Dillard students to benefit from college debt grant

By Kai Davis
Contributing Writer

As part of COVID-19 relief aimed at addressing college student hardship, Dillard University Louisiana’s oldest HBCU will clear outstanding balances for students dating back to March 2020, allowing them to return to school in the fall and complete their education.

“Financial challenges are but one of the hurdles that students often have to overcome on their path to a college degree,” said Ralph Johnson, Dillard’s vice president of Business and Finance, in a statement.

Through the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) supplement grant, Dillard will cancel outstanding balances and charges students incurred since the start of the pandemic.

With the grant total exceeding $485,000, the university will be able to support students who wish to return in the Fall 2021 semester but were unable to do so due to financial holds on their accounts. Those who no longer attend the university, now have the opportunity to re-enroll to finish their education through this program.

Before the pandemic, studies found that Black students were battling to pay their student debt. Once the pandemic hit, it became more difficult for Black students to be able to pay outstanding balances on time or return each semester because they could not come up with the tuition. Experts estimate that by 2022, the country’s student loan balance will reach $2 trillion.

“This news present as an opportunity for students impacted by the pandemic to receive support and cover the costs associated with that difficult time to prepare them for the upcoming year. It demonstrates the university’s goal of supporting students by utilizing financial resources,” Marissa Pittman, a Dillard student, who is an Urban Studies and Public Policy major.

With the aid from fund, the supplemental grant which are federal funds provided by the American Rescue Act of 2021, eligible students can pay some of their pandemic debt.

“I am very proud of my university for showing that they genuinely care about the student body by covering eligible students’ pandemic debt,” said Spencer Jones, a Dillard student, who is the vice president of Dillard’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter.

“This pandemic disrupted the lives of many students across the country and it is comforting to know that Dillard is going the extra mile for its students, financially,” Spencer said.

During the pandemic, many students had the opportunity to take courses remotely, reducing some college costs like housing and food. Returning to campus in the fall means that the costs of pursuing a college education is likely to return to pre-pandemic levels.

“It’s always a stress on a college student when they have to go into their academic setting worrying about how they’re going to pay for it, and I’m so grateful that Dillard is working to alleviate that stress,” Jones said.

This article originally published in the July 26, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.