Relief fund remains open to help staff and adjunct faculty at Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College announced on Nov. 9 the continuation of the staff and adjunct faculty relief fund that was initially set up as a means to provide support to employees during the coronavirus pandemic.
Since fall 2020, the relief fund, created by Faculty Senate with an initial donation of $2,000, has provided over 60 MCC staff or adjunct faculty members with support of up to $100 to help with essential needs like food, medical expenses and rent.
“Most of the time it’s to help make ends meet or to help with an unexpected bill so even a little assistance is appreciated,” said Liz J. Csikar, faculty chair of the Life Science department.
Csikar and the Faculty Senate plan to continue the relief fund as donations continue to trickle in and the need is still present, something Csikar has observed with recent economic inflation.
“We recognize that while the pandemic is waning, the economic realities that people face are still present,”said Csikar.
Staff or adjunct faculty that want to apply for the fund need to currently work for Mesa Community College and be under Maricopa County Community College District payroll. Applications for the current cycle of the relief fund are open until Dec. 11.
In the brief application, staff or adjunct faculty list their role at the college and a brief description of why the relief funds are needed.
Csikar told the Mesa Legend that a small subcommittee of Faculty Senate members
review the applications in confidentiality for the privacy of the staff of adjunct faculty members in need.
Once approved, relief funds must be under $100 per individual and are only distributed once.
“To keep helping our adjunct and staff colleagues, we rely on donations from others,” said Csikar.
Anyone is able to donate to the relief fund that is managed by Maricopa County Faculty Foundation, which acts as an Arizona qualified charitable organization that enables tax credits for donors.
“The maximum credit allowed is $800 for married filing joint filers and $400 for single, heads of household, and married filing separate filers,” said Csikar.
More tax information can be found on the Arizona Department of Revenue website.
“This credit can be used to offset your AZ tax liability dollar-for-dollar, however, there are a few limitations so be sure to talk with your tax advisor,” Csikar added.
