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Miguel Gonzalez

Professor Lounsberry

JPW 208-01

5 May 2016

Final Feature – Title: More Than Just A Financial Aid Package

Rafi Nawuridam never had a plan after her high school graduation, much less attending

college.

“I never considered it until my mother persuaded me,” said Rafi in an in-person

interview. “My mother only pursued a 2 year Nursing Practitioner’s Certification at a community

college ten years ago when she was in her forties. She once said to me, ‘You don’t need college

if you have a grand plan,’”.

Every year, The College of New Jersey admits 80 out of over 1200 applicants to its

Educational Opportunity Fund Program, otherwise known as EOF. Originally founded as the

CHANCE program, the College’s EOF program strives to lower the financial costs for students

of lower socio-economic backgrounds and ensure that those students graduate within four years.

In the College’s EOF office at Roscoe West, the EOF program’s mission statement is

printed across the entrance.

“The EOF Program at The College of New Jersey’s purpose is to facilitate student

transitions which lead to college readiness, positive adjustments, address developmental

concerns, academic success, and student persistence to graduation and to prepare them with the

knowledge, skills, abilities and values which are necessary to compete in both a regional and

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global multicultural workplace, graduate study, and other personal and civic endeavors,” the

mission statement says.

Currently, Nawuridam is finishing her freshman year at the college as an international

studies major with a minor in Arabic studies. Initially, her path towards attending the College

was not straightforward.

“I just knew I had to go to college … not for the sake of my family, but to pursue

something only my relatives back at Ghana can dare to imagine. Even though I applied to eight

schools with need-based aid documentation, my family and I still had to pay $20,000 annually

for the college,” said Nawuridam, staring at the ceiling.

According to the New Jersey Office of Secretary of Higher Education, the Educational

Opportunity Fund program was implemented into New Jersey universities in the aftermath of the

1967 New Jersey Newark Riots. At the time, New Jersey’s Chancellor of High Education, Ralph

A. Dungan and Congressman Thomas Kean, sought to establish the Education Opportunity Fund

program statewide to allow low income high school students to attend college. Currently, 24 out

of 25 universities and colleges in New Jersey have EOF programs with the exception of

Princeton University.

The College’s EOF program gives financial aid to their students through two methods:

the “Promise” award to freshman and sophomores and the “Incentive” award to juniors and

seniors.

The Promise award is designed to cover the tuition and room and board costs for

freshman and sophomores. According to the College’s EOF website, approximately $1.2 million

is used to fund the Promise award. Additionally, freshman and sophomores are given vouchers to

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cover the cost of textbooks that can only be purchased from the College’s Barnes and Noble

store located in Campus Town.

“I didn’t realize how substantial the EOF promise award was until I opened the

acceptance letter. It took off the college financial burden on my family. My mother didn’t have

to worry about where I was going to sleep and eat,” said Nawuridam.

In contrast to the Promise award, the Incentive award’s purpose is to give scholarships to

upperclassmen depending on their grade point average and credit completion. The College’s

EOF website states that approximately $425,000 is used is used to fund the Incentive award per

year.

“Through being an EOF promise award scholar and recipient I have been granted the

wonderful gift of being able to pursue a college degree with no financial burden,“ said

sophomore sociology major Madina Ouedrogo in an email interview. “Without TCNJ’s EOF

program, pursuing a college education financially would have been every difficult economically

for both me and my family.”

After submitting the deposit to confirm their attendance to the College, incoming

freshman are mandated to attend a month long summer program from the beginning of July to

the first week of August. The College’s EOF program organizes the summer institution in order

to sharpen the academic abilities of student before their first semester begins.

As described in the College’s EOF program website, during the summer program,

students attend four classes daily along with tutoring sessions in the evening. Out of the four

classes, two classes are counted as credits to give the incoming freshman a head start. Moreover,

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Program Assistants, who consist of upperclassmen EOF students, act as Residential Assistants

and hold weekly meditation meetings called PRIDE sessions.

“I had a tremendous experience being a Program Assistant last summer. Not only did I

enjoy giving back to the EOF program that has done so much for me, but I was able to watch and

help the new students grow and become successful as previous tutors did for me,” said

Ouedrogo.

According to the College’s EOF website, incoming freshmen are mandated to take a math

course specialized to their majors such as intermediate algebra, calculus and statistical inference.

The students are also enrolled a basic writing class called Race, Class & Gender and a college

preparatory seminar called Foundations of Success.

“I graduated from American History High School as Valedictorian and was sure my

academic skills were extremely advanced. However, once I got into the summer program, I went

from being the cream of the crop to another student amongst many who were also the top of their

class,” said Ouedrogo.

“The most difficult part of the program was that it was my first time away from home,”

said freshman philosophy and women & gender studies major Rebecca Jomarron Carralero in an

email interview. “I was never used to being under a strict daily schedule because at home my

mom allows me to make my own decisions when it comes to a bed time and getting my work

done. However, I learned a lot about myself and realized that even when I thought I would not be

able to get everything done on time — I did and succeeded to.”

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Aside from attend classes, tutoring sessions and pride sessions, the EOF staff holds

numerous social events for the students such as an ice cream social, comedy night, career night

and a visit to a Trenton Thunder baseball game.

