CLACS grants funding is completely uncertain

Clarissa Rodriguez | @clarissa.rodriguez_

The students and faculty at KU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies are still currently waiting for answers about the funding from the federal grants that could be a challenging academic year.

The center has depended on two key grants to stay afloat: the National Resource Center (NRC) grant and the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grant, both funded by the U.S. Department of Education. That money supports scholarships, language training, and academic opportunities across campus. It is losing funding because the Department of Education hasn’t released those funds, according to a newsletter from the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies director, Brent Metz. 

Mary Self, a master’s student in global and international studies with a Latin American and Caribbean concentration, said the grants are essential for her education.

“I completely depended on FLAS last year for my tuition as well as a monthly stipend,” Self said. “That was really the only way I could attend school. We’re still kind of waiting to see if it will pass in Congress and if it does, then that’s good news, but it’s still so up in the air.”

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies were supposed to receive roughly $1.9 million in grant funding. But when the Department of Education delayed announcing whether grants would continue, KU was left scrambling to plan for the fall semester.

“This year we heard nothing. We heard nothing in July. We wrote Washington – nothing, a black hole – and we still haven’t heard anything. We write Washington. We write the Department of Education, they know nothing,” Metz said. 

Faculty members have raised concerns that without the funding, the university may have to scale back or eliminate opportunities like language courses and research support. For students like Self, the uncertainty is personal.

“I’m concerned that, so we have a cycle that’s 2022 through 2026. So it is possible the last year, like this last school year could be released and the students who have last this year maybe have a higher chance of getting it than any students,” said Self. 

Erik Scott, director of KU’s Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies program, said the delays have left many students stuck.

“I think the hardest part has been our students who are really forced to be in limbo while they wait for this money,” Scott said.

In a statement, the Vice Provost’s office said the Office of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Enrollment Management are working together to help mitigate the impact of the loss of these funds.

Until a decision comes from the Department of Education, the future of these grants – and the programs they support – remains uncertain.