Issue date: 9/22/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Lindsey Oyler After standing in line behind several, Liz Lebron gives public testimony as to why the MAP grant funding should remain untouched by government hands and continue to assist students with financial aid.

Not only is H1N1 potentially affecting students' education, but now the government's lack of revenue is creeping into SIUE students' funds by withdrawing the Monetary Awards Program grant, essential for approximately 270,000 students' educational vitality. The remainder of what was their financial aid will have disappeared by January 2010, and the SIUE student body is now teaming up to stop it.

A public hearing took place at the Morris University Center's Meridian Ballroom on Friday for students and faculty to state their individual experiences and why the MAP grant should remain in effect for the state of Illinois. One testimony came from graduate student Liz Lebron of Puerto Rico, who spoke on a friend's behalf.

"I received a lot of financial aid going to school," Lebron said, "and the MAP grant loss is not something that impacted me directly, but I understand what it's like when just a couple thousand dollars can keep you from going to school."

In order to make the case to the state government and advertise to college students the issues with losing the MAP grant funding, SIUE leaders, such as Student Body President Brandon Rahn, have adopted the motto, "Whatever it takes," to encourage students to push to keep their financial aid.

"In losing the $45 million in MAP grants at SIUE and $200 million statewide," Rahn said, "270,000 students will be impacted."

According to College Zone, one of the main distributors of the MAP grant, the grant has allowed students with any class rank or grade point average to apply for this government grant so long as it was financially necessary.

College Zone's Web site said, "The Monetary Award Program (MAP) provides grants, which do not need to be repaid, to Illinois residents who attend approved Illinois colleges and demonstrate financial need, based on the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You are not required to submit high school grades or test scores when applying for a MAP grant."

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission held the hearing on Friday as a regularly scheduled commission meeting, with five to six meetings around the state each year. Immediately after the meeting began, the floor was open to SIUE faculty speeches and public testimony. Sharon Berry, director of Student Financial Aid gave one such speech.

"One hundred and thirty-eight thousand students receive financial aid annually at SIUE," Berry said. "Three-quarters of SIUE students have an annual household income under $40,000 and half of SIUE students have annual household incomes under $20,000."

Upon entering, guests were encouraged to sign a petition for keeping MAP grants and to sign up to give public testimonials at the ISAC meeting. Also, a video from Kimmel Leadership was shown to the ISAC with various students impacted by the loss of the MAP grant funding, either because they themselves could not keep up with college costs, or because a friend could not.

"I did not write a speech," Lebron said. "I actually just got up and started talking."

In response to the public testimonies, Executive Director of ISAC Andrew Davis replied, quoting Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's "favorite aphorism," and saying he "wishes the will of the people would be the law of the land."

"Will they hear the voices who say we can't pay any more?" Davis asked. "It really is in your hands."

There will be four other meetings to discuss the loss of the MAP grant funding around the state of Illinois. These will take place at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, Carl Sandburg Community College, Loyola University and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. A Web site has been created for the purpose of retrieving funds called www.saveIllinoismapgrants.com with instructions on acting within a community.

"[The grant] is crucial," Rahn said. "We are Illinois' future. We won't be able to continue its excellence."

The effort to save MAP grant funding can also be followed here.

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