September 5, 2006

TO:          Faculty, Staff and Administrators

FROM:      The Reverend Brian Linnane, S.J.
               President

SUBJECT:  Financial Crisis Assistance Fund

As a Jesuit institution with a long commitment to the Catholic ideal of the common good, Loyola College in Maryland is committed to helping its faculty, administrators and staff deal with personal crises, be they health-related, emotional, or financial. To address our employees’ financial emergencies, the College has recently established the Financial Crisis Assistance Fund in collaboration with the Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation (GEDCO), a faith-based organization that meets the emergency needs of area residents, including members of the Loyola College Community.

In the event of a crisis, any non-temporary faculty, staff or administrator of the College who has completed six months of continuous service may request confidential assistance from the Fund. Employees may apply for assistance one time within a rolling 12-month period. For the purposes of the Fund, a “crisis” is defined as an unexpected or unplanned event which is serious and requires immediate action. Circumstances that may be covered by the fund include but are not limited to medical emergencies not covered by insurance, funeral expenses, emergency airfare, legal fees stemming from an emergency, mechanical breakdown of only car or loss of home due to a natural disaster. Situations such as foreclosure on a home, delinquent bills, taxes or insurance premiums, tuition and bringing relatives to the US from overseas are unlikely to be covered by the fund; however, employees may be eligible for assistance from GEDCO.

To request assistance, an employee should contact Alyse Falkenhan, Program Coordinator for Employee Relations, Professional Development and Compensation in the Human Resources Office(ext. 1367). Human Resources will assist the employee in completing a referral for GEDCO (Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation) CARES services and, if appropriate, the College’s established Employee Assistance Program. If the employee’s need and request meets the CARES criteria, he or she will receive a CARES grant and/or referrals to other appropriate agencies. If the employee’s need exceeds the amount of the CARES grant and available assistance from other agencies, CARES will refer the employee to the Loyola Financial Crisis Assistance Fund for consideration for a supplemental grant.

The Fund will be administered by the Human Resources Office and all grant decisions will be made by the Financial Crisis Committee. Funds provided by GEDCO CARES and the Crisis Assistance Fund are grants and do not need to be repaid. While the Fund is supported by the College, it will accept individual employee contributions.

For more information on the Crisis Assistance Fund and other programs designed to address employee emergencies, please contact Alyse Falkenhan in the Human Resources Office at 410-617-1345.