A central Iowa school is setting aside grant money to create an emergency fund for students which could mean the difference between some students staying in school or having to quit. Carl Moses, provost of Grand View University in Des Moines, says the money is meant for students who are faced with unexpected expenses when they’re already struggling to make ends meet. “So it might be medical costs, it might be traveling home for a family emergency or auto repair,” Moses says. “They need to choose between paying for that and paying for college.”

The school is getting 210-thousand dollars from Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation to establish the fund which will be available at the start of the fall semester. “We don’t give the funds directly to the students,” Moses says. “So, if it’s a matter of an auto repair, we write a check to the mechanic and we can do that in less than two days from the time a student first approaches us for assistance.”

He estimates as many as 900 Grand View students are living day-to-day and might value the financial help.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Rob Dillard, Iowa Public Radio)