CHAPEL HILL - Eve Carson, the slain UNC-Chapel Hill student body president, was honored in a simple, private ceremony this month when university officials presented her parents with her diploma, a pewter model of the Old Well and a watercolor painting of her favorite spots on campus.

The painting was also reproduced on a poster that featured a quote from Carson describing her love of all things Carolina. About 2,000 copies of the poster were printed and offered for sale at the campus bookstore, where they have been a popular item for graduating seniors.

The posthumous diploma ceremony occurred two weeks ago during commencement weekend, when Carson would have graduated. Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs, described the event to trustees Thursday.

"I just got a beautiful thank-you card from Mrs. Carson," Jablonski said after the meeting. "They were very, very appreciative."

The painting, by Goldsboro artist Brenda Behr, features well-known UNC-CH campus sites -- a leafy quad, the Graham Memorial reading room, the Coker Arboretum and the Pit -- that Carson mentioned in what has become a well-known quote on campus:

"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 [Williams] 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."

The shooting death of the popular student leader was a blow to the campus this spring. Carson's body was found in a wooded Chapel Hill neighborhood March 5. Two young men, Demario Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette, have been charged with murder in the case.

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