Southern Pays Off Account Balances For 70 Students Under CARES Act

Using $47,441.23 from the CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund established to help students amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is paying off account balances for 70 students who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The college is paying off the amounts between March of 2020, and the summer semester this year. The college will also pay off debts for fees incurred during this same period.

Southern President, Dr. Pamela Alderman pointed out that the action is being taken to ease students’ financial distress. Alderman said the college understands the difficulties that students and their families have been going through for the last two years and this is one way we can ease that burden.

“We certainly do not want an unpaid balance owed to Southern during these difficult times to be a reason that someone chooses not to continue with their education,” Alderman said.

The Biden administration had paused federal student loan payments in January 2021 until September this year. The administration extended the pause until January 31^st of 2022,  taking into consideration students’ financial burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Student Debt Crisis and Savi survey revealed that 90 percent of students are not ready to begin loan repayments in the fall, whereas two out of three survey participants were unsure whether they will manage to pay loans until September 2022.