McMaster University starts COVID-19 funds for students and researchers

McMaster University has launched two COVID-19 funds — one to help students and another to bolster research — and pledges to match the first $100,000 raised for both initiatives.

The Student Relief Fund will provide food and shelter for vulnerable students, offer help to students who are caring for dependents, provide emergency grants to students and help those studying abroad.

The McCall MacBain Foundation, founded by McMaster alumna Marcy McCall MacBain and her husband John McCall MacBain, also promised to match the first $100,000 in donations. As of Friday afternoon, roughly 100 donors raised more than $20,000, which, when including the matched amounts, is really $60,000.

The research fund has brought in more than $7,500, which, when including the matched amounts, is actually more than $15,000. This follows a move by Charles and Margaret Juravinski to release an immediate $3.3 million cash advance to speed up COVID-19 research.

The school is also set to lead two large clinical trials which could help find a treatment for the virus.

Student debt will be credited or refunded

The novel coronavirus also forced campus to shutter and classes to move online, which has led to some refunds.

The university will apply credits to any debt on a student's account or have the funds contribute to future tuition, but students can request a refund.

Students who prepaid for on-campus parking are getting refunds for the expense while the school has waived Athletics and Recreation Activity fees for courses that run through May to August and cancelled its summer camp.

The university also updated its refund policy to any residence students who moved out between March 13 and March 21 after initially offering to only compensate those who left between March 17 and March 21.