The East Central Community College Board of Trustees has approved a 35 percent refund to enrolled students for their residence hall and meal plan charges during its regular meeting April 14.
ECCC president Billy Stewart said in an email to students and an update posted on its website said that ECCC extended spring break and asked students not to return to campus beginning March 23. At that time, residence hall students had six weeks remaining in the semester to live in the residence halls and receive meals, which worked out to 35 percent of the semester.
The pro-rated adjustment will be credited back to the accounts of students who were residents of an ECCC residence hall on March 23, when school officials closed the campus and asked students not to return to campus. Residence hall students who withdrew prior to March 23 will not eligible for the pro-rated adjustment described above, Stewart said in the email.
“Based on the Board’s approval, a pro-rated adjustment as described above will be applied to a student’s account who meets the criteria as stated above,” Stewart said. “Please know that an adjustment to a student’s account will first be applied to any outstanding charges owed by the student to the College. Therefore, this adjustment may result in the student owing the College less or it may result in a potential refund to the student.”
Stewart said each individual student’s account will need to be analyzed to determine the impact of the approved, pro-rated adjustment. Any refunds for student-athletes may be impacted by the regulations of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges (MACC). Also, any potential refund for students due to institutional scholarships may be impacted by other college policies.
“It is anticipated that information pertaining to the impact of the approved, pro-rated adjustment for residence hall students will not be known until the end of the semester,” Stewart said. “Students should monitor their account information in myEC for the application of the approved, pro-rated adjustment. If students have questions regarding the adjustment, they should email Dr. Walton at awalton@eccc.edu or Dean Miller at jmiller@eccc.edu or call their office at 601-635-6213.
“I want to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to the members of the ECCC Board of Trustees for continuing to support our students through the approval of this recommended pro-rated adjustment for residence hall students during this challenging time.
“The College anticipates that in the near future, the Housing Department will share specific instructions as to when students will be allowed to return to campus to move out of their residence hall room. The plan will be organized to limit the number of students and the overall number of people on campus and will be created in accordance with recommended health and safety guidelines. When the plan is made to move out of their room, the number of individuals who come to help students move out will need to be limited and will be monitored. More instructions related to the move-out process will be provided at the appropriate time in the future and continues to be impacted by the most current information related to COVID-19.”
Here is the link to the total statement to employees and students: https://www.eccc.edu/coronavirus
