To pay for COVID-19 testing and new cleaning crews, the University is asking Governor Gordon for $25 million for the fall semester; so far, there has been no word that University has received these funds.
“The hope is to get the money so we can move forward with buying the kits, employing more custodial staff, and helping our teachers put the class online so they can help our students learn better” said, President Theobald
The $25 million will be broken down into different sections. $12 million will go to the testing and make sure that COVID stays off campus. $10 million will be used for financial aid to help students make it through the school year and still receive their education.
President Theobald has said that if the funds are not received by August, the University will stay online.
To get these funds, the University had to go to the Governor and ask for the money from the state’s federal stimulus or the CARES act.
President Theobald sent Governor Gordon a request for the funs on June 8, 2020, asking the Governor to have a meeting to discuss how to get the funds and how to move forward. As of the June 10 BOT meeting, President Theobald said:
“The request is that we have an indication of reimbursement next week. We are running to time; we must purchase test kits, and we have to get the technology to the classrooms” said Theobald.
During the June 10 meeting, it was asked if there would be a deadline to have the funding so the University could open up in the fall, as of the meeting President Theobald expressed that, that deadline has not been announced.
