Our fund keeps students in school
By Liz Franczyk
Like many professors, I help students every day with their academic goals. Their progress in my Spanish classes is the focus on my work. But lately that focus has widened, because our students often need more than academic assistance.
Since I got involved with the FAST (Faculty and Students Together) Fund, an emergency fund set up by faculty to help students in financial need, I’ve learned that many are barely scraping by. Others drop out because they can’t afford simple necessities: Maybe the commute to campus is too costly, or they don’t have money for the laptop required for their program. They might be homeless or not have enough to pay rent.
At Milwaukee Area Technical College, AFT Local 212’s FAST Fund has helped 1,426 students with these sorts of expenses over the last five years, according to its recent report. Similar programs have expanded to 32 schools across the nation. With small grants to fill in the gaps, we’ve helped students stay in school long enough to graduate, get good jobs and gain financial stability.
Real-world problems
Here’s an example: Recently I connected with Elijah, who had included a long list of needs on his FAST Fund application. I wanted to narrow it down to the most important, as we are a small fund and can only help with so much.
“I need help with getting tools for my [upcoming] internship, with car repairs, bills, rent, food for my kids,” he told me. He was polite but had a frustrated tone in his voice. He has six kids, all of whom live with him, and didn’t sound much older than late 20s or early 30s. I sensed that he had so many odds stacked against him and yet all he wanted was to better his life so his children, in turn, could thrive.
In his program, Automotive Technology, there is a sponsorship program available every January for students to receive tuition costs and tools. In order to apply, you must be in an internship at the car dealership that offers the sponsorship. Elijah, however, wasn’t in his internship yet, so he didn’t bother to apply. “I just feel like I can’t catch a break,” he said with a sigh.
I genuinely didn’t know where to start with him. I almost started crying on the phone. I consulted Mike Rosen, who founded the FAST Fund at MATC, and wound up calling the faculty member who had referred Elijah to us, hoping he would have more details about the sponsorship program, or a line on how we could get a discount on a tool set Elijah could use for a long time into his future career.
He had so many odds stacked against him and yet all he wanted was to better his life so his children, in turn, could thrive.
The instructor explained that the program is run through the Foundation of Wisconsin Auto and Truck Dealers and put me in contact with someone there. I drafted an email basically begging her to reopen the sponsorship program for Elijah and she took the reins, contacting the dealership where Elijah was working. They agreed to sponsor him. This entails $2,000 in tuition ($1,000 each semester during this, his last year) and Snap-On tools valued at $4,270. The dealership obviously values him and the work he does.
I couldn’t wait to call him. “Oh man,” he said with a big exhale, “you have no idea what this means to me. We had a death in the family over the weekend so this is some really good news that I truly needed right now.”
Elijah is one of hundreds of students whose lives have been changed by the FAST Fund. In his case, we just helped coordinate existing resources. In others we give people gas cards or send a check to keep the electric company from cutting off the heat. There’s no red tape and the funds — sometimes just $100 or less — are available quickly, no questions asked.
Helping students learn is rewarding but helping them stay in school takes it to another level.
Here are more stories like Elijah’s. To learn more about the FAST Fund, or to consider starting one through your union, check out the FAST Fund page.
Liz Franczyk is the executive director of Local 212’s FAST Fund. She teaches Spanish at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Want to see more stories like this? Subscribe to AFT e-newsletters.
