Covenant students hit stride

When Renatta Craven was young, she hoped to attend UNC, though she never thought that dream could become reality.

But Craven is now a month into her freshman year at the University -- and with the help of Carolina Covenant, she will graduate debt-free.

"Carolina was the only place I wanted to go," Craven said. "The Carolina Covenant just made the opportunity a reality."

She is one of 225 students who will benefit from the Covenant in its inaugural year.

Like most Carolina Covenant beneficiaries, Craven's childhood was without luxury. Her grandmother raised her in Raleigh after Craven's mother died when she was 3 years old. Her father left before she was born.

"My grandmother didn't have very much money at all," she said. "We never struggled for basic necessities, but attending college without total financial assistance was out of the question."

Enter the Carolina Covenant, the revolutionary program announced last fall that promises low-income students a debt-free education.

For a student to be eligible, his or her parents' combined income cannot exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The average parental income for this year's Covenant students is $13,400, according to a presentation made at Thursday's UNC Board of Trustees meeting.

"A year ago it was difficult to convey simply ... that there is money available," said Shirley Ort, director of scholarships and student aid and Covenant initiator. "There is a lot of talk about rising college costs, and students might have thought they couldn't afford to come here."

The University evaluates all admitted students and agrees to meet eligible students' needs through a combination of grants or scholarships.

Like Craven, freshman Taylor Fisher is attending college with aid from a combination of academic scholarships and the Covenant.

"It really makes a difference to be able to go to a four-year school rather than a two-year one," Fisher said. If not for the Carolina Covenant, he said he would have gone to a community college.

"My dad is in construction and my mom is a homemaker," he said. "The funds just weren't there."

Receiving the Covenant convinced him to attend UNC. "It just means the world, because this is such a better school," he said.

For many Covenant students, finances were the last barrier to a UNC education. This year's Covenant class has an average grade point average of 4.21 and an average SAT score of 1209, according to the presentation to the BOT. And 55 percent of these students are the first in their families to attend college.

After more than a month at the University, Covenant freshmen seem to be thriving.

"I've adjusted pretty well to the new surroundings and college life in general," Craven said. "I've really enjoyed my first ... weeks."

Fisher said college has been fun but busy. "I've found that the more things I get involved in, the better time management I have."

Time management is doubly important for Covenant students with work-study jobs.

Freshman Erin Callender balances schoolwork with a job at Playmakers Theatre.

Once productions start, she will work 10 to 12 hours a week. She now performs administrative tasks, and though she works just 6 hours a week, she's often pressed for time.

"I have to squeeze in hours right after class because the place where I work closes at 5," she said. "It's stressful not being able to come back to your dorm room all day."

Callender applied mostly to out-of-state schools but came to UNC for financial reasons.

"We knew we'd pay for college somehow," she said. "We just didn't know how. I'm very glad I came here; everything worked out for the best."

For students, the Covenant means an education that might otherwise have been out of reach.

"The Carolina Covenant is a chance at a life I wouldn't be able to have otherwise," Craven said.

"I can go through college debt-free, and I have the opportunity to study abroad and enjoy everything the University has to offer."

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.