Students met with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the DePaul Center in the Loop to discuss a resolution to restore MAP. More specifically, the discussion centered around how the Illinois pension squeeze will affect scholarships like MAP. The event was hosted by DePaul’s Student Government Association.

MAP, or the Illinois Monetary Award Program grant from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) provides aid to undergraduate students who are Illinois residents at in-state colleges.

Since 2009 MAP funding has been reduced by 18 million dollars, according to the SGA. It was reported in March that funds for the grants dried up. Since then, students and activists have been working to get funds reallocated for MAP.

“MAP is an investment in the future,” said Gov. Quinn.

According to a WCIS report, Currently, only half of the eligible MAP grant applicants are able to receive the aid they need to attend college.”

Each year, approximately 150,000 students receive MAP grants and more than 5,000 are DePaul students, according to the SGA.