With the US Government shutdown many are concerned about the continued impact this will have for students and staff. College President Lisa Avery sent out this statement to staff.
—
Linn-Benton Community College’s leadership team continues to monitor the federal government shutdown and its potential impacts on our students. At this time, Federal Student Aid programs for the 2025–26 year remain fully funded, and students are continuing to receive Pell Grants, Campus-Based Aid (including Federal Work-Study and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant), and Direct Loans without interruption. Students are also able to access and complete the FAFSA for the 2026–27 year. However, schools have been advised not to make aid offers that include Campus-Based Aid for 2026–27 until federal allocations are finalized.
Our veteran students using Chapter 31 – Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits may experience delays if the shutdown continues to the winter term, as VA Counselors who authorize these benefits are currently furloughed. Without renewed authorization, tuition payments, housing stipends, and VA Work-Study participation could be temporarily affected.
Though federal student financial aid seems to be in solid shape for the time being, that is not the case with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, more commonly known as food stamps. Earlier this month, the federal government notified states that payments for SNAP should not be issued until further notice. In Oregon, about 750,000 residents are enrolled in SNAP and will not receive their November food assistance payments unless the shutdown ends before October 31. A significant portion of our students – roughly one in six – receive SNAP benefits; our LBCC Foundation team has graciously agreed to look for temporary resources to help our students who are impacted.
As you know, these are challenging times for many students, employees and residents of our broader communities. LBCC remains committed to supporting students and we will continue to share updates as more information becomes available.
If you have any questions, please reach out. We have a Fireside Chat scheduled next week (in-person, November 3 at 2pm in the Fireside Room, and a repeat session on zoom on November 4 at 2pm). There are a lot of important issues to discuss, so please try to attend. In the meantime, let’s hope that our campus can help provide calm during these turbulent times.
Thanks,
Lisa
