Indiana University Bloomington

Campus Link Newsletter

Spring 2012

IU Student Advocates Office

The Student Advocates Office has been helping students with emergency financial needs for several years. The IU Parents Fund helped our office create a short term loan program that has transformed the way in which we can help students with unexpected expenses that may impact their ability to stay in school. An example of this came in the wake of a tragic fire in an off campus apartment building last October that took the life of one IU student and left several others homeless. Many of these students wanted to stay in school, but they had lost everything and needed financial assistance right away to replace textbooks and other materials needed to keep up with their studies. Our office was able to make loan funds available to students within 24 hours of their request for assistance. Many of the loans were replaced with grant funds from our office soon afterward. We made a commitment to students who did not have renter’s insurance or other third party repayment source that we would help them with grants to repay the loans to alleviate any stress involved with repaying a loan.

Here are some quotes from students involved in the fire who were helped by the fund:

“Your donation means more to me than you could ever imagine. I am sincerely thankful for the funds that will allow me to recover my textbooks. It means the world to me.”

“Pretty much all my belongings were lost in the fire, including my books, notes and technology. I am a dedicated student and I cannot thank you enough for your contributions to this fund.”

“It is extremely thoughtful and kind of you to have such sympathetic concern for us in this tragic time and I cannot explain how greatly it helps us academically and psychologically knowing people care this much.”

This fund is a vital tool that we have in helping IU students stay in school and focus on their academic goals.