COVID-19 Update: Returning to Campus

Returning to Campus

Fort Hays Tech | Northwest will remain on campus and in person for classes for the 2021-2022 academic year. While we remain cognizant and alert to the status of the pandemic and the new Delta variant, we remain committed to returning to campus and traditional operations.

We were one of the few colleges able to run completely on campus and in person for the entirety of the last school year, which we feel is critical for instruction in technical education. We learned, adapted, and adjusted to complete a very successful year.

Throughout the coming academic year, we will adjust practices and precautions on campus as the need arises. We are looking forward to having students on campus and learning in our classrooms and labs!

COVID-19 Case Count

2021-2022 Academic Year

Goodland Campus

Students and Employees Tested	Students and Employees Testing Positive (Active Cases)	Recovered Cases	Report Date
106	0	66	3/3/2022

Quinter Location

Students and Employees Tested	Students and Employees Testing Positive (Active Cases)	Recovered Cases	Report Date
NA	0	0	3/3/2022

Vaccination Clinic Schedule

The campus nurse will have COVID-19 vaccines available each Thursday from 11:00am - 1:00pm. The nurses office is located down the hall from the CSI program in the building northeast of the Student Union. Students and employees can also call 785.890.4888 or walk in to the Sherman County Health Department at 1622 Broadway in Goodland to receive the vaccine.

There are currently three vaccines available:

Moderna: requires 2 shots, 4 weeks apart (95% effective)

Pfizer: requires 2 shots, 3 weeks apart (95% effective)

Johnson and Johnson: requires 1 shot (74% effective)

You can contact the campus nurses at any time by emailing:

jlohr@fhnw.edu

kgray@fhnw.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Operations

Is the college still operating?

Yes! In fact, we never closed and successfully completed the 2020-2021 year fully face-to-face. We are looking forward to welcoming students to campus on August 9, 2021 for Orientation!

Masks, PPE and Vaccinations

Will I be required to wear a mask?

At this point, we are not requiring that masks be worn on campus. If we have an escalation of cases during the year, we do reserve the right to require masks in impacted programs if the situation warrant it.

Will we be required to practice social-distancing?

While social-distancing will not be required at this point, it is highly recommended and we reserve the right to implement social distancing when situations arise where it is needed. We do recommend students and employees use good common sense and if cases begin to develop in our region, to maintain good practices to slow the spread of the virus.

What other sanitary practices are being taken?

We have installed hand sanitizing stations for every building on campus, and in multiple locations within each building. Additionally, we are utilizing surface cleaners recommended by the CDC to keep the campus as clean and safe as we can.

Am I going to be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19?

We are not requiring students or employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19, although we recommend a vaccine shot for those who wish to receive one. We have local resources through the Sherman County Health Department that we will connect you with where shots are available.

For students who are in allied health programs (Medical Assistant, Respiratory Therapy, CNA, CMA, etc), you may encounter clinical locations that require you to be vaccinated to conduct clinical rotations. Consult with your program instructor accordingly.

HEERF I - CARES

Fort Hays Tech | Northwest disbursed emergency financial aid grants to students under the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. At least half of the funds received had to be provided to students to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.

The CARES Act grant program was created to assist students in covering expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care.

The college received $239,643 which was allocated to 244 students who were impacted by the interruption of campus operations and the transition from on-campus to online instruction.

To be eligible to receive CARES Act funds, Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students had to be enrolled in at least one on-campus class at the time of the college’s transition to all-online instruction. Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students also needed to be eligible to receive Title IV aid. This eligibility is evaluated through the completion of the FAFSA.

Students must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Enrolled on/after March 13, 2020 attending course(s)
A degree-seeking student
Experienced expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.

Eligibility for Title IV aid, students must:

demonstrate financial need (except for certain loans).
have provided to Fort Hays Tech | Northwest documentation of academic credentials such as a final high school graduation transcript, General Education Development (GED) certificate, college degree earned, etc.
be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate.
be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
have a valid social security number.
register with the Selective Service, if required.
maintain satisfactory academic progress during every academic term in which they are enrolled.
certify that they will use federal financial aid only for educational purposes.
certify that they are not in default on a federal student loan and/or owe money on an overpayment on a federal student grant.
not have reached their annual or lifetime Pell Eligibility Use. Students may still be eligible for other types of federal student aid.
not have had their eligibility suspended or terminated due to a drug-related conviction.
not have reached their annual or lifetime Federal Family Education Loan Program or Federal Direct Loan Program aggregate limit.
be enrolled at least half-time for student loans.

