Early Friday morning, Rep. Henry Cuellar and TAMIU President Dr. Pablo Arenaz discussed new grant opportunities that are expected to benefit students in the coming months.

The CARES Act funds were discussed to help students with expenses such as food, housing, course materials, tuition and more.

Starting Monday, students will be able to start applying for another wave of CARES grant money. To be eligible, students must be enrolled for Spring 2021 and be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. However, eligible students can check their emails to find a link to the TAMIU CARES/CRRSAA application.

“Through CARES Act funding, TAMIU has awarded $5.1 million in emergency grants to assist students and is anticipating awarding up to an additional $3 million this semester alone with CRRSAA support with more for summer and fall,” Cuellar said. “The university will receive around $17 million in CRRSAA funds. More than $10 million of TAMIU’s total funds have been designated for student emergency aid grants.”

500 laptops have been purchased by TAMIU to provide students an opportunity to go remote with plans to purchase wifi hotspots to help those without internet service.

“CARES funding has been absolutely crucial for TAMIU students, making sure that they can continue degree progress and not drop out,” Arenaz said “We’ve awarded some $5.1M in students grants and look forward to additional CRRSAA funding that students can apply for this spring, beginning next week. We’ve initiated a much-needed laptop loaner program with some 500 laptop computers, and we’ve boosted online support services including counseling and tutoring support.”

With almost a year of struggles for many students, the CARES Act funding has helped many students like TAMIU senior Jose Chong, who said that he appreciates the programs and help provided by the university.

From Eagle Pass, Chong stays at the TAMIU dorms and referenced the difficult year throughout the pandemic. From employee reductions, food and utility payments, limited items and resource scarcity, and more, the early months of the pandemic weren’t easy for students.

After applying to the CARES grant in both summer and fall, Chong said the additional funds saved his semester as his vehicle broke down. Compounding his vehicle troubles, the loss of his job led him to purchase his essentials with credit cards, adding depth to an already turbulent time. With the expenses of the vehicle, the loss of a job and the need for a new laptop, 2020 was a difficult year for him and many other students in similar situations.

However, the programs available at the university made to help students and the additional funding, Chong said that his situation has improved. He also hopes more programs are made available to continue helping students that are still struggling.

Arenaz highlighted that the funding helped students during the initial grant distribution as students had been laid off from work and saw issues at home. As the freezing weather storm showcased, emergency situations can arise at any time that cannot be planned but must be addressed quickly.

Students faced this situation along with the university, and Arenaz said he was happy to know the grants have been able to help students solve these situations. Moving forward, CARES grants will be planned for both summer and fall semesters.

In addition to the student assistance that has been prioritized by the university, safety has also been a focus of the CARES Act funding.

“New HVAC and HEPA air filters, acrylic protective barriers, masks, campus signage, enhanced disinfection and cleaning services, and PPE — all predicated on creating a conducive and safe learning environment for all members of our university community: students, faculty and staff — have been funded,” Arenaz noted.

According to Cuellar, approximately $14 billion was secured in April 2020 to support higher education students and institutions like TAMIU and Laredo College as part of the CARES Act with an additional $21 billion through the CRRSAA program in December.

“Authorized by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, these funds provide grants to students to help address financial hardships such as housing and food insecurity, medical expenses, and lack of educational support and supplies. They also help institutions like TAMIU to address expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cuellar noted.