Financial Resources

This section continues the information from the 21 Days to Holistic Student Support designed by the I-HOPE Welty Gran Team (see the first page in this section for more details). 

 

FAQ: "Help! My student says they can’t afford the textbook or tools for class. What options can I provide them? Or what office do I point them to?"

  • Ensure your course textbook is available in the Library Reserves.
    • contacts: Karen Waite (Karen.waite@ccs.spokane.edu) or Brooke Thomas (brooke.thomas@scc.spokane.edu) in the SCC Library
  • Bookstore Rentals: The bookstore sometimes has textbooks available to rent (a cheaper option to buying them new or used). Encourage your student to check with the SCC bookstore.
  • Workforce Transitions can possibly help out with educational needs like textbooks or tools (scc.workforce@scc.spokane.edu).
  • Encourage the student to connect with our Financial Aid Office Links to an external site. to see if there might be any other financial support they might qualify for (e.g., CARES Act funding, student loans, etc.).
  • Other emergency funding options include the CCS Foundation which may be able to provide emergency funding Links to an external site. to students who experienced an unexpected hardship.

FAQ: "I'm working with a student who says they can't afford supplies for school or other basic needs because they are waiting on their financial aid money to come through. When can students expect to receive financial aid money?"

If a student has been awarded aid prior to the start of the quarter, most financial aid will be disbursed to students on the first day of each quarter. Funds will first be applied toward outstanding tuition charges, and then leftover funds are sent directly to the student.

Students must select their refund preference through Bank Mobile for any funds awarded in excess of their tuition amount. If they have not set up their refund preference, this could significantly delay their financial aid disbursement.

There are two rules that may affect the timeline for student loans:

  • For first-time student loan borrowers with no credits completed toward their program, the first disbursement of their loans is required to be delayed until 30 days into the quarter.
  • Loans awarded for only one quarter will be split in half due to a federal requirement that loans must have two disbursements. The second half of the loan is disbursed at the midpoint of the quarter.

Click here to read more about disbursement dates Links to an external site., or read Becker, Krodel, and Tucker’s 2009 book, Understanding and Engaging Under-Resourced College Students: A Fresh Look at Economic Class and Its Influence on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 

 

**Please remember that if you're ever unsure of where to turn for support for a struggling student, the Early Alert team on campus is also available to help. The Early Alert team is made up of staff from student services departments across the campus. Faculty can submit online Early Alert Referrals Links to an external site. for student concerns ranging from class participation/attendance, assignment completion, mental health services, food and/or housing insecurity, and more. Once you submit a referral, a member of the team will reach out to the student within about 24 hours to check in on them and provide options for interventions or services. The team encourages you to "refer early and support often!"