The ongoing federal government shutdown has brought concerns to many students who might think that their financial aid might get affected; however, the college has been assured that Pell and other federal aid money is safe.
IVCC President Tracy Morris said, “As of Oct. 22, we have been told that the shutdown should not impact financial aid. That’s what we have been told: that money has been allocated [and] people are still working in those departments.
“As of right now there isn’t any plan for them to take away financial aid now or for spring semester.”
The U.S. government shutdown started Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass a funding bill that would keep the government running.
Approximately 750,000 federal and essential workers will not be receiving a paycheck during the shutdown. Some federal employees have been furloughed during the shutdown as well.
In addition to financial aid, other areas that will not have funding affected include the new ag building and Project Success, which is funded by a federal TRiO grant.
A portion of the ag building is funded by $2.5 million of federal funding.
TRiO serves about 160 students per year and receives more than $357,000 in funding.
Morris said the support for these programs should remain unchanged.
However, IVCC and other colleges across the nation may experience difficulty in reaching officials at federal agencies.
Morris said, “Where the problem is really coming in from the shutdown is when we need to reach out to an office that is not staffed.
“For instance if we had questions about the grant for the agricultural building, no one would be there to answer it; fortunately, we have an amazing team and got everything approved before the shutdown.”
The college continues to make contingency plans to deal with any funding or policy uncertainty caused as the shutdown continues.