Portland State Magazine Spring 2019

SHARONA SHNAYDER is an overachiever. At age 19 she’s already a junior and averaging 24 credits a term. “I just can’t afford to be in school very long,” says the accounting major who is dual enrolled at PSU and Portland Community College. Shnayder is a cash-strapped student struggling to make ends meet, and like many other students, she’s finding that a little extra financial support from the University can mean the difference between graduating or withdrawing. In response to student needs, two PSU schools and one college—The School of Business, School of Social Work and the College of Urban and Public Affairs—have launched financial hardship funds designed to ensure that students cannot only remain in school, but in some cases, put food on the table as well. Supporting student emergency funds is a giving opportunity for The Campaign for PSU, which is raising $300 million in philanthropic contributions for the University by 2021. For years, PSU has had an emergency loan program that allows students to borrow up to $600, but the hardship funds provide grants to students that they don’t have to repay. “Honestly, if I didn’t have that fund, I probably wouldn’t be going to school or would be stressed out every day trying to figure out what I was going to do next,” says Shnayder. HARDSHIP FUNDS CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STAYING IN SCHOOL OR DROPPING OUT. WRITTEN BY KATY SWORDFISK DUAL ENROLLED AT PSU AND PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE, SHARONA SHNAYDER IS SAVING MONEY ON TUITION, BUT WHEN MONEY GOT TIGHT, A HARDSHIP FUND HELPED HER OUT. 19