FAMU purchases 500 laptops for students in need

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Florida A&M University is helping to bridge the digital divide by getting laptops in the hands of students.

The university is purchasing 500 laptops for students in need. The purchase is made possible through a $50,000 grant from Vanguard, a local investment management firm, as well as community donations.

Dr. Shawnta Friday-Stroud, the Vice President of University Advancement, says when the coronavirus forced the university to transition to remote learning, students no longer had access to on-campus computer labs.

While some electronic material could be completed, she says testing cannot. She says the off-campus learning shed a light on a lack of computer accessibility some students were experiencing.

"There's some things that we kind of just took for granted, one with students not having access to on-campus computer labs, it exposed that," Friday-Stroud said. "But these funds and these donations are truly helping us to bridge that gap."

The university says this is an on-going effort to make laptops available to more students, including incoming freshmen. School officials say they will continue applying for grants, as well as raising donations through the FAMU Cares relief fund.

Donations for that fund can be made online.