‘Free for me’
Columbia College offering free tuition for all in spring
Columbia College is offering an entirely free semester of learning for the spring semester, along with free parking, a $250 bookstore credit, as well as a $250 cash disbursement for students who are vaccinated against COVID-19.
The perks from the Free For Me Spring program don’t stop with free tuition, financial vaccine incentives or free parking. Any student with an outstanding debt to Columbia College will not be required to pay it back. As of Oct. 20, the Yosemite Community College District Board of Trustees approved a resolution to eliminate all past student accounts receivable balances.
“One great thing leading into spring 2022 is that students who have incurred debt from unpaid tuition or from unpaid fees for unreturned materials, or whatever it may be, that debt is erased,” Columbia College Registrar Lesley Michtavy said.
The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), a three-part grant program from the U.S. The Department of Education, authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act; the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA); and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) are the reason the money is available for the program.
“The grant funds are to support students who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Marnie Shively, director of student financial services at Columbia College, said. “The college is using a combination of HEERF 2 and HEERF 3 funding.”
Michtavy added that the decision to implement the Free For More tuition was made by the Yosemite Community College District Board of Trustees and District Chancellor Henry Yong.
In addition to the Free For Me program funding there is other grant money available to students.
Shively, who has worked for the college for 22 years, said she had never seen so much grant funding in her entire career.
“We are encouraging students to apply for financial aid,
even if they think they may not qualify. Financial aid is a separate pot of HEERF grant money available to students who enroll in three or more units,” she said. “They can use any financial aid money to pay for gas or child care or for the hours they attend class and are not working.”
Applying to Columbia College is easy and can be done online, or in person.
Once accepted — everyone is accepted, according to Michtavy — a welcome letter via email will be sent and students can register for classes through Jan. 9. Classes begin on Jan. 10 and the semester ends on April 30.
With 314 class offerings from general education to aerobics, creative photography, fire academy and forestry and natural resources, there is a class for just about everyone.
There is no maximum number of classes students can take for the spring. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six units to be eligible for the $500 vaccine incentive. There is no citizenship or residency requirement for participation in the free tuition or vaccination incentive programs.
“We look forward to opening the door for high school students, veterans, returning students, parents, people who want to enrich their resume and those who want to explore a hobby,” she said. “Take classes for personal enrichment or beef up your resume.”
Michtavy is taking her own advice and has enrolled in basic freehand drawing, an art class being taught online.
“Students who are ner
vous about returning to in person classes can use our remote learning resources available including counseling, financial aid and administration and records,” Shively said. “Approximately 50 percent of classes will be in person and 50 percent will be held online. COVID-19 drove us to move classes online. Many of those online classes we have kept.”
Columbia College, which offered online classes throughout the pandemic, began in person classes in May.
“We have a proactive approach to COVID-19. We’ve been extremely careful. We require that
masks be worn and students and staff practice social distancing,” Michtavy said. “We’ve had a few minor isolated incidents, but no outbreaks of COVID-19 on campus.”
“We have air purifiers for both staff and students and our level of cleanliness is high,” Shively added. “You don’t have to be vaccinated to attend classes. You can provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.”
Once the spring semester begins, unvaccinated students will be provided with take-home COVID-19 testing kits. Depending on how many classes they are taking,
students will be required to test themselves once or twice a week before attending any in-person courses.
“The HEERF grant makes this a great opportunity for anyone considering college to jump start the process. The free tuition is an extra incentive,” Vice President of Student Services Melissa Raby said. “The world needs a little bit of normalcy right now. We want people to feel comfortable and come and take a few classes with us.”