HEERF II - CRRSAA

Fort Hays Tech | Northwest disbursed emergency financial aid grants to students under the federal government’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). Institutions accepting CRRSAA funding must commit to providing a portion of the funds in the form of financial aid grants to students, which can be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arose due to coronavirus.

The college received $239,643 which was allocated to 228 students who were impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic.

To be eligible to receive CRRSAA funds, Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students had to be enrolled on/after February 20, 2021. Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students also needed to be eligible to receive Title IV aid by March 1, 2021. This eligibility is evaluated through completion of the FAFSA. Eligible students submitted a form through the Financial Aid office, where distribution of the funds took place.

Student eligibility criteria was determined by the recommended guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Education. The Department has since updated student eligibility criteria, applicable to all unspent HEERF funds.

Students must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Enrolled on/after February 20, 2021 attending course(s)
A degree-seeking student
Experienced expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.

Eligibility for Title IV aid, students must:

demonstrate financial need (except for certain loans).
have provided to Fort Hays Tech | Northwest documentation of academic credentials such as a final high school graduation transcript, General Education Development (GED) certificate, college degree earned, etc.
be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate.
be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
have a valid social security number.
register with the Selective Service, if required.
maintain satisfactory academic progress during every academic term in which they are enrolled.
certify that they will use federal financial aid only for educational purposes.
certify that they are not in default on a federal student loan and/or owe money on an overpayment on a federal student grant.
not have reached their annual or lifetime Pell Eligibility Use. Students may still be eligible for other types of federal student aid.
not have had their eligibility suspended or terminated due to a drug-related conviction.
not have reached their annual or lifetime Federal Family Education Loan Program or Federal Direct Loan Program aggregate limit.
be enrolled at least half-time for student loans.

HEERF III - ARP

Fort Hays Tech | Northwest disbursed emergency financial aid grants to students under the federal government’s America Rescue Plan (ARP). Institutions accepting ARP funding must commit to providing a portion of the funds in the form of financial aid grants to students, which can be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arose due to coronavirus.

The college received $755,506 which was allocated to 317 students who were impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

To be eligible to receive ARP funds, Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students had to be enrolled by September 10, 2021. Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students also needed to be degree and/or certificate seeking. Eligible students completed an Authorization Form in the Financial Aid office. The funds were distributed by enrolled credit hours, shown in the table below:

12 Credits	$2546	289 students
9-11 Credits	$1273	11 students
6-8 Credits	$637	1 student
<6 Credits	$317	16 students

Students must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Enrolled by September 10, 2021
A degree or certificate seeking student

Student eligibility criteria was determined by the recommended guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Education.

Students with Prior Account Balance

Fort Hays Tech | Northwest identified students who were experiencing financial hardship, and unable to pay their student account balances from March 13, 2020 through August 9, 2021. Student account balances created additional barriers for students by preventing future enrollment, withholding of transcripts, and potentially limiting the transfer of educational credits.

Students who were enrolled on/after March 13, 2020 who were experiencing financial hardship and were unable to pay their student account balances were granted a discharge of student debt. Grants were awarded up to the amount of the student’s prior account balance. The discharge does not apply to any additional charges incurred for the Fall 2021 semester and after. The amount discharged by Fort Hays Tech | Northwest totaled to $142,023.93.

Students who held account balances between March 13, 2020 and August 6, 2021 were not required to submit an application.

Student Eligibility Criteria

Must have been enrolled during the Coronavirus Pandemic on/after March 13, 2020
Must have a prior student account balance (March 13, 2020 through August 6, 2021)

HEERF IV - SSARP

Fort Hays Tech | Northwest disbursed emergency financial aid grants to students under the federal government’s Supplemental America Rescue Plan (SSARP). Institutions accepting SSARP funding must commit to providing a portion of the funds in the form of financial aid grants to students, which can be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arose due to coronavirus.

The college received $50,795 which was allocated to 120 students who were impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

To be eligible to receive SSARP funds, Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students had to be enrolled in a degree and/or certificate seeking program by October 19, 2022. Fort Hays Tech | Northwest students needed to have a completed FAFSA on file with a financial aid offer prior to October 19, 2022. Eligibility was also dependent on the student being a Pell Grant recipient. Eligible students completed an Authorization Form in the Financial Aid office. The funds were distributed by their Expected Family Contribution (EFC) figure, shown in the table below:

EFC 0	$500	65 Students
EFC 1-1000	$450	11 Students
EFC 1001-2000	$400	11 Students
EFC 2001-3000	$350	*Less than 10
EFC 3001-4000	$300	* Less than 10
EFC 4001-5000	$300	* Less than 10
EFC 5001-6000	$300	* Less than 10
EFC 6001-6207	$200	* Less than 10