A program providing free computers and Internet access to low-income students at Rainy River Community College and families throughout the community is quickly “breaking down barriers to success,” said LeAnne Hardy, director of student services at Rainy River Community College.
“It’s making a difference in International Falls,” said Hardy, who is also the college’s director of the TRIO Student Support Services, which serves non-traditional and under represented students. “I really see it.”
The effort comes from KOOTASCA Community Action and Rainy River Community College, which recently received grants for digital inclusion for the community. The $34,000 in grants came from the Blandin Foundation’s federally funded Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Initiative.
The program aims to help community members meet everyday needs that require Internet access and computer use. Overall, the program’s purpose is to break down the technology barrier in rural communities.
KOOTASCA is distributing 30 refurbished computers and 10 months of Midcontinent broadband Internet service to low-income families. The organization is encouraging any other members in the community who need computers to apply for a low-cost or free refurbished computer, which KOOTASCA may be able to obtain from “PCs for People.” KOOTASCA two weeks ago became an affiliate of PCs for People, a St. Paul-based non-profit organization that distributes refurbished computers for $30 to $50.
At the college, 10 new laptops were distributed to qualified students. Hardy is still taking applications for the 15 free Internet accounts from low-income students. Midcontinent is providing the Internet to the college and KOOTASCA at a discounted rate.
Half of the 30 computers have been distributed so far, according to Jim Wohrle, director of community engagement at KOOTASCA’s headquarters in Grand Rapids. Applicants have already been chosen, but KOOTASCA plans to continue the effort through PCs for People.
“Other households in the community that fall under a certain income level can apply,” Wohrle said. “We’re excited about it; we hope to continue the PCs for People through the end of the year and through the summer. So if people are interested, it’s a real option for them.”
One challenge that was found during the program is that broadband access ends around County Road 332, the truck route, according to Amy Mortenson, KOOTASCA support specialist.
“That’s a barrier for people who live past the truck route — people in Littlefork, Loman, Northome and Birchdale,” she said. “So they wouldn’t be able to participate in the broadband Internet part of it, but we’re hoping to get them computers at least to break down the barrier that way.”
The program also helps families who have computers, but can’t afford to update them — old operating systems or lack of virus software can make their computers barely usable, Mortenson said.
“Internet and cable — some of the non-essentials — are the first things that are cut out of a budget when you don’t have enough money, ” Mortenson said. “People have to prioritize budgeting for housing, medical, food needs and transportation.”
This hurts families in times when their children need Internet access for homework, she said, or if a child needs to do speech therapy exercises online, for example. Many county and state assistance applications are largely done online, some without a paper option, Mortenson added. For example, to apply and receive unemployment compensation or child support payments, applicants not only need to apply online, but must log in every week to set up their benefit payments, she said.
“Regardless of how much money you’ve got, you’ve got to have access to technology. Otherwise, you fall behind if you don’t have the money to keep that in your budget,” Mortenson said. “And you’ll keep falling behind. There are so many opportunities that you might miss out on, it seems like.”
Job searches, employee benefits through work and online learning all need Internet access these days, she said.
“A lot of places are going paperless, whether it’s going back to school, looking for employment or community engagement — you need to go online,” Mortenson said.
Mortenson is gathering names of those interested in the technology assistance and what their needs are to survey the community’s specific needs. This will help KOOTASCA provide needs appropriate to the community, she said.
At the college level, the grant focuses on low-income non-traditional students, and Native American students, according to Hardy.
“Those were our target groups, and we hit the target with this,” Hardy said. “We have plenty of (computer and Internet) access on campus, but for students with families, it’s a burden to stay on campus — they can’t leave their families and come to campus. And what a burden this has taken away from them.”
Hardy has distributed the laptops, and students keep them until they graduate. They are cycled back to new or current students after they are turned in, she said.
“The Intent is for student success, and we are seeing success already,” Hardy said. “We are monitoring these students and are seeing that this is taking away a very big burden for them. They are able to use this as a tool for success.”
Hardy is still awarding the Internet access, and said applications for those are still open to students.
“We wanted to get computers into the hands of students first,” she said. “The goal is for students to see the value of having Internet access (through the free 10-month access) and continue it on their own. We can help them budget and work with them to make sure they can find a way to use this tool.”
The second phase of the project will be working with KOOTASCA to provide training sessions to students and community members on basic computer and Internet skills, Hardy said. Mortenson’s survey will be used to gauge the need for the level of training.
“If someone can’t get on the computer and apply for college because they have those fears of using a computer, we want to take away those fears,” Hardy said. “We are committed to this project and will continue to carry it forward.”
