Beyond the Dollar Signs: The Personal Impact of the Equal Opportunity Fund

On July 17, rounds of applause punctuated the Rutgers University–Newark (RU–N) celebration of restored appropriations to the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), after the program had been slated for a $1.5 million budget cut. For the past 47 years, this program (sponsored by former Gov. Thomas Kean) has provided thousands of low-income students with financial aid and academic counseling to ensure collegiate success. 

New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Sen. Ronald Rice, Sen. Teresa Ruiz, and Sen. Sandra Cunningham led the effort to not only restore the decreased funding, but gain an additional $1 million, totaling $41.4 million for universities statewide. The legislators joined RU–N students, alumni, faculty, and staff in a roundtable discussion held at RU–N’s Paul Robeson Campus Center to reflect on the impact of EOF, and the personal significance of the program in their lives. 

New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney

"We do budgets every year, and they’re a bunch of numbers, but they’re more than that, they’re lives.”“

There are 17,000 young people who have access to this program, that’s 17,000 lives that we’ve touched in a positive way.”

"Investing in what our greatest asset is, our youth, is the greatest investment you could possibly make.”

Engelbert Santana, Livingston College ‘05
EOF Senior Counselor at RU–N
Hometown: New York City"

I was lost. I was at [Rutgers University–New Brunswick] and EOF opened its arms and hugged me.” 

“I wasn’t prepared and I wasn’t supported in my high school. When I came to college I was lost, and I met these folks with EOF and they grabbed me, molded me, shaped me, and threw me into the storm because they knew I could handle it.”

“EOF opened my eyes. I realized that there were students just like me who don’t have that support and I wanted to give back. I decided that I wanted to become a college counselor for EOF, and that started my career.”

“Year after year, I get to see these students as they graduate from high school and leave as professionals…as young adults ready to give back to New Jersey. EOF is a great thing and without it, many lives would be lost and many students wouldn’t have these educational opportunities.”

Betsabe Ramos, School of Criminal Justice ’18
Degree program: Dual Degree: B.S. in criminal justice/M.A. in criminal justice
Hometown: Roselle, N.J.

“The EOF program has been a source of encouragement for me during my college career. I think it’s clear when I go onto the EOF floor and can see that it’s filled with devoted people who give so selflessly…and I know they make every effort to shape me into a well-rounded scholar.”

“Every summer for the past three years, I have been granted the opportunity to work with EOF as an English teaching assistant, so I feel like that’s an opportunity for me to give back to a program that has done so much for me.”

Khalil Williams, Newark College of Arts and Sciences, Newark ‘17 
Degree program: B.A. in urban education
Hometown: Newark, N.J. 

“The EOF program is probably one of the best programs in which I’ve ever been involved. I made lifelong companions, everybody is my mentor, and it was great.”

“The counselors introduced me to a new life, and introduced me to what college would be like. If I had been accepted to Rutgers University and didn’t have EOF as a bridge, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Claudia Navarro, School of Criminal Justice ‘16
Degree program: Dual Degree: B.S. in criminal justice/M.A. in criminal justice
Hometown: Passaic, N.J.

“I’ve been working with EOF since my first year. I’ve been a work-study student, I’ve been a peer counselor, and I’ve been a peer advisor and mentor for many other students who have gone through similar things that I’ve gone through.”

“Life happens and we struggle sometimes, but our counselors are there every single step of the way to guide us.”

“I know that even after I leave Rutgers, I’ll still be able to have somebody to come back to, for whatever it may be, whether it’s with happy news or bad news, and I know they’ll be there for me.”

NJ Spotlight Article on EOF

Photo 1: Courtesy of the Office of New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney
Pictured above: New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney; Senators Teresa Ruiz, Ronald Rice, and Sandra Cunningham; and Rutgers AAUP-AFT Executive Director Patrick Nowlan join EOF students and program staffers from RU-N, NJIT, and Essex County College in celebrating restored EOF funding