American Federation of Teachers Local 1904 at Montclair State University has been selected to be a partner with Believe in Students, Inc., to have a Faculty And Students Together (FAST) Fund for students at Montclair. The FAST Fund was started by Sara Goldrick-Rab and provides emergency aid for students without the bureaucracy or hassle typically associated with short term student relief. Local 1904 is proud to be among this small group of partner schools which include: California State University – Long Beach, California; Nash Community College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina; Columbus State Community College, Columbus Ohio; Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, Massachusetts; and Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
As a partner with Believe in Students, AFT Local 1904 will be administering a FAST Fund at Montclair State University to assist students with paying for expenses that they would not otherwise be able to afford. Some examples of what FAST Funds have been used to pay for at other partner campuses:
- Professional licensing fees
- Temporary housing
- Rent to avoid eviction
- Auto repair bills
- Replacement costs for textbooks and laptops/iPad or other required technology for the educational program
- Eyeglasses and eye exams
To qualify for the funds, Montclair State students need to fill out a one page application form requiring a member reference and an explanation of need. Return completed applications to AFT Local 1904’s office in Dickson Hall 104. Questions? Call our office at 973-655-4453.