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Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were sent home for Spring Break while the university decided how to continue the semester during a pandemic. At the time, it was unknown whether classes would resume in-person or move online. As far as students knew, after Spring Break, classes would be held online until April 10th. Students were told to pack important items that they would need to continue the rest of the semester. R. Blank, personal communication, March 11, 2020.
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Chancellor Rebecca Blank sent a campus-wide email telling students and staff that the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester would be transitioning to online. Students began deciding whether they would remain on campus for the rest of the semester, or move back home. Teachers had to adjust and learn how to provide class materials online. R. Blank, personal communication, March 17, 2020.
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President Donald Trump passed the CARES Act, which provided higher education additional funding to help students with unpredicted financial needs caused by the pandemic. As classes moved online, the need for internet access and technology to attend classes increased. CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. (2020, October 29). Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/caresact.html
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With the funding from donations and the CARES Act, UW-Madison provided emergency fund grants to eligible students who faced financial difficulties from the pandemic. UW-Madison received $9,891,501 to disburse to students who requested financial aid. CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Report. (2020, May 22). Retrieved from https://news.wisc.edu/cares-act-higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-report/
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If students chose to rent a computer through the UW-Madison's library locations, they still had to pay a late fee if they went beyond the return date. Students also had to abide by the rental process of requesting to reloan out computers after two weeks. Equipment Checkout – Fall 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.library.wisc.edu/covid19/equipment/
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Since classes were moved online, more students requested rental computers. DoIt responded to requests by posting a notice of a suspension on computer rental fees, which is expected to stay in effect until the end of the Spring 2021 semester. S., D. (2020, October 27). Rentals - General Information and Pricing. Retrieved from https://kb.wisc.edu/repair/page.php?id=44970
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UW-Madison's Financial Aid office started reviewing forms of requests for loans and readjustment to financial aid offers in accordance with extra financial support during the pandemic. While at the beginning of the pandemic, the CARES Act provided grants that students would not have to pay back, the university moved to providing loans for the Fall 2020 semester. Emergency Support. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://financialaid.wisc.edu/emergencysupport/
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UW-Madison did not exclude the recognition of students without internet service. They continued to dedicate areas around campus with reliable internet for students to study and take exams. Students were required to fill out forms in advance to reserve the study space. Where can you go on campus to attend a remote course, study, and more? (2020, September 30). Retrieved from https://news.wisc.edu/where-can-you-go-on-campus-to-study-take-tests-and-more/
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At the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, DoIt had a notice on their page that said due to high commands, they most likely would be low in stock of wifi modems. In October, DoIt acquired more wifi modems in response to the surge of rentals by students. Source: Patrick Johnson
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The number of students renting out computers doubled in comparison to the average amount of rentals last year. This resulted in DoIt partnering with Dell and other donators to acquire more computers. This was also in response to renting out and keeping up with the rising numbers of technological needs. Source: Patrick Johnson