Stepping Up to Help Faculty Students
As another step towards CUFSAA’s deep commitment to the welfare of science students, in 2021 CUFSAA implemented the “Step-Up” program for science students. This is a unique program where CUFSAA matches students in the faculty (recommended by the Dean’s office) with sponsors who help the students. CUFSAA expects the sponsor to pay a minimum of $35 equivalence in Rupees per month for twelve months. However, there is no maximum amount the sponsor can pay to help the students.
Typically sponsors pay once every six months, which makes the transfer process more accessible as well as provides the students with an opportunity to receive a bulk payment which they can use to buy something significant.
Since its inception in 2021, CUFSAA has proudly helped nine students facing severe economic challenges through this program and the families of these UoC science students are relieved because of this timely project (as of August 10, 2023). We keep both the sponsor’s and the student’s name confidential.
CUFSAA is proud to say that every sponsor who has supported the program so far has stepped up within three days of the announcement of the need. This says a lot about the compassionate spirit of our sponsors.
By pegging the minimum support at 35 dollars, we are making a significant thrust to help economically struggling students through this program.
Would you like to be a sponsor for the “Step-up” program? Please send an email to info@cufsaa.org (You don’t need to be a Science Faculty alumnus to be a sponsor).
Details and Procedures
The STEP UP Financial Assistance Program is instituted to match students of the Faculty of Science in need of financial assistance due to personal or financial hardship with donors who are providing financial assistance for a set period of time.
If you are willing to support a needy student, please contact us at info@cufsaa.org. We will match your support with students needing assistance in our roster.
The program follows the following procedure.
Procedure For financial aid to UoC /Science Faculty students in need by CUFSAA
The procedure has the following steps.
- A Faculty member at the University of Colombo, Faculty of Science will send a request to CUFSAA through the Dean/Faculty of Science for financial support to any students who the Faculty member has identified as having significant financial difficulties. The faculty member will identify any students listed in the request as students whose needs are in such a dire and urgent status that they fall into a special category needing additional support.
- CUFSAA will review the request and if approved will inform the faculty member that a procedure to identify a sponsor for a monthly support of Rs. 5000/= for the duration of the request (Maximum of two years as an undergraduate per request) will be initiated (as listed in item (3) below).
- A team from CUFSAA will seek a sponsor for the Rs. 5000/= per month support for the period (for upto a maximum of two years). If the student falls into the “special” category described in (1), the CUFSAA coordinator will include the wording in the email to the effect “The Faculty of Science has indicated that this student has urgent and dire financial need. If the sponsor is willing, they may contribute a one-time additional bulk donation to support this special category student.” CUFSAA team will withhold the student’s name until sponsorship is found.
- Once the CUFSAA team finds a sponsor, it will inform the faculty member and request to obtain the bank account details of the sponsored student.
- The CUFSAA team will forward the student’s name and bank account details to the sponsor. The sponsor will contact the student and arrange the support scheme and frequency for the Rs. 5000/= per month donation and continue at their discretion. CUFSAA team will not be involved in the student-sponsor relationship unless a requirement arises.
- If the sponsor also wishes to contribute the additional bulk payment for the student if the student falls into the special category described in (1), the sponsor will send a check to CUFSSA with the student’s name on the memo line. CUFSSA will then deposit this additional funding amount in the Science Faculty Benevelont fund and email the Faculty member (copied to the Dean/Science) to provide the student that additional funding amount.
- Only the committee, the Faculty member, and the Dean will know the student’s name, and CUFSAA will not publish and keep the information about the names and details of the sponsored students private.
CUFSAA Executive Committee