GoHeels Exclusive: A Legacy That's Truly Special

by Pat James, GoHeels.com

"I love UNC. I love the quad in the spring and the arboretum in the fall. I love the Pit on a sunny day and Graham Memorial Lounge on a rainy one. I love Roy all the time. But what makes UNC truly special is not our beautiful campus, our distinguished reputation or even our basketball team. It's us — the student body — who make UNC what it is."

Those words, spoken by UNC's 2007-08 student body president Eve Carson, ran on the front page of the March 7, 2008, edition of The Daily Tar Heel, two days after Carson was killed in Chapel Hill.

They embodied everything about Carson and her feelings about UNC. And in the wake of her death, they stuck with her friends and even those she had never met.

Ten years later, that quote still carries significance, expressing a sentiment shared by all Tar Heels but phrased like only Carson could. At Tuesday night's men's basketball game against Miami, it will be heard again, as it's read by multiple University figures, including Roy Williams, in a short video created by the Eve Carson Scholarship.

"She really believed (those words)," said senior Kate Frauenfelder, the executive director of the Eve Carson Scholarship. "She had so many great accomplishments and she was always so humble. I think she really did value every single person at Carolina as contributing something to this community. And she really, really loved Carolina."

The quote might be Carson's most famous. But it also encapsulates what the Eve Carson Scholarship, established in 2008 to commemorate and celebrate Carson's life, stands for.

When Carson ran for student body president in 2007, she outlined in her platform her vision for a student-run merit scholarship. Her goal was to reward juniors who had blossomed in the areas of academics, social justice and leadership during their time at UNC.

According to the Eve Carson Scholarship website, approximately 3,500 individuals have donated to the scholarship. That's helped cover Eve Carson Scholars' school expenses during their senior years and fund a summer experience for each one.

Elinor Benami was the first recipient. Beginning in 2015, the scholarship is now awarded to three junior students each year. The 2018-2019 scholars (Graham Lowder, Kaitlin Harlow and Ami Zou) were announced Sunday.

"We emphasize with our scholars that it's very cool to go to another country and do something and learn," Frauenfelder said. "But you have to remember that what you learn abroad or over the summer you should bring back to the Carolina community and contribute something from what you've learned."

Scholars and members of the Eve Carson Scholarship executive committee, entirely composed of UNC undergraduates, are also tasked with raising awareness.

During the fall, Frauenfelder said they publicized the scholarship application by distributing free doughnuts in the Pit. They also celebrated what would have been Carson's 32nd birthday on Nov. 19 by handing out cupcakes and encouraging people to write down what they were thankful for on a white board.

Frauenfelder, a media and journalism and public policy double major from Durham, said she knew who Carson was when she enrolled at UNC. But most younger students don't.

Because of this, Frauenfelder said it becomes even more difficult each year to keep Carson's memory alive. And it adds to the importance of the Eve Carson Scholarship being able to show its video at the Smith Center.

Frauenfelder said the executive committee initially wasn't sure how it wanted to honor the 10th anniversary of Carson's death and the creation of the scholarship. But Carson's quote provided inspiration.

"Eve just had this love for Roy, as we all do, so we thought that basketball game would be fitting," Frauenfelder said. "It seemed like a very lofty goal at the beginning of the year, so it's crazy that it's actually happening.

"We're very grateful for everyone at Carolina Athletics who has helped us out along the way."

The video that will be displayed Tuesday is the condensed version of one that will be released on March 5, Frauenfelder said. Both will be available on the Eve Carson Scholarship website and Facebook page.

But remembering Eve Carson's life shouldn't stop there.

"The executive board and the scholars are sort of carrying out her legacy by just being kind, being a good leader, serving the community and traveling the world and learning more about the world and giving back," Frauenfelder said. "Those are all things Eve stood for, and I think just trying to be more like her and how she lived her life is the best way to carry out her legacy."

A legacy that's truly special.

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