Struggling students are given almost £1m from regional university’s Covid response fund

MORE than £900,000 has been given to Staffordshire University students struggling to afford the basics such as food and rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The university’s Covid-19 response fund handed out more than 2,000 grants to students during the first round of funding to help them get through the past year.

Students were invited to apply for grants to help the during their studies during the lockdowns. As well as helping to pay for any additional technology and furniture they might need, the fund is also for students who may be struggling with the basics of food and rent.

University vice-chancellor Professor Liz Barnes said: “As a civic university connected to the needs of our region, we are doing what we can to support our students and their families through these challenging times.

“We are aware of just how difficult it is for some students to feel motivated to carry on, especially when many have competing priorities like household income and home-schooling their children.

“Digital poverty remains a problem and has been exacerbated by the pandemic. We are also aware that due to Covid-19 large numbers of young people are now in the jobs market.

“One in three young people under 25 are employed in the three sectors most affected by Covid-19 – travel, hospitality and retail.

“That is why we are very keen to get the financial support out to all those who need it and where it can make a practical difference to students during these difficult months. It could help buy them a desk to work from or just tide them over if they have lost part-time work through the pandemic.”

Staffordshire University has also joined forces with the Students’ Union to call on local landlords to support students living off the university campus in private rented accommodation. Executive dean of students Nuala Devlin said: “This additional funding from the government comes at a critical time for our students.

“The funding allocation acknowledges that all students including international, full and parttime, undergraduate and postgraduate, across all courses, may be impacted by the pandemic.

“Its primary purpose is to support students who are facing hardship and who need a helping hand in order for them to continue their studies. For that reason, we made the application process as easy as possible.

“The response to the fund has been overwhelming and gives a sense of how much students have been financially impacted by the pandemic.”

The Covid-19 response fund reopened to new applications from students on Monday.