As a result of the financial insecurity students faced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Lethbridge community came together to create the Emergency Student Bursary to help alleviate some of that financial stress.
The university says during the early weeks of the pandemic, it became clear some students were facing severe challenges when it came to making ends meet, as jobs were lost, and buying food or paying rent became difficult as a result.
The expedited bursary was then put together in a short period of time during the spring, right after a call went out to the university community to throw its support behind the new fund, as well as the existing International Student Bursary.
Thanks to the help of 121 donors, who raised nearly $30,000, the bursary has been able to assist 21 students so far.
“The need for this kind of support was acute and had to be addressed in short order so that these students could get the help as quickly as possible,” Chelsea Sherbut, a research awards and stewardship officer at the University of Lethbridge, said in a news release.
“A lot of work went on behind the scenes to get this bursary up and running and when we were able to go to our community and seek support, they responded immediately. Our donors made a real difference in our students’ lives during a very difficult time,” Sherbut adds.
Sherbut says students were first able to access money from the bursary in early summer, and students can still apply if they are facing financial challenges.
The university says students who received support through the bursaries expressed their gratitude, recognizing that many of those who donated were likely facing challenges of their own at the time.
The U of L says students have told them money from the bursary helped pay for rent and food until the Canada Emergency Student Benefit was released.
Sherbut adds, the bursary is just the latest example of how the university community is able to come together in times of need to help enhance the experience for all students, “in good times and bad.”
“You see it through the Supporting Our Students fund, the donations to the Students’ Union Food Bank, the Campus Care Parcel program — all of which support the needs of our students throughout their academic journeys,” Sherbut said.
“If there are ways we can help our students achieve their goals, our community is quick to jump on board,” she said.
As the bursary is a donor-driven initiative, Sherbut says it’s been “heartwarming” to see so many people answer the call for help when U of L students needed it the most.
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