This article is open to all free of cost, as the reporting for this entire series was made possible by a grant from the Poynter Institute with support from the Joyce Foundation.
Read Part I of our reporting on Ashland University here. And, read all of our reporting on the American Rescue Plan Act’s impact in Ashland County here. If you have any questions for the reporter, send her an email at mariah@ashlandsource.com.
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ASHLAND — Ashland University spent more money than it reported receiving in its student portion from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).
Between HEERF II and HEERF III, AU reported receiving $10,634,478 for its student portion.
But according to the numbers provided in those reports from 2021 and 2022, AU spent $10,777,800 on its student portion — a difference of $143,322.
Marc Pasteris, Ashland University’s vice president and chief financial officer, said $93,322 of that money came from the institutional portion. He said putting money from the institutional portion toward emergency financial aid grant funding was allowed.
Pasteris and his staff were still investigating the remaining $50,000 difference in the figures at the time of this story’s publication.
Reports AU submitted to the U.S. Department of Education show the school spent most of its student portion awarding emergency financial aid grants to students.
Why give students grant money?
AU wasn’t alone in awarding students those types of grants.
An annual performance report on the impact of HEERF found nearly half of students enrolled at HEERF-eligible institutions received emergency financial aid.
Schools reported HEERF money “enabled them to keep students enrolled who were at risk of dropping out by providing financial support.” AU indicated in its 2022 report that was something the aid helped it with too.
The student experience
Kyle Doershuk ended his last year of high school in uncertainty. That uncertainty followed him to Ashland University.
He had some in-person classes, some hybrid and some completely online. His in-person coursework took place with masks and social distancing. Doershuk participated in social events — mostly outdoors — when it was possible throughout the fall. Those events faded away when it became too cold during the winter.
Doershuk said attending in-person events felt like “walking on ice” because they could be cancelled at any moment due to risk of COVID exposure.
“It was always just a little bit of unknown, but also, a little bit of ‘I’m here and it’s nice to actually be able to do things,’” he said.
Doershuk graduated from AU in August. He looks back fondly on his time at AU; he found his place in the school’s journalism and digital media department. He joined a fraternity, and studied abroad twice.
And, Doershuk received money thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). An email he shared with Ashland Source from April 2022 shows Doershuk received $500 from the school thanks to ARPA.
“Ashland University remains committed to your academic success, health, and well-being during these challenging times,” the email stated.
How’d the school hand out money to students?
AU gave out HEERF money to students in two main ways: emergency financial aid grants, or satisfying students’ outstanding account balances.
Altogether, the emergency financial aid grants the university reported giving out in its 2021 and 2022 reports, plus the funds applied to satisfy students’ outstanding account balances, added up to $10,777,880.
Student portion breakdown
The table below shows how much AU gave out to students in emergency financial aid grant money and to satisfy outstanding account balances.
| 2021 | 2022 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency financial aid grants | $6,502,850 | $2,945,185 | $9,448,035 |
| Satisfying account balances | $883,650 | $446,115 | $1,329,765 |
| Total | $7,386,500 | $3,391,300 | $10,777,800 |
Pasteris said AU determined financial aid grant amounts it doled out to students using a formula.
The university indicated on its annual reports it used “institutional administrative data” to determine the amount of funds awarded to students. It also indicated Pell Grant eligibility and estimated family contribution from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid factored in.
Pasteris said he could not recall specifics of that formula.
“I think what’s most important is it went directly to support the students,” Pasteris said. “It related to students’ healthcare costs that they incurred because of the pandemic. It was transportation, childcare … cost of living expenses that they would have encountered as well.”
In its 2021 report, AU disbursed $6,502,850 to students via emergency financial aid grants. The university’s 2022 report indicated it handed out another $2,945,185 in emergency financial aid grants.
According to the school’s 2022 report, the minimum award amount AU students received from HEERF was $500. The maximum was $2,725. On average, students who received HEERF emergency financial aid grants received $1,030.48.
Those grants made up nearly 90% of the HEERF II and HEERF III funds AU received for its student portion.
Students, like Doershuk, received those funds via a check or direct deposit. Once students received the money, Pasteris said the school didn’t have oversight as to how they spent it.
Doershuk said he’d closed out the checking account he used while he studied at AU, so couldn’t provide documentation as to how he spent the money. But, he recalls purchasing books for his classes and paying dues for his fraternity with the $500 he received in April 2022.
Doershuk said his friends spent the money similarly. Many opted to use it to pay their tuition, he said. He remembered one student he knew used it for car repairs.
The rest of AU’s funds were applied directly to satisfy students’ outstanding account balances.
In 2021, the school reported $883,650 going towards account balances; in 2022, another $446,115 went toward paying down outstanding balances. Students had to provide written consent in order for the university to put their money toward that.
