Recent efforts to save the Monetary Award Program (MAP) failed in the state senate, meaning the future of students’ education remains endangered.
“(Governor Rauner) told me to my face that day that he would veto (the bill),” Sen. Pat McGuire said, referring to Aug. 19, 2015 when Senate Bill 2043 was passed. Rauner’s threat became a reality soon after.
The Democratic senator of the 43rd district has since been trying to appeal to Rauner’s amendments of Senate Bill 2043, which contains the proposed budget for the MAP grant, better known as the MAP grant. The MAP grant program has been in effect since 1967, and is currently providing 128,399 students with funding for college. If the bill can stay in effect that is.
McGuire said that this is now “the third time Rauner has either actually vetoed a MAP, or said he would veto a MAP bill.”
The grant provides monetary aid to college students who demonstrate financial need. Those who qualify are dependents who have a family incomes of $31,000 or less and independent students (married, or 24 years and older) who make less than $19,000 per year. The maximum award a student can receive is $4,720, and the average award comes in around $2,782.
While the Illinois senate continues to try and figure out its budget, thousands of students and universities are using borrowed funds. For the current fiscal year of 2015, MAP grants total more than $350 million.
“DePaul is currently honoring MAP awards for the 2015-2016 year for students who meet the necessary eligibility requirements of the grant. Of course the coverage of these funds have direct impact on the university budget, but (DePaul) remain(s) hopeful that Illinois will finalize a budget, and reimburse the funds,” Karen LeVeque, the director of DePaul Central & Financial Aid, said in an email.
Financial support for students is now more than ever a major concern within Illinois in part related to the rising cost tuition across the state. For the roughly 160,000 who qualify for MAP funding, 5,256 students attend DePaul. Some urge that allocating for MAP grant funds needs to be made a priority within Illinois’s state budget.
“(Student Government Association’s) role has been huge in making sure that everyone knows how important, and severe, the state of MAP is this year, and what that means for the future,” SGA president Vanessa Cadavillo said in an email in response to gaining awareness for MAP grant funding.
Cadavillo, and others at SGA held a MAP advocacy day Jan. 20 in Lincoln Park to encourage students to sign postcards for MAP advocacy. SGA promised to take the postcards down to Springfield in order to raise awareness about the MAP grant program, and to show DePaul’s support of the program.
“SGA specifically has organized the MAP efforts this past fall quarter to advocate for the current year’s MAP funding in which we encouraged students to call their state legislator, and Rauner, advocating for the continued funding for the MAP grant,” Cadavillo said. “While we are still focusing on the current year, we’re simultaneously advocating for next year’s grants with our current MAP advocacy days.”
Upwards of 5,000 students adversely affected by a lack of MAP grant funding in the event that Rauner again vetoes Senate Bill 2043. As it stands there is still currently not enough funding allocated within the bill to cover all who are eligible in the state of Illinois for MAP.
For fiscal year 2015 DePaul has covered over $20 million in awarded funds from the MAP grant, McGuire said. DePaul officials seem confidant that Illinois will figure out their budget concern, and that the university will be reimbursed.
Until then DePaul is just holding tight.
