In its second Helene relief package, the N.C. General Assembly appropriated $20 million for recovery at public universities. The UNC System will distribute the money, with the bulk of the appropriation going to students at institutions across the state.
Universities located in declared disaster zones, which include Appalachian State, UNC Asheville, and Western Carolina, will receive $2.4 million. Each school will receive $800,000 to provide emergency aid grants for students.
A student can receive up to $2,500 for costs like transportation, tuition, and living expenses. To access the funds, students must submit an essay detailing how Helene impacted them and why they need additional assistance.
The UNC System will distribute $5 million total for this effort. The other half of the funding will go to universities outside of declared disaster zones. They will receive varying amounts, depending on the number of students they have from declared disaster zones.
UNC Asheville will also receive an additional $5.5 million for tuition grants. Every student, in- or out-of-state, will be eligible for the funds. The money will cover spring semester tuition at the resident rate or about $4,122.
According to UNC System President Peter Hans, this funding is intended to support student retention.
“As you all know quite well, UNCA has been enrollment challenged in recent years,” Hans said at a previous Board of Governors meeting. “We’ve regained momentum under the leadership of Chancellor (Kimberly) van Noort and we don’t want to lose that momentum.”
UNC Asheville was one of the hardest hit campuses in the UNC System. Helene took out the university’s electricity and water system, leading van Noort to move classes online for the rest of the semester. About 800 students have returned to campus since the storm.
Safe drinking water just returned to campus this week, via a temporary treatment facility. The university’s regular water system is still not back to normal and is unsafe to drink.
Appalachian State, in Boone, also suffered significant damage from Helene. The school was able to quickly regain access to power but had structural damages from the storm. Several buildings were water damaged, including classrooms, the university’s convocation center, and a gym.
The UNC System expects damages to buildings, equipment, as well as post-Helene clean-up across its campuses will cost at least $14 million. Some of these costs will be covered by insurance or FEMA assistance. The General Assembly has allocated $5 million for campus repairs that aren’t covered.
The remaining $4.5 million will go to the state’s education assistance authority. The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority will use $3.5 million to award Helene recovery grants to UNC System and NC Community College students in the Next NC scholarship program.
Next NC is a new financial aid program that combines the federal Pell Grant with state financial aid funds. Students who come from households that make $80,000 or less a year are eligible.
The program mimics free tuition initiatives launched by Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill in the wake of a U.S. Supreme court decision to overturn affirmative action.
The Next NC scholarship gives public university students at least $5,000 annually and community college students at least $3,000.
Andrea Poole is the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority’s executive director. She says most students will receive an additional $850 through the recovery grant.
“We know they're there because they want their degree, and we would hate for Helene to disrupt that in any way,” Poole said. “And so we're hoping that providing this amount of aid to every student that's one of our next NC scholarship students will help them be able to stay in school and not have their journey interrupted.”
The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority will use the remaining $1 million to award grants to private university students affected by Helene. Students can use the money for tuition, fees, and emergency expenses.
The General Assembly also approved a separate $2.5 million allocation for private university students receiving the NC need-based scholarship.
Public, private, and community colleges across the state have also raised their own funds for Helene recovery. Appalachian State University recently announced it has received over $3.9 million in donations for students, staff, and faculty.
The UNC Board of Governors approved the $20 million funding distribution on Thursday. By Dec. 16, schools must report back to the board how they have used the money. UNC System President Peter Hans will reallocate any unused funds to “campuses with additional needs.”
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