10, 2020 and is Massasoit Community College’s final report that covers all HEERF fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student emergency grant funds. No additional quarterly public reporting is required.

Acknowledgement of Certification and Agreement
Massasoit Community College has signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement required under the CARES Act and has accepted from the Department the Certification and Supplemental Agreement for the funds under Section 314(a)(1) HEERF II of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA). Massasoit Community College has used the funds to provide the mandated amount of at least 50 percent of the HEERF I grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus.

Estimated Total Number of Eligible Students
Massasoit originally identified 5,264 students that were enrolled in the Spring 2021 semester and therefore potentially eligible to receive an emergency grant. Of that total, the number of students who were eligible based on the institutional methodology used to distribute funding was 1,945.

Total Amount of Funds Received
The total amount of Section 18004(a)(1) that Massasoit Community College has received from HEERF II for student emergency grants is $ 1,790,687. This is in addition to the $1,790,687 received for student emergency grants under the CARES Act (HEERF I).

Total Number of Students Who Have Received Funds 

Method to Determine Institutional Award
Federal regulations require institutions to prioritize the awarding of grants to students “demonstrating exceptional financial need”. To comply with this statutory requirement and to disseminate funds as expeditiously and broadly as possible, Massasoit prioritized students based on the expected family contribution (EFC) from the 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to receive an emergency grant.

Students who were enrolled in at least six credits in the Spring semester and were not withdrawn as of April 2, 2021 were awarded emergency grants as follows:

• Students with an official EFC between 0-6000: $2,500
• Students with an official EFC between 6001-10000: $1,500

Funds were disbursed through student’s accounts and delivered via electronic transfer payments and paper checks.  Since student grants have to remain unencumbered by the institution, the fund was set up as a “pass through”, and under no circumstances were grants applied to outstanding charges.

Instructions, Directions and Guidance to Students
Students who were selected to receive an emergency grant award were sent an initial email confirming their selection as a grant recipient as well as a second email when the funds were actually disbursed.  The latter notification informed students that funds did not have to be repaid and were intended to be used for any educational-related expense as well as for emergency expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic, such as housing, food, technology, health care, or child care expenses.

This reporting is inclusive of Q3 and Q4 and is accurate as of June 26, 2021.  This is Massasoit Community College’s final report that covers all HEERF II fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student emergency grant funds. No additional quarterly public reporting is required.

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (Pub. L. 117-2). The ARP appropriated funds for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) and represents the third stream of funding appropriated for HEERF to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. HEERF III allows higher education institutions to use appropriated funds to support students, and the institution itself, with expenses and financial needs related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The following information is provided by Massasoit Community College as required by the Department of Education to comply with student emergency grant reporting requirements under the ARP Act.

Acknowledgement of Certification and Agreement
Massasoit Community College has signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement required under the CARES Act and has accepted from the Department the Certification and Supplemental Agreement for funds under Section 2003(a)(1) of the American Rescue Plan. Massasoit Community College will use no less than $6,799,843 of the funds received to provide emergency grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus.

Estimated Total Number of Eligible Students
As of October 5, 2021, there are 5,904 students that have enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester and are therefore potentially eligible to receive an emergency grant based on the institutional definition of exceptional need.

Total Amount of Funds Received
The total amount of funds that Massasoit Community College has received from HEERF III for student emergency grants is $6,799,843. This is in addition to the $3,581,374 received for student emergency grants under the CARES Act (HEERF I) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (HEERF II).

Total Number of Students Who Have Received Funds 

Method to Determine Institutional Award
Federal regulations require institutions to prioritize the awarding of grants to students “demonstrating exceptional financial need”. To comply with this statutory requirement Massasoit has thus far awarded student emergency grants to students who requested assistance for any component or their cost of attendance and/or emergency expenses related to COVID, and who met one of more of the following criteria for having exceptional need:

– Had an expected family contribution (EFC) between 0-6000 in either the 2020-2021 or   2021-2022 award year, or

– Did not have a Pell Grant eligible EFC but qualified for other federal or state need-based assistance, or

– Demonstrated via the application process a financial hardship (including but not limited to the loss of employment, reduced income, or food or housing insecurity) or who have emergency expenses related to COVID.

Massasoit intends to distribute the majority of remaining ARP funds to students via block grants. Once the distribution plan has been finalized, HEERF III reporting disclosures will be updated accordingly.

Instructions, Directions and Guidance to Students
In addition to prominently advertising the availability of student emergency grants on the www.massasoit.edu home page, a comprehensive webpage was developed to provide guidance to students and a link to the application.

