PHOTO: The elimination of the VISTA program at Southern Arkansas University will impact services such as the Mulerider Market. | Steve Ford/special to magnoliareporter.com
By STEVE FORD | magnoliareporter.com
In a move that sent shockwaves through the Southern Arkansas University campus and the wider Magnolia community, the SAU+AmeriCorps VISTA program has been abruptly terminated due to sweeping federal cuts.
The announcement, made via a Facebook post, confirmed that SAU’s program, along with many others nationwide, has been shuttered immediately following a federal directive to slash $400 million from AmeriCorps funding.
Kathy Gean, longtime director of the SAU+VISTA program, received the notification late on a Friday afternoon.
“The email came through at 5:40 p.m. and simply told us to cease activities immediately,” Gean recalled. She was on vacation at the time and had just finished interviewing four new prospective Fellows. At its peak, SAU hosted 26 VISTA Fellows, with four more set to join.
VISTA Fellows, or service members, are often recent graduates or young professionals who receive a modest living allowance, housing, and meals in exchange for dedicating a year of service to combating poverty and supporting under-resourced communities.
“Some of our Fellows really depend on this to survive,” Gean said.
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