“The EOF summer program is too vital for the incoming freshmen,” said EOF program

specialist Kim Quick in an in-person interview. “A good amount of EOF students come from

poor school districts that barely prepare students for college. Therefore, they need to learn how

to adapt to the college environment and make connections with their professors. Without it, the

students would encounter a huge culture shock. I don’t want them walking into campus and

BOOM! Homework, projects, and so much work being thrown at them.”

After the conclusion of the summer program, the College’s EOF staff encourages

students to graduate on time through the use of the “On Track” advising model. According to the

College’s EOF website, the “On Track” advising model consists of four questions that serve as

guidelines: Are you on track to graduate in 4 years? Are you maintaining the minimum 2.5 GPA

requirement? Are you attending you required EOF events? Are you prepared to either hold a

professional position or attend graduate school when you graduate?

Additionally, every student is given a faculty advisor to consult with such as scheduling

classes for the subsequent semester and updating on their academic progress. The EOF staff

holds monthly “Guided and Personal Support” workshops at Roscoe West. The workshops

include a range of topics such as tips on self-discipline, time management and reading

effectively.

Kim Quick, an EOF program specialist and a faculty advisor, works with EOF students to

assure that they graduate within four years.

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“Depending on the year of the student, I always try to set up advising sessions,” said

Quick. “During the sessions, I analyze the student’s course schedule, major, and transcript. From

there, I evaluate the student’s progress towards completing a certain amount of credit units by the

time they are juniors and seniors.”

More importantly, students who have difficulty with acquiring a 2.5 grade point average

are mandated to take tutoring sessions. At the tutoring center in Roscoe West, EOF students are

ordered to scan the tutoring center’s front desk computer with a blue key fob. The computer

keeps track of an EOF student’s attendance to tutoring sessions.

When the incoming EOF freshman officially attend the College during welcome week,

the majority of them realize the large Caucasian student population in comparison to racial

minorities on campus.

“I truly believe that there’s barely any white students in EOF. There seems to be a notion

that all Hispanics, Blacks and Muslims are in EOF because of their poor socio-economic

backgrounds. Most of these students come from urban environments like Elizabeth, Camden,

Paterson, Trenton, Passaic, and Newark. You know?!” said Nawuridam with her fists in the air.

According to the College’s office of admissions, the student body of 6,743 students

consist of ten percent Asians, five percent African Americans, thirteen percent Hispanics and

sixty-five percent Caucasians as of October 2014.

Despite the racial disparity on campus, EOF students believe there is a common bond

within the EOF community.

“You just know how to greet whenever you see someone who’s in EOF. We each hold

the same dilemmas we face at our homes. Back when I was younger, my family’s fridge was

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constantly empty because my mother couldn’t keep up with paying rent. I knew people in EOF

who endured a similar situation, some even worse,” recalled Nawuridam.

“When one person was going through a hardship we all stood together as one. We will

forever be bonded by the challenges we faced and overcame together as one EOF family,” said

Carralero.

In like manner, EOF students such as sophomore marketing major Donte Ingram see an

obligation to volunteer and give back to urban communities such as those in Trenton, New

Jersey.

“Back in my hometown, Irvington, I rarely volunteered because I was too busy working.

I felt bad because there are so many problems at Irvington … crime, poverty and little chance for

a kid to get a genuine education,” said Ingram in an in-person interview. “Now that I’m here

(The College Of New Jersey), I felt motivated to help the people at Trenton by volunteering with

the Student United Way club. It feels empowering to help the people who struggle as much as I

did back in Irvington. Can’t believe I was just elected to be the president of the club.”

On the other hand, older students such as senior finance Wael Amer has witnessed much

improvement in the financial funding and student services in the College’s EOF program.

“Back when I attended the summer program, everyone (students) only took two classes.

None of the classes counted as credits,” said Amer in an in-person interview. It wasn’t until two

years ago that the Program got the funding to add in more classes and provide more tutoring

services. I think it’s great that the EOF program is using their funding more wisely and helping

students to achieve their goals.”

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Likewise, graduating seniors such as Amer see the profound impact of the College’s EOF

program upon completing their major requirements. According to the New Jersey Office of the

Secretary of Higher Education, the College’s EOF program has the highest graduation rate

among all the New Jersey University EOF programs.

“Looking back these past years, I can’t believe what I have accomplished here,” said

Amer. “Being a Community Advisor and participating in many clubs – I was busy alright, but in

a good way. Now I’m heading to New York University’s Law School this fall with no college

debt on my back. Damn I wish my grandparents could have witness this.”

Multimedia

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The EOF Program’s Incentive award is based on the amount of completed credits and

cumulated grade point average a student possesses by their junior and senior year. The photo was

obtained by the College’s EOF Office.

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The College Of New Jersey’s EOF program staff. From left to right: Program Specialist

John Marshall, Administrative Assistant Edilma Evans, Program Specialist Kim Quick, Program

Specialist Todd S. McCrary and Associate Director Kilpatry Cuesta. Not pictured here is EOF

Director Tiffani Warren. The photo was obtained by the College’s EOF Office.

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EOF Student and Student United Way president Donte Ingram speaking during Student

United Way’s Peanut Butter and Jelly race event on April 21, 2016 in the Education building.

The organization was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the Trenton Area Soup

Kitchen. The photo was obtained by Student United Way’s photo archive.

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EOF program specialist Kim Quick shows the amount of credit units each student must

obtain by each year. Photo taken by the author of the feature article.