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (Pub. L. 117-2). The ARP appropriated funds for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) and represents the third and final stream of funding appropriated for HEERF to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. HEERF III allows higher education institutions to use appropriated funds to support students, and the institution itself, with expenses and financial needs related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The following information is provided by Massasoit Community College as required by the Department of Education to comply with student emergency grant reporting requirements under the ARP Act.

Acknowledgement of Certification and Agreement

Massasoit Community College has signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement required under the CARES Act and has accepted from the Department the Certification and Supplemental Agreement for funds under Section 2003(a)(1) of the American Rescue Plan. Massasoit Community College will use no less than $6,799,843 of the funds received to provide emergency grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus.

Estimated Total Number of Eligible Students

As of January 4, 2022, there were 2,854 students that were enrolled in the Spring 2022 semester and were therefore potentially eligible to receive an emergency grant based on the institutional definition of exceptional need.

Total Amount of Funds Received

The total amount of funds that Massasoit Community College has received from HEERF III for student emergency grants is $6,799,843. This is in addition to the $3,581,374 received for

student emergency grants under the CARES Act (HEERF I) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (HEERF II).

Total Number of Students Who Have Received Funds between October 1, 2021- December 31, 2021

Method to Determine Institutional Award

Federal regulations require institutions to prioritize the awarding of grants to students “demonstrating exceptional financial need”. To comply with this statutory requirement and to disseminate funds as expeditiously and broadly as possible, Massasoit has developed a multi-phase distribution strategy.

Fall 2021: Once prior sources of emergency grants had been fully exhausted*, Massasoit began utilizing HEERF III funds to respond to “emergency and technology” grant applications submitted through the established Maxient process.

* With the exception of $4,163 disbursed on 7/9/21, which was done to meet the 90-day drawdown requirement.

Applicants were required to actively confirm that they had emergency expenses or required assistance with any component of the cost of attendance and were required to provide a written explanation as to the nature of the emergency to further document “exceptional financial need” in the absence of a qualifying estimated family contribution (EFC) on the FAFSA. Massasoit prioritized grants to students with exceptional financial need by confirming that a student met at least one of the following criteria:

• Had an official EFC of between 0-6000 in the 2021-2022 award year, regardless of whether a Pell Grant was actually received, which aligns with the EFC criteria used in Phase II of the distribution plan, OR
• Had eligibility for other federal or state need-based assistance (EFC < COA) in the 2021-2022 award year, regardless of whether need-based aid was actually received.
• Students who did not meet either of the above criteria, or who did not or were not eligible to complete a FAFSA application may have been eligible for an emergency grant if they were able to demonstrate via the application process that they experienced a financial hardship (including but not limited to the loss of employment, reduced income, or food or housing insecurity) or who had emergency expenses related to COVID.

The default award amount was $1,500. However, if the application suggested that a lesser amount would have been sufficient to address the financial emergency, a lesser amount may have been awarded. Similarly, if the application suggested that a student had extraordinary financial need and a larger amount was needed, an amount typically not to exceed $2,500 may have been awarded.

On December 15, 2021, students who were enrolled in at least six credits in the Fall 2021 semester, had an EFC < 10,001 after completing verification (if required), and were not fully withdrawn as of 12/01/21, were awarded emergency grant awards as follows:

• Students with an official EFC between 0-6000: $2,250 (less the sum of other emergency grants received on or after 9/1/21)
• Students with an official EFC between 6001-10000: $1,250 (less the sum of other emergency grants received on or after 9/1/21)

These funds were intended to assist students in paying for any educational-related expense, including outstanding tuition and fees, as well as for emergency expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic, such as housing, food, technology, health care, or child care expenses.

Students who received a grant in Phase II were sent an email from Student Central formally informing them of their award.

Spring 2022:

Massasoit will continue to use remaining HEERF III dollars to fund “emergency and technology grant” applications submitted trough the established process.

The same eligibility parameters as described above will still apply. However, to align award amounts to those used for Fall block grants, the “default” amount will be $1,250, and the maximum amount will be $2,250 (with exceptions as noted).

Applications will be accepted through March 1, 2022.Once all applications have been reviewed, remaining HEERF funds will then be fully distributed through a final block grant. Block grant eligibility criteria, as well as award amounts and EFC ranges will be determined at a later date.

Instructions, Directions and Guidance to Students

In addition to prominently advertising the availability of student emergency grants on the www.massasoit.edu home page, a comprehensive webpage was developed to provide guidance to students and a link to the application.

• Fiscal Year 2020 – 2021
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