Fisk Cares Act Report

Corona, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (C.A.R.E.S) ACT REPORTING

Fisk University acknowledges that we signed and returned the Certification and Agreement to the U.S. Department of Education on 04/23/20assuring the Department that it plans to use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

The total allocation Fisk University received was $1,085,474.00 from the U.S. Department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement of Education under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. At least $542,737.00 will go directly to students for the purposes of the Emergency Financial Aid Grants. The emergency funds for students were received on May 05, 2020, and are to be used for students’ expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19. As of May 22, 2020, $542,737.00 in grants have been disbursed to students.

The estimated total number of Fisk University students eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is 743.  To date, 743 Fisk University students have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.  Fisk University maintains that all eligible students (who were not enrolled exclusively in online courses for the spring 2020 semester) received funding to address the unplanned expenses due to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, with Pell grant eligible students being given priority and a larger allocation due to having documented greater financial need. Thus, grants were provided to eligible students as outlined below:

Students were notified of the CARES Act funding via email and were provided details for the disbursement. Fisk University then requested the pertinent payment details from the students. We wanted to ensure we assisted as many students as possible; therefore, we endeavored to ensure all eligible students received funding. We initially examined the total number of students (743) eligible for Title IV funding under section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and then identified the Pell-grant eligible students. A calculation was then run to ensure Pell-eligible were prioritized according to the spirit of the CARES Act, which is the calculation seen above.

Fisk University communicated the eligibility requirements and also provided an opportunity for students to update their current contact information, as indicated below:

• Be enrolled during the semester in which emergency aid funds are awarded
• US Citizenship or eligible non-citizen
• Have updated contact information (address, phone, email, and Cash App)
• If you need to update your contact information, please contact Ms. Hilda Enriquez at henriquez@chalakseir.com
• If you have any other questions, please email VP Jude at Fiskcares@chalakseir.com.
• For all emails, please type Fisk Cares Request in the subject line

Fisk University also provided additional communication regarding the distribution. It was communicated that Fisk University would release the funds to students based upon the students' current Pell eligibility status.  The Division of Finance collaborated with the Division of Student Affairs to ensure we had current information and official Pell-eligible status for our students. The CARES Act funding was released to higher education institutions based upon their total enrollment and number of Pell-eligible students. To that end, we have fully allocated the CARES Act funding according to Pell status. Students that are Pell-eligible will receive $822.91 while the students who are non-Pell eligible will receive $544.83.

Finally, the university provided a timeline for the release of the CARES Act Emergency Student Aid.  The goal was to streamline the disbursement process as best as possible. Checks for students with last names that begin with A-G were mailed on Friday, May 15, 2020; last names beginning with H-M were sent May 19, 2020; and last names starting with N-Z were mailed between Wednesday, May 20, 2020, and Friday, May 22, 2020.  If there are any inquiries, students are encouraged to submit their requests via email to FiskCares@chalakseir.com.

STUDENT C.A.R.E.S APPLICATION 

Fisk University continues to implement programs directly benefitting students who have been impacted by disruption to campus operations due to the coronavirus. Fisk University has also created a student emergency fund webpage, email, to provide additional funding opportunities and communication channels for Fisk University students.  Student eligibility is assessed by the Fisk Cares committee.  Awards are determined using defined amounts related to student needs in an equitable and non-discriminatory fashion.

VISIT OUR STUDENT CARES PAGE