News
Students Called to Action in State Crisis
Elmhurst students who receive financial aid under the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) –along with their families–are being encouraged to contact their state representatives and ask that funding be restored in time for Spring Term. The Illinois General Assembly cut in half MAP funding for the 2009-2010 academic year, so that recipients are covered for the Fall Term, but funding for the Spring is in doubt.
Under the cuts enacted by the Legislature this summer, Elmhurst stands to lose $1.8 million in grants for the Spring Term, affecting more than 800 students who are eligible to receive up to $2,500. Statewide, the $400 million program was cut in half to $190 million, jeopardizing grants for an estimated 137,000 Illinois students. College officials worry that the cuts will cause some students to drop out at midyear.
Students can make a difference by writing, e-mailing, calling or visiting their state senators and representatives in the coming weeks, according to a letter being sent by the College to Elmhurst MAP recipients. Not only should the students protest the cutoff of funding, but they should say specifically how the loss of funding will affect them and their families, President S. Alan Ray, suggests in the letter. “Elmhurst College will be working diligently and deliberately to press Gov. Patrick Quinn and the leadership of the Illinois House and Senate to restore MAP funds immediately” Ray says in the letter. “I will be personally and directly involved in this effort. But this is an all-hands operation, and we believe your direct appeals will be decisive.” Faculty and staff also are being urged to write to their representatives and underscore the financial impact on the College if students are forced to drop out.
Students and their families can locate their representatives at the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges & Universities Web Site: www.federationedu.org through the CapWiz tool. Additional information on the MAP funding crisis is available on the Federation site.
Students should drive home the urgency of the matter in the next several weeks because the General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on Oct. 14. After meeting with a group of college presidents earlier this month, Gov. Quinn said he will ask the Legislature to raise the state cigarette tax by $1 in order to make up the shortfall.
“It's only a lost cause if people don't speak up," says Federation President David W. Tretter. “If a legislator doesn't hear from constituents on a particular issue, then the decision is an easy one."
The MAP cuts come at a particularly painful time, since many families have been stung by the recession. Nearly half of the MAP recipients have an annual family income of less than $20,000, according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. The program awards an average of nearly $5,000 a year, covering the two terms.
The cuts may push students to take on more expensive and less-regulated loans if they already have taken out the maximum amount in federal Stafford loans. Some will register for fewer classes, delaying graduation, and others could be forced to take a term off or drop out.
While $2,500 doesn't always break the bank, these families can't afford it," says Dean of Admission Gary F. Rold. “Many already have borrowed to the limit. The cuts make some students being here a little more precarious."
Past cuts in state funding were in the neighborhood of five percent to 10 percent, a gap that could be filled by the colleges. Some legislators may ask the colleges to pick up the slack, but institutions such as Elmhurst already are squeezed. Their endowments were hit by last year's stock market crash, yet they are still awarding record sums of financial aid. Says Rold, “Another $1.8 million? We don't have it."
More Information
A letter to students from President Ray
MAP facts and talking points (pdf)
Contact Your State Lawmakers
Form letter (doc)
