When there is a Cougar in need, without fail, the Cougar Nation answers the call. That’s exactly what happened this spring when COVID-19 upended the WSU Vancouver campus community.
When students left WSU Vancouver for spring break March 13, they had just learned they would not return to campus after one week. The remainder of the semester would be delivered from a distance. Emotions ran high as students weighed whether they had what it took to learn from home.
Do I have access to a computer, laptop or at least a tablet? Wi-Fi? A quiet corner at home in which to work?
Public schools closed. Many WSU Vancouver students were thrust into being home-school teachers for their younger siblings or their own children.
Can I successfully be both teacher and student?
At the same time, businesses were closing in adherence to the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. Many students were without a job—suddenly. The questions changed.
Can I pay the rent? Buy groceries?
The stress mounted.
Addressing Technology
Providing technology to enable students to access their courses was paramount. WSU Vancouver’s Loaner Laptop program, funded by the student technology fee, expanded from 15 laptops to 40. Students could come to campus between noon and 2 p.m. weekdays to check out a laptop for as long as needed. Students were generous with the resource. They returned the laptops when they were through, and the Loaner Laptop program never ran out of stock.
When a Carson College of Business student said he would have to drop out of school because he didn’t have Wi-Fi access at home and the McDonald’s he had been relying on closed, WSU Vancouver extended Wi-Fi into four parking lots, essentially creating drive-in classrooms. Mobile Wi-Fi hot spots were also issued to students who needed them.
Addressing Hunger
The Cougar Food Pantry is a well-used resource on campus. About 36% of WSU Vancouver students report that they are food insecure. When COVID-19 struck, the demand increased.
The Associated Students of WSU Vancouver was first to act. Using resources that had been intended for on-campus events and programming, student government shifted priorities, and purchased groceries and disinfectants for care packages to supplement Cougar Food Pantry groceries. The packages were available to students from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through mid-June.
The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, and the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Foundation donated a combined $20,000 to stock the Cougar Food Pantry with nonperishable food. Albertsons/Safeway’s Nourishing Neighbors program donated $10,000 for fresh food events through the summer and $5,000 through its Summer Meals program.
When the Cougar Food Pantry was short on food items that had purchase limits, such as pasta, rice and cereal, WSU Vancouver faculty and staff helped by participating in a food drive in June. That effort stocked the shelves with in-demand groceries for two weeks.
In 2018/19, the Cougar Food Pantry served 90 individuals. Since COVID-19, the Cougar Food Pantry has served more than 1,000 people—students, Clark College students who take classes on the WSU Vancouver campus and their family members.
Needs Beyond Food
As the realities of COVID-19 revealed themselves, the WSU Vancouver development team sprang into action looking to increase resources available through the Student Emergency Fund. The first to answer the call was the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington. The organization provided $85,000 from its SW Washington COVID Response Fund to help students with financial emergencies. The 2020 WSU Vancouver Faculty & Staff Giving Campaign had a 60% participation rate and raised $62,000, nearly half of which was earmarked for the Student Emergency Fund.
With the money raised, the WSU Vancouver Student Emergency Fund was able to help students with rent, utilities, child care and medical expenses. It also provided much-needed relief to students not eligible for CARES Act funding. The CARES Act legislation excluded large swaths of students, including international students, undocumented students and others who are considered low-income.
The thanks from students were heartfelt. Lisa Smith, a junior majoring in elementary education, is a single mother of two. “I live with my parents and have always tried to be responsible with my expenses, but after COVID-19 hit, I was denied unemployment and was running out of cash fast. I was running out of diapers and food. All of a sudden, I had to find money for day care. When I heard that I would be receiving help from the Student Emergency Fund, I cried ...A LOT. Now we do not have to worry about food. I have also been able to purchase a laptop, since I cannot access the computer lab at this time. This has reduced my stress and allows me to focus on my studies in between caring for my family. This funding also means my 75-year-old dad does not have to go out and work to support us. My entire family deeply appreciates the kindness and generosity of those who have given to this fund. Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Smith said. ■