FDU President Christopher Capuano told The Equinox Tuesday that the university is still working on how to allocate the $5.8 million from the federal economic stimulus passed in late March.

“The University is analyzing how best to serve the needs of its students and will provide further information in the near future on how these funds will be distributed, including a student application,” Capuano said in an email.

Unforeseen expenses stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the closing of the campus and the move to online classes have shaken FDU’s budget, like with many other universities and colleges across the country.

The $5.8 million includes $2.9 million for expenses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the remaining half will be allotted to financial aid grants to students that have been particularly affected by the pandemic, including costs such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care. 

“This money [$2.9 million] will be used to offset unanticipated institutional expenses, like the prorated refunds to students for spring room and board, and expenses related to technology and supporting the move to virtual classrooms and business operations,” Capuano said.

FDU has three North American campuses, two in New Jersey and one in Vancouver. The university also has a campus in Wroxton (U.K.). 

“We don’t have a breakdown at this point [of how the money will be allocated to all of the FDU campuses], but the institutional money will likely be used to offset unanticipated expenses at all FDU campuses,” Capuano said.

“FDU is fortunate to receive federal funding to help support our University and our students. We are grateful for the support we are getting,” he said.

This is a developing story, and The Equinox will continue to report on the latest developments regarding how FDU will allocate these resources.