Check is in the Mail For MAP Recipients

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by Vonita Wells

Sighing. Thats what most Illinois college students did after learning the 95th General Assembly voted in favor of the $205 million in financial assistance to the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP).

While hundreds of students and faculty gathered at the State Capitol in Springfield to persuade lawmakers to restore the MAP award, the Higher Education rally in Springfield was the last stop on the campaign trail for people like Christopher Williams, director of legislative and external relations at CSU. Williams led several petition drives, phone banking, e-mail and letter writing campaigns in support of restoring the funds. CSU students also went as far as creating Facebook profiles to enhance their advocacy efforts.

Shouting Save MAP! at the Capitols entrance, the trip to Springfield was a learning experience as CSU students listened attentively to Dr. Erma Brooks Williams, CSU associate to the board of trustees and external relations on how the House voted unanimously earlier that afternoon. Former Illinois State Legislator and CSU graduate Paul Williams followed with a poignant lesson on advocacy.

The most influential part of the MAP campaign was seeing all the youth so invested in their education, CSU accounting major Deborah Wilborn said. Governor Pat Quinn recently signed legislation to cover critical secondsemester MAP funding for nearly 138,000 eligible students. Senate Bill 1180 appropriates full funding for the need-based student aid program, allowing both students and colleges to plan for the Spring 2010 college term.

The MAP Program is a need-based grant available through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). Budget cuts in the Spring 2009 legislative session severely limited student aid for the 2009- 2010 academic year, causing approximately 138,000 MAP grant recipients to receive only 50 percent of their award.

The legislation takes effect immediately but where the dollars will end up coming from still needs to be approved by the Legislature. Quinn said the revenue could come from so-called inter-fund borrowing which enables the state to borrow money from some state accounts that have large surpluses.

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