TULSA, Okla. — Paying for college can put a strain on anyone, with tuition, books and other materials. Combine that with everyday life expenses, and it can sometimes be too much.
Now there is an emergency fund to help students in need.
"I really wanted to come here, I knew it was a great school," TU graduating senior Lindsay Deline said.
Deline always knew he wanted to work with basketball players. His dream job is to be a Division I head coach, but that dream almost fell apart.
"I did come into a huge road block, and it's a road block for many students, so I couldn't really afford to come here," Lindsay said.
He struggled financially. In fact, at one point, he considered dropping out of school because he couldn't afford books and his living situation was unstable.
He than received help from a new initiative with the school that kept him enrolled.
'It was hard; it was very hard," he said. "I will say that but I know that the university would back me. I had people there for me; people really wanted me to graduate from here, and they really believed in me."
Paula Clancy, wife of TU president Gerard Clancy, heard about Deline's story and decided something needed to be done to help the students struggling financially.
"I wanted a place that a student could come when they have a crisis and don't have to apply for grants, that don't have to tell their story over and over, and they could get the help they needed," Paula said. "We want it confidential. We don't want to embarrass students. Nobody wants to be in this situation, yet any of us could be or any of our kids could be, you just don't know."
The 2018/2019 school year, the emergency fund has helped 17 students and spent more than 100,000.
With this opportunity, Lindsay learned an important lesson, it's OK to ask for help.
For information on how to donate to the fund click here.
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