This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePaul chapter.
The Monetary Award Program (MAP) provides grants to students in Illinois who demonstrate a need for financial assistance. While most of us would like to say that we ‘need’ this money, there are people who genuinely cannot afford their education without this grant. A lot of these people will have no other way to pay for their tuition, and will have to take time off of school or balance school with several jobs on the side.
130,000 students across Illinois receive this grant, and 5,000 at DePaul receive it.
The reason there is a withdrawal of the funding of this program is because of a deadlock between Democrats and Republicans in the Illinois Senate. While most politicians on both sides are in agreement that this is an extremely important program, there are disagreements across the board on a variety of aspects of the Illinois budget, which means that the budget has not been set, and MAP funding has not been released to universities across Illinois.
It is very important that as both students and residents/citizens, we communicate to the Illinois Government the importance of this program. This is why I urge you to contact the Governor’s office and advocate for the continuation of this crucial program.
As Millennials, we have to start advocating for ourselves, because nobody else will.
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said, “[…] for the 130,000 students throughout the state who receive MAP grants, and who rely on MAP grants to give them an opportunity to attend an institution of higher education, and to have an opportunity to be put on a path of success, they don’t have lawyers, they don’t have lobbyists and frequently, they don’t have time for their voice to be heard.”
Colleges such as Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIC) have decided to cover the MAP grants for both fall and winter semesters. SIC and certain higher education institutions like it believe that the state’s inability to create a budget should not affect somebody’s pursuit of education and success.
If you feel so inclined, feel free to contact Governor Rauner’s office online or on the phone (or both!)It takes two minutes of your time and would make the world of a difference in so many people’s lives.
Rauner’s Phone Number: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121
Here’s a template you could follow:
“Hello. I am a student of DePaul University in Chicago. I am calling/writing to advocate for the continuation of the MAP grant into Illinois’ state budget. This program is crucial to the success of 130,000 students across Illinois and 5,000 here at DePaul.”
If you want to add on more to that, feel free to! Political activism is just one way for you to get a holistic college experience.