Coronavirus

HEERF Grants Application is now CLOSED

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Act was approved by Congress for colleges across the nation.

SCU is committed to using HEERF, within the parameters set by the government, to help those students with the greatest needs while meeting the needs of as many students as possible. If you have incurred expenses, beyond what you would have typically, as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus, there may be funding available through HEERF.

Please review the application form. If you think you may be eligible to receive HEERF, complete the form, providing as much information as possible. The grant can be applied toward any component of your cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, food, as well as toward other costs such as health care, child care, or other expenses from the past three semesters.

What are the eligiblility requirements?

Below are specific HEERF requirements:

Enrolled at SCU as undergraduate or graduate during the Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and/or Spring 2021.
Students who have or can demonstratio financial need or hardship caused by or because of the COVID-19 pandemic
Students who have completed a HEERF Application

How will the applications be reviewed?

The University requests students to apply for the HEERF Emergency Assistance Grants, providing the necessary evidence of eligibility and the amount requested. A committee of University representatives will facilitate the awarding structure and process for the HEERF awards. The applications will be reviewed to ensure eligibility and that the requrested grants are for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. Students will be directly contacted by email regarding ineligibility, application errors, and approved applications. If additional information is needed, the committee will conctact the student to obtain the necessary information. Application reviews will take place on a regular and ongoing basis until all available funds are disbursed.

When are applications due?

Applications should be submitted prior to August 20, 2021.

HEERF Grants Application form for all SCU students

Southwestern Christian University
Coronavirus Task Force
Re-opening Guidelines for 2020-2021

SCU is closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak globally and is receiving guidance from the City of Bethany, Oklahoma County, State of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Department of Health, in addition to other government and health agencies.

We know you are anxiously awaiting more news about how the fall semester will look at SCU.

Each day we are seeing new reports of the rise of Covid-19 cases and it is concerning to us. However, we recognize that a rise in cases is only part of the data and we are monitoring all the data surrounding Covid-19 in the state of Oklahoma. We are working diligently to provide a safe environment on our campus and we expect all employees and students to adhere to the protocols we are putting in place.

This much is certain: SCU will be open this fall with a semester designed for quality student learning, spiritual life, student engagement, campus life, and the safety of all Eagles. Mandatory public health compliance training will be required for all students, faculty and staff, with consistent reinforcement by a highly visible campus information campaign.

Our overall goal is to ensure access to high-quality academic experiences and the safest possible physical environments, regardless of the unpredictable circumstances that lie ahead.

The President’s Cabinet has specific guidelines for instruction, athletics, food service, student services, and student activities. We hope to answer those questions in our Frequently Asked Questions Section which we will add in the days ahead.

There are a few things we can share with you now regarding our guidelines:
(Please note: All guidelines are subject to change)

SCU’s academic calendar for this fall will not change. The first day of classes will be August 19, as scheduled. To minimize the spread of the virus, all in-person learning activities will move to alternative formats after the Thanksgiving break for the remainder of the semester. The last day of the semester is Dec 8, 2020.

The semester’s distinctive design will ensure students have an impactful, engaging academic, spiritual, and student life experience. We will offer a blend of online, in-person and experiential learning activities. All in-person activities will include virtual alternatives to be inclusive of all, regardless of ability to come to campus or comfort-level. We will limit the number of students in chapel by splitting the student body into two sections. One section will attend chapel on Tuesday and the other section will attend chapel on Thursday. We will have more details as we get closer to the beginning of the semester.

We are implementing an extensive set of public health safety measures. Our intent is to provide a learning, living and working environment that is actually much safer than what is found in the general community for the heightened protection of all Eagles. Precautions such as required face coverings on campus, mandatory compliance training for all, monitoring for symptoms, building and room occupancy limits, regular disinfecting in common areas, spiritual life chapel protocols, and protective barriers in the cafeteria are all essential to a safe and productive semester.

We will provide housing in our residence halls for students who wish to live on campus. Guidelines will be released within the next few weeks. Students living on campus will be responsible for the sanitization and cleanliness of their room and bathroom.

The Springer Library, Springer-Pickens Gym, CAPS and The Bell Center will be available for student-related activities. All spaces and activities will have extensive public health safety measures in place.

The entire semester is designed to be highly adaptable in the event we need to quickly move all instructional and operational activities online.

Frequently Asked Questions

PUBLIC NOTICE

Emergency Financial Aid Grants to SCU Students CARES Act Section 18004(a)(1)

CARES Act Application is Now Closed

The CARES Act application for emergency funds has closed and no new applications are being accepted. The University has distributed the CARES Act emergency financial aid grant funds directly to eligible applicants.

Initial Funding Report

Southwestern Christian University returned to the Department of Education the executed “Funding Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act” on April 15, 2020. The University received notice on April 25, 2020 that it had received an award of $267,092.00. This amount represents fifty percent of the total funds to be received by the University under Section 18004(a)(1) and will be used by the University to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.

After verifying student Title IV eligibility and establishing effective means for distribution, the University advised students of the availability of the grants on May 21, 2020. As of July 30, 2020, the University had distributed emergency financial aid grants totaling $267,092 to 270 students. 270 students at the institution were eligible (currently enrolled in Spring 2020 that are Title IV eligible in Aid Year 2019-2020 and making Academic Progress) to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

Southwestern Christian University made an application available to apply for CARES Emergency Grants to help with student expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, heath care and child care. Also, students who were enrolled only in online programs prior to COVID-19 and DACA students are not eligible per the government issued guidance.

These funds are meant to assist eligible students with expenses incurred after March 13, 2020. Because these are grant funds, they are not added to any student loan amounts a student may have. These student grants are available to undergraduate and graduate students on SCU’s campus.

The University requested students to apply for the CARES Emergency Assistance Grants, providing the necessary evidence of eligibility and the amount requested. A designated website is available at https://swcu.edu/about/coronavirus to centralize information related to eligibility, the application link, and FAQ. A committee of University representatives will facilitate the awarding structure and process for the CARES awards. The application were reviewed to ensure eligibility and that the requested grants are for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. Students were directly contacted by email regarding ineligibility, application errors, and approved applications. If additional information was needed, the committee contacted the student to obtain the necessary information. Application reviews took place on a regular and ongoing basis until all available fund were disbursed. Application deadline was June 23, 2020.

CARES Act Grant Application form for SCU students

Frequently Asked Questions: CARES Act Emergency Student Assistance Program