COLUMBUS, Ohio ― For college students who are poor, the margin between graduating and dropping out can be as slim as an unpaid utility bill or a busted transmission. Even if they have grants and loans to pay for most of their tuition and housing, any unexpected expense can kill the best-laid plans.
That’s where Heidi Anderson finds herself. The 47-year-old single mom of a teenager enrolled last summer at Columbus State Community College after being laid off from a bookkeeping job she’d had for four years.
“Money’s really, really tight,” Anderson said. “I’m at a point right now where if my car breaks down, I have to drop out of school. I don’t have the money to pay for it.”
At many institutions, that’s where student emergency funds come in. Often informally run and little known, they provide the $50 or $75 or $200 that can make all the difference to a student with little financial cushion for contingencies.
Columbus State is planning to create an emergency fund by next spring. “Even if students have financial aid, there are these unforeseen circumstances that just derail a student,” said Tari Blaney, director of the Student Advocacy Center at Columbus State.
Otterbein University has had an emergency loan fund for students for 40 years. It’s funded by alumni donations, and needy students can borrow up to $200 interest-free. It’s helped countless cash-strapped students over the years buy a needed book or otherwise get over a bump in the road, said Robert Gatti, vice president of student affairs.
Along with that fund, the Otterbein Women’s Club alumni group donates funds for Gatti to award grants of up to $1,000 to help students get through short-term crises. Last year, he said, one woman on the brink of graduation was behind in paying her tuition because of a medical debt. A grant helped her clear her unpaid balance and allowed her to graduate.
