by George Smith, Student Reporter
An ongoing budgeting process is currently underway at Northwestern as the coronavirus pandemic takes effect on the school’s finances.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act provided relief funds for millions of Americans and American companies during the downfall of business and work.
Although the CARES Act had a large market cap, the effects of the Act are not permanent.
“It was stimulus money that helped us meet the cost that we were faced with overnight,” Dr. David Pecha, Northwestern’s vice president for administration, said.
Northwestern received a total of $1,506,494 as part of the CARES Act. Half of these funds are designated for direct benefits to eligible students enrolled at Northwestern. Some students last semester might have noticed a compensation refund of a portion of their fees and a refund of their housing expenses. Northwestern replenished these lost monies in its budget through this policy.
Northwestern struggled financially as the institution shut down some of its operations and covered the additional costs related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“There certainly have been expenses that Northwestern never planned on having and are not being covered by a part of the CARES money,” Pecha said.
The additional expenses are tracked separately and absorbed through the existing maintenance and custodial budget. In case the federal government decides to provide additional financial relief or compensation, Pecha said he is willing to provide a detailed list of expenses associated with the coronavirus pandemic that would not typically have been purchased.
The masks with the Northwestern logo, the disinfectant spray bottles in every classroom and the disinfectant dispensers at the entrances to the buildings on campus are costs that are currently not being covered from the money awarded through the CARES Act, but could be covered by additional federal aid.