Tulane Launches Student Emergency Aid and Assistance Fund

As the potential severity of coronavirus (COVID-19) became clear, Tulane University sought out ways to keep the Tulane community healthy. Among them was suspending all on-campus classes and reducing the concentration of students on the uptown campus for the remainder of the semester. Recognizing that such a move could raise financial challenges for low-income and other vulnerable groups of students, the university quickly marshaled the resources of the Tulane Student Emergency Aid and Assistance Fund.

The fund is a flexible resource that can be rapidly mobilized to provide support for students in times of crisis. It will be used to assist students with financial hardships associated with the campus closure and transition to online instruction, including airfare, purchasing a laptop and supporting WiFi access at home, among other needs.

As soon as word got out about Tulane’s decision regarding remote learning, university leadership was contacted by alumni, parents and friends—all wondering how they could support and strengthen the student community at this uncertain time.

Thomas LaVeist, dean of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity says, “Our community of alumni, faculty, staff and students at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is one that is uniquely poised to understand the gravity of COVID-19. It is also a strongly solutions-oriented population, committed to assisting however possible, and that’s why so many have reached out to see how they can help. The Tulane Student Emergency Aid and Assistance Fund is a wonderful way to get our students the help they need.”

Gifts to support the Tulane Student Emergency Aid and Assistance Fund can be made HERE.