SGA launches COVID-19 financial relief program

The Student Government Association is spearheading a $100,000 financial relief program that students can apply for. Panther Archives

After saving up money from her on-campus mail services job and applying to seven different Chapman positions while receiving both a university and CalCPA scholarship, Amaka Esegbue is only about $1,000 away from paying off the rest of her fall dues. The senior accounting and business administration double major has entered her final semester, which Esegbue hopes will be the first she won’t need to obtain a loan or enroll in a payment plan. The final verdict, however, will rest on whether she can receive enough financial aid from the Student Government Association’s (SGA) $100,000 financial relief program.

“Waiting to find out if I can get another job (has been the hardest part),” Esegbue said. “I like working on-campus because … I did work off-campus one year, but they weren’t flexible with my schedule and it was frustrating." 

SGA approved the financial relief program in mid-August and the application became available to students on Aug. 31. In the form on Engage, each applicant can request up to $400 and can indicate the type of expense the aid will go toward: textbooks, educational supplies, food, housing and transportation. Most students will be paid through reimbursements, so proof of purchase or reasonable price estimates – for rent, for example – are required.

“With our budget, we can kind of put our money where our mouth is and create a program to help students financially,” said Philip Goodrich, SGA president. “A lot of students themselves have lost jobs; a lot of parents have lost jobs or they’ve had to endure different expenses, so we figured this would be the most productive and strategic uses of SGA resources.”

Approval of applications are primarily on a first-come-first-serve basis, but the review committee – made up of Goodrich, Senior Associate Dean of Students DeAnn Yocum-Gaffney and Student Engagement Program Specialist Kayla Wiechert – will meet Sept. 9 and determine which applications express the most need-based concerns.

“The intention is so that we can all bring our own professions into the application for a balanced review,” Wiechert said. “So, (Goodrich) obviously being the one who’s spearheading the initiative … I am the adviser who does the double-check of all SGA finances … and Dean Gaffney is familiar with supporting students in crises.”

Goodrich told The Panther that, as of Aug. 6, 161 students have applied for SGA’s financial relief program. He said he’s very pleased to receive such a large number in only the first week of the application's launch date, as Goodrich believes students should use SGA and its resources to their advantage.

“We have a growing reserve and our budget is somewhat looked at as a rainy day fund. We’re definitely not on a rainy day; we’re in a hurricane right now,” Goodrich said. “It sets a high standard, so I hope we can continue to build off of this program and keep doing things outside the traditional realm of what SGA does to really help people during this unprecedented time.”

The application will remain open and the review committee will meet biweekly until the $100,000 funds have been distributed. While Esegbue hasn’t yet heard back from SGA on the status of her request, she’s hopeful her financial aid will help mitigate the COVID-19 struggles she’s facing in a barren and competitive job market. Esegbue has a meeting with Yocum-Gaffney this week to discuss her appeal to be given $1,400.

“Students are losing jobs, so they need to apply to more and if everyone’s applying for the same jobs, it’s going to be hard to get a job,” Esegbue said. “I’m glad that this financial relief program is here, but I wish we could get more than $400, because … it can go in the snap of a moment.”