Whole Foods to open in 2015

The new Whole Foods that will be replacing the closed Dominick’s will not be opening until some time in 2015, according to a press release from the company. This means that the grocery space in DePaul’s Centennial Hall will be closed for more than a year.

Dominick’s left the space in December when the company closed all of its Chicagoland stores. The decision to do so was made by Dominick’s parent company Safeway.

Whole Foods currently has more than 360 stores in the United States, and has been listed as one the “top 100 companies to work for” for the last fifteen years.

“The DePaul University campus offers a vibrant atmosphere,” Michael Bashaw ,Whole Foods Market Midwest Regional President, said. “We’re thrilled to bring the highest quality of natural and organic products to the students, faculty and staff as well as the surrounding Lincoln Park community.”

MAP Grant deadline approaches

DePaul is predicting that MAP grant funds will run out by this Saturday, Feb 15. Every year DePaul students receive about $20 million in financial aid from MAP grants which are largely given on a firstcome, first-served basis.

Last year DePaul had more than 4,000 students receive aid from MAP grants. Like a Pell grant from the federal government, MAP grants are awarded to Illinois students and will not have to be repaid.

The administration and SGA have worked over the past few weeks to not only ensure that as many students as possible apply, but also to spread awareness about the importance of the MAP grant for the larger DePaul community. Much of this is in an effort to lobby state legislators to restore the MAP grant to its previous level of funding in 2009.

SGA, in conjunction with the DePaul administration and the Illinois Board of Higher Education, are planning to go to Springfield to meet with legislators about the MAP grant in April.