FAST Fund: An Update

We Believe in Students

AFT Local 1904's FAST Fund has received a great deal of interest this semester. As many of you know, the funding for this academic year is seed funding, and is capped at $5,000 per semester. As such, the Local has been judicious in making grants to students. 

To date, a total of eight students--seven undergraduate students and one graduate student--have received almost $4,200 in assistance. Their emergency financial needs have included materials for classes that they had no other way to afford, car repairs, medical bills in collections, tuition assistance, rental assistance, and funds for teacher certification fees.

As one student wrote to us: 

"Because of [the FAST Fund], I was able to cover my rent and have one less thing to stress about. . . . As you know so many things can come up for a student during the course of the semester and having this resource and safety net available can make such a difference. . . . thank you so much for your help." 

A student who received tuition assistance wrote: 

"This is a huge, positive step in the right direction and I feel very hopeful now."

We would like to be able to do more through our FAST Fund. In order to do so, we need your help. We are asking all members to consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Local's FAST Fund. Find out how you can donate to AFT Local 1904's FAST Fund so we can continue this important work beyond this academic year. 

For more information about the Local's FAST Fund, please contact jennifer.higgins@aftlocal1904.org.

FAST Fund Update

AFT Local 1904’s FAST Fund has received a great deal of interest this semester. As the fund has limited resources, $5,000 per semester, the Local has been judicious in making grants to students. To date a total of four students – three undergraduate students and one graduate student – have received approximately $2,100 in assistance. Their emergency financial needs have included materials for classes that he/she had no other way to afford, car repairs, medical bills in collections, and rental assistance.

AFT Local 1904 would like to thank the Dean of Students, Margaree Coleman-Carter and Director of Financial Aid, Jim Anderson, for working with us to ensure that the students we assist have a financial need and receive all the wrap around services that they need to complete their degree at Montclair State.

We would like to be able to do more and to continue to provide support through our FAST Fund beyond this academic year. In order to do so, we need your help. We are asking all members to consider contributing to the Local’s FAST Fund. Donations are tax-deductible. Click here to find out how you can make a tax-deductible donation to AFT Local 1904’s FAST Fund. In advance, we thank you for your support of this important work that benefits our students above and beyond what you already do every day.

For more information about the Local’s FAST Fund, please contact jennifer.higgins@aftlocal1904.org.

Emergency Aid for Students at Montclair State

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. 

Local Supports Efforts By Sprague Library’s Health and Wellness Committee to Encourage Healthful Study Breaks

Over the summer, the Sprague Library’s Health and Wellness Committee put out a call for puzzles and games to help encourage students to take a break from studying. The officers of AFT Local 1904 answered this call and purchased puzzles and games so students can take study or “brain breaks” while working in the library.

The support of the library’s Health and Wellness Committee is only one of the ways AFT Local 1904 supports students beyond doing the important work we do. The Local also has a FAST Fund, which provides emergency financial assistance to students, and our scholarship, the Becker-Keene-Moore-Brook-Uhia-Waller Scholarship.