Click the questions below to find answers to many questions. You can find more health information about COVID-19 and best practices for staying safe and healthy at:
You should also protect your personal information and avoid becoming a victim of COVID-19 related online scams.
Taking Classes
+ Who do I contact if I cannot get in touch with my instructor?
Please contact Lori Baker, the Dean of Student Affairs, if you are not able to get in touch with your instructor. She will forward your message to the appropriate academic dean who will reach out to you. lbaker@virginiawestern.edu.
+ What should I do if I don’t have the necessary computer equipment or internet access to participate in my class?
Brown Library’s first floor computer lab is available for students to use during library hours. Students may borrow laptops for the semester from the library with a photo ID. WiFi is available in most of the parking lots around campus. Please visit Options for Students Needing Internet or Computer Access for more information.
Student Support, Registration, Tuition & Grades
+ What student support resources are available?
Remote access to resources and services for students is available. Please visit Student Support Resources and Learning Resources for detailed information.
+ What if I need accommodations for remote learning?
The Office of Disability Services (ODS) is available to assist students with accommodations as outlines in their Accommodation Access Plan. Please contact Disability Counselor, Hillary Holland with ODS directly if you have any questions or concerns. hholland@virginiawestern.edu
+ Are there any financial resources available to help students who are experiencing hardships during the COVID-19 crisis?
The Virginia Western Educational Foundation has a Student Emergency Fund Assistance program to help students experiencing a crisis or exceptional financial hardship while currently enrolled at Virginia Western. The Foundation is soliciting further support from the community for this fund during the COVID-19 crisis.
To help a student apply for the Student Emergency Fund, visit: https://virginiawestern.edu/foundation/assistance.php or contact Carolyn Payne, Scholarship & CCAP Coordinator, at cpayne@virginiawestern.edu. Members of the community can support the fund at: https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/7e9db20c-c8a0-41ec-95d6-1bf432bc6f38.
CARES Act Student Relief Funds
+ What are COVID 19 CARES Act Student Relief Funds?
The federal government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and included in it the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). This designated $1.38 million in emergency financial aid grants for eligible students at Virginia Western Community College.
+ How did VWCC determine who gets funds?
Using guidelines provided by the federal Department of Education and the Virginia Community College System, Virginia Western identified the population of students eligible to receive the funds. The basic eligibility requirements were:
- The student must have been enrolled in at least 6 financial aid eligible credits as of February 6th, 2020 (census date) and remained enrolled through March 13th, 2020 (date of national emergency declaration).
- The student must have a FAFSA on file with no holds for citizenship or legal residency holds and/or selective service
- The student must have an EFC between 0 and 19,000
- The student must be in good Satisfactory Academic Progress standing
- The student must be currently enrolled
- The student must not be enrolled in all online courses since the beginning of the semester
+ How do I know if I was awarded funds?
Students were informed in their student message center within SIS if they were eligible for these funds. Please login into your MyVWCC account and review your student messages.
+ How much does each student get?
Our eligibility process identified 1,866 students eligible for COVID Student Relief funds.
Each eligible student will receive $740 as their portion of Virginia Western’s $1.38 million student grant allocation.
+ How can I spend my funds?
The funds you will receive are intended for costs you incurred due to the disruption of COVID-19 and may include course materials, technology (i.e. laptop, internet access, data plans, etc.), food, housing, health care, and childcare. This also includes costs to support continued online education during the pandemic.
+ How will I get my funds?
Virginia Western began the process to distribute these funds on March 14, 2020.
You will receive your funds either by direct deposit or a check will be mailed to the current mailing address on file. This depends on what payment method you have on file.
To review your refund options visit https://vwcc.afford.com/. If it is your first time setting up direct deposit, you will need to create an account by using the ‘Resend Registration Email’ using your school email account (do not use your personal email).
To check the mailing address the college has on file log into your MyVWCC account and click the SIS (Student Information System) tile. Then go to the ‘Student Center’ and scroll to the bottom of the page to review and edit your mailing address.
+ What are the tax implications?
If you have questions about the tax implications please visit this IRS link: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-and-emergency-financial-aid-grants-under-the-cares-act. For more specific questions you should contact a tax professional.
+ I was not awarded funds. Is there a way to appeal?
No. Unfortunately, VWCC was allocated limited student funding and the current distribution of payments represents the entire pool of CARES Act Student Relief Funds.
Students who are in need of emergency funds are encouraged to apply to Virginia Western’s Rapid Response Emergency fund.
+ I still have questions, who can I call?
Contact the Student Support Center by visiting this link: https://mysupport.virginiawestern.edu/ to chat or submit a question, or you can call 1-855-874-6690.
Technical Issues
+ What do I do if I cannot log in to MyVWCC?
The Help Desk is available to assist students. Please call 540-857-7354 or email helpdesk@virginiawestern.edu if you need assistance.