Orange Coast College receives $9.2 million through CARES Act, devises plan to share with students

Orange Coast College officials announced Monday the school has received $9.2 million in federal CARES Act funding and will soon roll out a plan to distribute some $4.5 million directly to students in need affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Costa Mesa campus applied for the federal funding in mid-April and was notified last week that the funds had come through, according to Madjid Niroumand, Orange Coast’s vice president of student services.

School officials plan to distribute the money to students based on financial aid status and the number of credits for which they are enrolled. Niroumand said every effort is being taken to see that the funding reaches as many students who need help as possible.

“As much as it is a great assistance, when you really sit down and divide the number of students in need into the amount of money you have, it gets complicated, because the amount we have is not enough to cover the need we have,” he added.

Among the 20,554 students enrolled at Orange Coast in the fall semester, about 46% received federal or state financial aid, according to figures provided by the community college.

Students with the highest need taking 12 or more units of course credit will receive $1,000 in assistance through direct deposit from the school’s digital banking service, Bank Mobile. Students of high need currently enrolled in six to 12 units will receive $750 via direct deposit.

Other full-time students whose financial circumstances have been affected by the pandemic will receive $500 in funding, through direct deposit or check, upon submitting a form to the Financial Aid department categorizing the impact to their financial or personal situation.

OCC President Angelica Suarez said in a release issued Monday the school’s top priority was providing all learners access to a high-quality education, even during exigent times.

“We know that many of our students have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are looking forward to providing some relief as quickly as we can,” she said. “We are grateful for this federal funding that will support our students in continuing their educational goals.”

The college’s Student Equity program is meanwhile making provisions for students who do not qualify for the federal funding, including undocumented students attending Orange Coast through the California DREAM Act.

“The CARES Act does not include certain categories of students, so we’ve tried to realize other funding available to recognize students who don’t qualify,” Niroumand said.

Orange Coast also qualifies for an additional $734,000 in emergency relief funding made available by the U.S. Department of Education to campuses whose full-time undergraduate enrollment is at least 25% Hispanic and Latino students and 10% Asian American and Native American/Pacific Islander.

Enrollment figures show about 35% of OCC students identify as Latino, while roughly 26% identify themselves as Asian or Native American.

Niroumand said officials plan to use the remainder of the CARES Act funding — about $4.7 million — to help offset financial impacts sustained by the college since the campus closed its doors on March 16 and transitioned to an online learning model.

No determination has yet been made on exactly how those funds will be distributed, he said, as officials are still analyzing qualifications and criteria laid out by the federal government.

“We want to make sure we honor the mandated restrictions,” Niroumand added.

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