Some USC students will get part of $10 million-plus in coronavirus relief money
University of South Carolina students impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will get relief money, USC officials said Wednesday.
More than $10 million of federal financial assistance will be distributed to eligible students affected by the university closing campus among other safety measures taken to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, officials said in a news release.
More than 20,000 USC students are set to receive funds from the UofSC CARES plan, according to the release.
Those in line to receive relief funds include students receiving Pell Grants, and those eligible for Title IV Federal Student Financial Aid, USC officials said. The students must be enrolled for the spring 2020 semester and “attest that they incurred expenses directly related to the closure of the campus, according to the release.
Eligible students will get between $400-800 in one-time relief, USC officials said. Those students will be contacted by the university and can then follow instructions posted on Self-Service Carolina.
“The well being of students is our number one priority, which is why we are pleased to begin disbursement of the CARES Act money,” USC President Bob Caslen said in the release. “Our staff has worked quickly to take care of those students hardest hit financially by COVID-19, and we will distribute every dollar of this money as quickly as possible.”
The grants are made available through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act enacted in late March.
USC also established the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund in March to help students facing financial hardship as a result of unexpected travel home, job loss or other technology-related expenses, it said in the release. More than 300 students have received help through the fund to date, USC officials said.
The university had already provided prorated refunds for meal plans, parking permits and on-campus residential housing to students affected by the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
The news about the $10.7 million in federal relief money comes a week after USC announced it will resume in-person classes in the fall.
When that occurs, USC will offer coronavirus testing to all students, faculty and staff throughout the semester, conduct contact tracing for those who test positive for the virus, increase social distancing in public places, set aside space on campus for those who need to be quarantined, offer “grab and go” meals from the dining halls and either shrink or move large classes online, according to a news release.
USC has been holding all of its classes online since mid-March.
Several University of South Carolina students have tested positive for COVID-19.
A student living in a on-campus residence hall tested positive for the coronavirus on March 20, USC officials said. That student and 17 others residents of the building were placed in quarantine.
Additionally, 11 other students and one faculty member, living in other states or off-campus, tested positive for COVID-19, according to USC.
On Tuesday, 147 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 7,927 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all 46 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that nine more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 355.
“There is currently no cure or vaccine,” the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.
There have been 85,213 combined negative tests at DHEC’s public health laboratory and at private labs.
As of Wednesday morning, 4,278,180 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 292,316 people have died, while 1,502,620 have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 1,370,016 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 82,389 deaths have been reported, including 27,284 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 11:51 AM.
