Kojo Quartey: Project Persist: Eliminating barriers for students
We all know that education is a surefire way to success for anyone struggling to make it in life. There are countless stories about how education has cured people’s poverty and ensured their success in life, including my own. The cost of college continues to balloon at four-year universities, but that is not the case at community colleges, such as MCCC. As a matter of fact, many community colleges are going above and beyond to provide additional opportunities for students in an attempt to ensure their success.
One such effort, at our local community college, MCCC, is Project Persist. The Trellis Research Student Financial Wellness Survey of MCCC students found that 54 percent of students worry about having enough money to pay for school, 41 percent show signs of low or very low food security, 23 percent ran out of money six or more times in the past year, and 48 percent indicate generalized anxiety disorder. None of this is good and Project Persist is MCCC’s response to that. It is worth noting that many other community colleges have similar programs.
The MCCC Foundation's Eliminating Barriers pillar was established to help students complete their studies at MCCC by overcoming financial and non-financial obstacles that threaten their success.
Project Persist meets students where they are by providing a proactive, intrusive and holistic network of support to address emergencies before they can spiral into an irreversible crisis. When an unexpected emergency arises, it can rapidly spiral out of control from one or two missed classes to a course withdrawal, to lost financial aid, which ends in desperation and failure.
Project Persist is designed to eliminate barriers for students. At MCCC, there is the flexibility of the Emergency Relief Fund, Wrap-Around Services, and Heck’s Market Food Pantry, among many other programs.
Emergency Relief Fund — these funds are one-time funds for students facing adverse situations. It provides quick, stop-gap emergency financial support that enables students to overcome an unexpected incident or circumstance. Thereby providing time for them to connect with longer-term public or community support. These funds are short-term only and do not replace traditional scholarships, provide ongoing support for utilities, rental assistance, etc., and we do not repeatedly award emergency support or eliminate debt. The award matrix ranges from $25-$1,500, which includes: $300 for books, $750 for housing, $250 for food, $200 for transportation (including gas cards and bus passes), $400 for Health Care (including mental health care), $400 for child care, and $750 for computer purchase for online courses. Award determination is based on: referrals from Early Alert Intake by Student Success Team, Financial Aid Review, weekly review by Emergency Support Team, award determination, and public and community support referrals. Methods to Disperse Aid include Emergency Scholarships (financial aid process) and direct payments for utilities, rent, car repairs, hotels gas/grocery cards, and bus passes. We do NOT give students cash directly.
Heck’s Market Food Pantry items include food such as meat, frozen vegetables, canned goods, peanut butter, cereal, oil, flour, etc., baby products, personal care items, and cleaning products. Product availability varies and we do our best to source and provide high-demand products for students. All students have to do is show an ID. The MCCC Foundation is able to secure many staple food items at a fraction of the cost of the grocery store, thanks to our partnership with the MCOP food bank. We provide healthy food options thanks to MCOP and our generous donors.
Wrap-Around Services, include tutoring, mental health counseling and a variety of disability services and accommodations. Please visit monroeccc.edu for more information.
Scholarships — unlike traditional scholarships, flexible tuition support offers financial relief to students at the point of need and often helps students pay for expenses beyond tuition, fees and books. With maximum flexibility, tuition support relies on the expertise of financial aid and advising staff to identify at-risk students and offer financial support to improve their chance of success.
We have numerous success stories to support these efforts. Imagine all this help and support provided while trying to get an education; many students leave with a surplus, not debt. Please visit monroeccc.edu for more information.
— Kojo Quartey is president of Monroe County Community College and an economist. He may be reached at kquartey@monroeccc.edu.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Kojo Quartey: Project Persist: Eliminating barriers for students
