Coming together for our students
The ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± Student Union (DSU), the Student Services team of ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± and the ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± Foundation have come together to help students in need.
βThis year is very difficult for students who are already at risk,β said Yvonne Dudley of ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±βs Financial Aid Office. βEven though the federal and provincial governments have been trying to support the most vulnerable, these funds can only do so much.Β Students who usually supplement their student loans with part-time jobs are finding it more difficult to find employment.β
DSU felt need to act
George Rigas, the DSUβs Director of Internal Affairs and Advocacy, said that the student union felt the need to act. βThe pandemic has showed us that the student body is filled with social inequalities and they have unfortunately been accentuated by the current situation,β he said. βSome students are in need of aid for even the most basic necessities.β
The DSU, the College and the Foundation have created a new bursary called the ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± Financial Aid Bursary. βIntended to help local and international students with living or educational expenses, the new bursary is designed to offer some support to students who may otherwise abandon their pursuit of higher education,β explained Ursula Cabral of the Foundation.
$40,000 given to Financial Aid Fund
To date, $40,000 has been allocated to the Foundationβs Financial Aid Fund to provide new bursaries and to help students in other ways too. Sixty-one donors gave $5,000 through appeals in D News and social media and in honour of the ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± Blues Band project. The DSU and Student Services committed the rest.
βThe fund is collected from the community for the community, which is what ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± is all about,β said Monique Magnan, Director of Student Services.
Students are already benefitting from bursaries for books, food vouchers, punctual funding for urgent needs and food items from the Food Bank.
Giving students the same opportunity
βThe new bursary will allow students to purchase necessities so that they need not worry about financial security and have more time to concentrate on their studies, giving all students the same opportunity to succeed academically,β said George.
Students will be able to apply for a bursary of $500 per academic year. βThey will also be able to meet with our Financial Aid Officer, Yvonne Dudley, who has many years of experience helping students put together budgets, manage those budgets and make sure they are aware of the various resources available to them both inside and outside of the College,β said Monique. βHaving an individual with so much experience helping students, like Yvonne, is a real asset to the College and to our students in need.β
The power of good news
Yvonne believes the bursary will be a real encouragement: βA little good news can change a personβs outlook. If we can help a student get through a very bad time, it can change their whole semester in a positive way.β
You can still donate
Donations are still needed to keep helping our students in this unprecedented situation.
