RALEIGH, N.C. _ Duke University is joining other elite private universities nationwide in refusing to take millions in federal money designated through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
"After careful review, we believe that accepting the funds, even as a pass-through entirely to students, would impose unacceptable legal and regulatory liabilities on Duke that could have a significant negative impact in the future, " Duke spokesperson Michael Schoenfeld said in an emailed statement.
After facing criticism from the Trump administration, some wealthy institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Princeton announced they were declining the federal money from the stimulus package.
The U.S. Department of Education allocated $6.7 million to Duke from that emergency fund, which is designated for students and campuses financially hurt by the coronavirus pandemic.
"We continue to maintain our commitment to supporting students in distress through institutional and donated funds," Schoenfeld said, "and we will also continue to identify other sources of relief for the most vulnerable members of the Duke community."
UNC System institutions, including UNC-Chapel Hill, plan to use the money to help alleviate some of the unexpected financial burden caused by the pandemic.
"As a public university, Carolina is extremely grateful to Congress for creating the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to help universities with the unprecedented loss in revenue and unexpected costs due to COVID-19," UNC-CH spokesperson Joanne Peters Denny said in an emailed statement.
UNC-CH can apply to receive just over $17 million in federal funding, which is the 5th highest amount among UNC System schools.
Peters Denny said UNC will use at least 50% of the funds for emergency grants given directly to students for financial hardships they are experiencing, which is required by law. The rest will be used to offset "significant" revenue losses and expenses related to the pandemic, "so that we may continue our mission of teaching the next generation of leaders," she said.
How much federal money are UNC System universities getting?
At the April Board of Governors meeting, UNC System interim President Bill Roper said this is a challenging time for the system fiscally and that the board approved a reduced budget to send to the state legislature.
Roper said the emergency funds from federal government and the state "are not going to cover all of the shortfalls in revenue and additional expenses, but we're deeply grateful for what we've gotten and what we'll get in the future."
The Education Department allocated nearly $180 million to UNC System institutions, which have to apply for the money. If accessed, at least half of that money will go directly to students through emergency financial aid grants.
Here's a breakdown of how much money UNC System universities can get through the CARES Act:
UNC Charlotte _ $24,310,557
East Carolina University _ $19,358,758
UNC Greensboro _ $18,567,881
NC State University _ $17,895,881
UNC Chapel Hill _ $17,295,177
Appalachian State University _ $15,927,932
NC A&T University _ $14,103,628
UNC Wilmington _ $10,566,053
NC Central University _ $8,932,233
Western Carolina University _ $8,893,407
UNC Pembroke _ $6,274,710
Winston-Salem State University _ $6,117,980
Fayetteville State University _ $5,084,687
UNC Asheville _ $3,359,493
Elizabeth City State University _ $2,130,978
UNC School Of The Arts _ $868,886
The amount of money was distributed to institutions using a formula based on the number of enrolled students who are eligible to receive Pell Grants and total full-time enrolled students.
About $120 million was distributed across the state's 58 community colleges. Shools around Charlotte and Raleigh had the largest shares.
Central Piedmont Community College _ $10,787,553
Wake Technical Community College _ $10,390,849
Guilford Technical Community College _ $8,260,390
Durham Technical Community College _ $2,803,141
Private colleges see less money than public schools
Private universities across North Carolina have access to less money overall than public institutions. The funding allocated to North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities is about $72 million overall, according to president Hope Williams.
Here's a breakdown of how much money some NC private colleges and universities could receive through the CARES Act:
Duke University _ $6,714,022
Campbell University _ $4,307,900
Wake Forest University _ $3,404,708
Elon University _ $2,989,232
Shaw University _ $2,258,545
Meredith College _ $1,674,515
Saint Augustine's University _ $1,450,038
Davidson College _ $1,220,411
William Peace University _ $1,006,338
How can colleges use the money?
Colleges and universities are waiting for a complete set of instructions from the federal government about how the money can be used, but the Education Department released preliminary guidance.
Here's what we know about what schools can and can not do with the money:
_ Schools can not reimburse themselves for refunds to students for room and board, tuition and other fees.
_ Schools can not reimburse themselves for laptops, hotspot internet devices or other related technology equipment provided to students as campuses shifted to online and remote courses this spring.
_ Schools can not reimburse themselves for funds used to continue to pay student workers for campus jobs.
_ Schools can not use the funds for the emergency financial aid grants to students to pay outstanding or overdue student bills.
_ Schools can not reimburse themselves for their own COVID-19 emergency relief funds if the money was distributed to students before March 27.
_ Schools can only distribute the emergency relief money to students who've filed a FAFSFA or are eligible for Title IV financial aid. That means international students and undocumented immigrants, including those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections, are left out, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Duke has spent several million dollars assisting vulnerable students impacted by the coronavirus, according to Schoenfeld. That includes travel to return to their homes, housing, food, healthcare and technology to continue their education like laptops and internet access.
NC State's Student Emergency Fund is now over $1 million, which has helped more than 1,500 students in need.
UNC-Chapel Hill has distributed more than $850,000 to hundreds of undergraduate, graduate and professional students struggling financially due to COVID-19. The majority of that money was raised through donations to the Carolina Student Impact Fund and those numbers are growing.
