Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

Gamecock Guarantee: 'We want to get the word out'

The University of South Carolina wants to expand a three-year-old program that provides financial assistance to students from the state's poorest households.

USC's Gamecock Guarantee, a needs-based program that has provided tuition-and-fee assistance to 211 S.C. students since last fall, puts the university in league with other large public schools that are using scarce resources to attract low-income students.

But USC officials say too many students are unaware of the program, even as the economic downturn has created more financial hardship for students and parents.

"With higher unemployment and the cost of education going up, we have more need than ever," said Scott Verzyl, USC's vice provost of enrollment management. "Yet it's more important than ever for students to go to college."

USC plans to mount an advertising campaign that will include public service announcements, billboards, testimonials and perhaps, Verzyl said, a celebrity spokesman.

"We want to get the word out," he said. "We want to let more students know about the program and to, hopefully, stir up some interest from donors."

Like other S.C. public universities, USC has had its state funding reduced in recent years as legislators have struggled to balance the state budget with declining revenues.

Those cuts put more pressure on the university to raise private money for programs such as the Gamecock Guarantee.

For many years, private colleges and universities, which often have larger endowments than their public counterparts, have used their resources to offer needs-based assistance to students whom they accept.

Despite more limited resources, many public colleges and universities have followed suit.

The universities of Washington, Virginia and North Carolina at Chapel Hill all have needs-based assistance programs.

"It's really about fulfilling their public-purpose mission," said Daniel J. Hurley, director of state relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "It's about access and opportunities for success for students, especially low-income students."

South Carolina's other public universities have a range of financial assistance programs, but they are competitive - meaning a student's standardized test scores, high school class rank or grade-point average helps determine who gets the limited aid.

USC's Gamecock Guarantee, only available to S.C. students, is based solely on a student's financial needs.

To qualify for assistance, a student must submit an application to USC by the school's Dec. 1 deadline and complete the federal financial aid form by Feb. 28. The student must be eligible to receive a federal Pell Grant, financial aid given to the poorest students.

If the student is accepted to USC and the federal financial aid form shows his or her family's income is not greater than 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines - generally around $25,000 - USC will provide a minimum of $2,500 a year in assistance.

Tuition and fees at USC cost about $9,200 a year, according to the school's Web site.

The amount of assistance provided through the program depends on how much grant and scholarship assistance a student gets.

A student with a $2,000 Pell Grant and a $2,800 lottery-funded HOPE scholarship, for example, could get $4,400 in Gamecock Guarantee funding.

"A debt-free education was the goal," Verzyl said. "We felt like it was a worthwhile thing to pursue."

Gamecock Guarantee students use other assistance - merit scholarships and grants - to help cover the total cost of attending USC, about $17,100 a year, including room and board.

In fall 2008, 86 students received assistance through the program.

This fall, an additional 125 received Gamecock Guarantee aid.

Providing assistance to about 100 students costs the university $500,000 a year, Verzyl said.

That's because the program goes beyond financial assistance, he said.

"We also have hired staff to help mentor and advise the students," he said. "It's more than just the financial safety net. It's the programmatic support as well."

Students from 77 S.C. high schools enrolled in the program this fall.

Fall 2009 Gamecock Guarantee students had an average SAT score of 1,130, just below the university's overall average of 1,165. But at least 14 percent were enrolled in programs set up for the university's most academically accomplished students.

Chad Devlin, an Honor's College student from Pendleton, fits that description.

"I didn't believe I was going to college because no one else in my family went," said Devlin, a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in criminal justice. "I started really thinking about college when I was a senior in high school."

Money has been tight. His father has been unemployed, and his mother works in day care.

"They definitely told me they wouldn't be able to afford to help me," Devlin said.

He thought briefly about going straight into the work force after graduating.

"I saw that the textile mills and every place where I thought I was going to work was leaving South Carolina," Devlin said.

So Devlin thought a little more about college. School guidance counselors, he said, gently suggested it might be a good idea for him to focus on less expensive schools.

"I brought up the idea of going to college, and they told me I probably didn't have the money to go," Devlin said. "They talked to me about technical college. But they did help me with scholarships and grants."

Now, Devlin has his sights set on being elected to public office, after a career in law enforcement.

The assistance he received from USC is the reason he is in college, he said.

"I wouldn't have even tried to do it," he said. "I would have gone on to a regular job without school."

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