In addition to academic financial aid, RMU also provides it’s students with access to a specialized fund to aid them in times of need. The student emergency fund allows students access to financial assistance where traditional financial aid fails.

“Students have need beyond their traditional room and board and there where students who just needed access to money for emergency purposes.” said RMU Dean of Students John Michalenko.

This being said, the student emergency fund can not be used as assistance for tuition. Emergency funding is intended to be used in the event of an emergency, to provide students with necessities required to continue in higher education including clothes, transportation, external material requirements and other essentials not covered by traditional financial aid.

Established in 2008, at the height of america’s economical recession, the student emergency fund provides financial resources to students in need of non-academic financial aid. Since it’s instatement, this fund has provided RMU students with roughly $25,000 in financial resources.

The student emergency fund if funded through a mixture of small scale fundraisers, external donations and  voluntary direct deposit donations from RMU faculty and staff.

If a student finds themselves in a situation where financial assistance could be one of the only options in respect to continue in higher education he/she can request aid from the student emergency fund by setting up a private meeting with Dean Michalenko.