A Strong Community

A strong sense of community and a feeling of responsibility for the success of our fellow community members is a hallmark of UNE. The programs listed below are sponsored by your fellow Nor’easters, including alumni, faculty, professional staff, and current students. These programs are designed to assist Nor’easters who exhibit financial need and are intended to provide funds that allow students to continue their studies in the face of unexpected expenses.

A group of U N E students posing together
Headshot of Barbara Hazard

Barbara J. Hazard Student Emergency Fund

The Barbara J. Hazard Student Emergency Fund was created to help provide financial assistance to students who need a little boost to get them through life's unexpected emergencies: buying groceries, helping with the rent, or purchasing school books after, say, an unexpected illness or job loss. While this fund is not intended to be used for Tuition Payments, or as an ongoing source of assistance, it is available for those emergency situations which arrive and have the potential to derail our students' success.

In 2011, Barbara Hazard HA ‘09, retired vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, created a $5,000 Student Emergency Fund to be used by the Division of Student Affairs to help students in crisis. Thanks to the 141 alumni who gave to the Annual Fund in 2011–2012 â€” demonstrating a 62% increase in alumni participation in response to the new fund's opening challenge — the Barbara Hazard Student Emergency Fund was activated for future years.

On April 2, 2020, UNE’s Undergraduate Student Government passed a resolution to donate $30,000 to the Barbara J. Hazard Student Emergency Fund, which provides financial assistance to students unexpectedly impeded in the support of their education.

The fund is an ongoing source of assistance for students in need. It continues to be maintained through donor gifts to the annual fund.

Eligibility

To be eligible for these funds, an individual must:

  • Be a full-time student
  • Be enrolled in courses for the term in which funding is requested
  • Have exhausted all other possible financial resources, including student loans

Application Criteria

All applications for assistance from the Barbara J. Hazard Emergency Fund should follow the criteria below:

  • Award Amounts should be between $25–$1,000
  • Awards are for emergency situations only

Only one award is to be made per student per semester.

Ineligible Items

The Emergency Fund cannot be used to cover the items below:

  • Tuition, fees, or study abroad costs 
  • Parking tickets, library fines, legal bills, or similarly preventable expenses 

Travel expenses are included as part of a student's cost of attendance and financial aid package. The Student Emergency Fund is intended to help aid students who have emergency travel needs above and beyond the allowance already included in determining their financial aid award. 

Swipe Out Hunger Project

The Swipe Out Hunger project is a collaboration between UNE's Hunger Initiative Club and Parkhurst Dining. During meal donation drives, students can donate a meal, also known as a “swipe,†in the dining hall that is added to a bank of available meals. The donated meals are intended for members of the Â鶹´«Ã½community who do not have a meal plan and could benefit from having access to healthy and nutritious meals without the added expense of purchasing a meal plan or paying for individual meals.

The Office of Student Affairs determines eligibility.

Meals will be added directly to the student’s Â鶹´«Ã½account to be accessed with their Â鶹´«Ã½ID.

A student eating a hamburger while looking out large glass windows
Students lining up to pay at a food counter in the Commons