Students

Chances are you know one of the nearly 138,000 Illinois college students who will be left out in the cold come spring semester, because the State of Illinois has cut funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) by nearly $200 million.

Don’t let this happen! YOU can make a difference!

Write, e-mail, call or visit your Illinois lawmakers in person!


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Share It

Use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc, to join our groups or link to our page at www.saveillinoismapgrants.org and persuade your family and friends to sign our petition and contact their state legislators.

Tell Them How You Really Feel

Email your state legislators or call them on designated call-in days (October 13 and October 27) to tell them to provide funding for MAP. Go to www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx?NavLink=1 to search for your district or officials. Click here for a sample letter.

Get Together

The Save Illinois MAP Student Coalition is a highly-organized group of students from across the state who are working together on this effort. Visit the coalition’s site to find out what they are doing and how you can help or visit the Student coalition’s Facebook page.

You can also organize rallies through student groups on your college campus to get the word out about MAP funding cuts and encourage others to take action.

  1. #1 by joan on November 17, 2009 - 12:21 am

    I am a student and a mother of three who really need this program without it I can’t afford to attend college. I’m trying to get my degree and better my life for me and my children.

  2. #2 by Marquita Jude on November 5, 2009 - 10:44 am

    I am tremendously shocked and frustrated to think that our government lacks the decency to make sure that funds are allocated to assist college students in paying for high expenses through means of MAP Grants. Is there such a down grade placed on the educational achievements of the minority population, whom already have few resources, that the government finds it so minuscule to also take more away from them? This will be a tradegy and may discourage students from even applying to college because it will almost be unaffordable. Also, it can cause the ones that are already enrolled to be forced to dropout. Meaning that there will be a detrimental drop in our nations GDP GAP which will undoubtedly, welcome the recession for longer then we all intend. Surely, cutting out the MAP Grant will only hurt some middle class, but mainly all poverty stricken individuals! The only thoughts that I have remaining is? Is it just another conspiracy, like slavery, which was meant to keep an entire race of people in an inferior state. How will we as a strong government be able to express the value of a quality education to future generations, if we are willing to snatch away funding as soon as times get rough? I believe that there are other ways that we can reach high financial peaks without kicking the small people on the rise. Lastly, it’s probable that the visions of many successfull establishments will cease to exist.The great demand for extra finances needed to become educated, will almost begin to be unattainable. I feel, after MAP is cut, what will be next, financial aid? Well, when one person in the community suffers we all do as a whole because America is only as strong as our weakest link! Is there anyone else willing to fight to continue the MAP Grant orstep up to hold our educational system together.

  3. #3 by Maggie B on October 31, 2009 - 10:42 am

    I agree. Without this funding, thousands of students will not have the chance to go back to school, get jobs and we will be stuck in this recession forever. I am so tired of the government taking money out of our pockets over and over. School is ridiculous, no one wants to go to school because no one can afford it, and now something that used to be in our reach is being taken away. I do not understand why the rich are getting richer, they are not being affected by this at all, but the people who are trying to become something in this world are getting that chance taken away. I am trying my best to make ends meet, working two jobs and going to school full time… It is just getting harder everyday and pretty soon the government is just going to take all the money for our educations to waste on people who do not need it. The government really needs to prioritize better.. or else we are in a lot of trouble

  4. #4 by Folashade Kassim on October 28, 2009 - 12:10 pm

    I am currently enroled at Harold Washington College and i feel all students need the map grant. If we dont receive the map grant alot of students will have a hard time paying for thier school expences. Colleges already charge outragious prices for books then they charge $500 or more, to prove students read them. The whole education styem is flawed and students not recieving the map grant will add to students problems when paying for school. I understand the economy is in a recession but does the future have to be punished for it or the banks and greedy wallstreet men. I guess we the middle class and poor always had to clean up the rich people mess ALWAYS. THANKS ALOT FOR TEACHING THE FUTURE NOTHING AND WORKING US TO DEATH WHILE WE HAVE NO INSURANCE,AND TRY TO PAY OUR STUDENT LOANS.

  5. #5 by Sarah Avon Darring III on October 27, 2009 - 1:05 pm

    I am a current student at Malcolm X College. I have decided to return back to college to better myself and my family to hear that MAP would have funds cut was very frustation. What are you showing the future generations? Education isnt neccessary please reconsider what you about to do or have already done.

  6. #6 by Anita Anderson on October 26, 2009 - 12:01 pm

    Government funding is as important to students as officials are to being elected for offices. When financial-aid is taken away from the majority of students in need of assistance, a viscous cycle is then created. This in turn leads youth to become corruptible without any shame, seeing how our youth are the future of the next generation it should greatly be reconsidered to impute funds into their education. Without education what will our world become? Please find the means to generate the appropriate funds needed to educate those seeking to further their education so that we may all have better lives and become positive role models for our future generations.

  7. #7 by Angela Hicks on October 22, 2009 - 12:54 pm

    Education is so important in todays society. Cuttiing our map grant is not going to help us further our education, its only going to delay our progression. There are alot more things in our society today that needs to be cut but has not yet been thought about. Dont cut us out of getting or continuing our education. Instead try to give us more fundings toward our education.

  8. #8 by Latasha Freeman on October 21, 2009 - 4:08 pm

    I am a current student at one of Chicago’s community colleges. I have waited for so long to be able to go back to school to further my education. It was always a problem being able to do so due my children and having to work full-time to support them. I recentky lost my job after 2 years and was at a lost, until I decided that going back to school now will better my chances for employment. The MAP grants that are being taken away from the students and now letting me feel as a student that the state of Illinois is not really concerned about what is truly important. The Map Grant for me is money needed to pay off my balance and pay toward other means needs to stay in school. I do not want to take an incomplete by dropping out of school. I am now in Midterms and doing well and expect to continue to do great. Please, no that an education for a lot of students is a better life. Do not take it lightly that this is not important for us. If the State of Illinois takes away our grants by choosing not to support a good cause in your own community, why should we believe that anyone else would care?

  9. #9 by Stephanie Mosley-Henderson on October 21, 2009 - 1:24 pm

    This is an unfortunate circumstance that too many people have to face: HOW AM I GOING TO PAY FOR MY COLLEGE EDUCATION? I understand that the ecomony is playing a huge role in the decison making of our government, however taking away funds that are used to educate people is not proper decision making.

  10. #10 by Shirley Youngblood on October 20, 2009 - 3:36 pm

    I’m writing to protest against the minimizing or complete elimination of the Illinois MAP grant. It is such a huge asset for students such as myself who strive to achieve better future careers in life. I’m currently enrolled in Harold Washington College pursuing my AA in Business. My current GPA is 3.3 and continuously climbing. It is imperative that you keep the Illinois MAP grant active for students such as myself with a family and a full-time job. The Illinois MAP grant is the only financial means to my being able to stay in school. If you eliminate the Illinois MAP grant it will truly be detrimental to a lot of student with high GPA’s and little financial security to pay for school tuition. It will also result in students only left with the option of dropping out as the only alternative. So, cutting out the MAP grant is actually doing more harm than good for the state’s budget because so many students with enormous potential will be left to with a huge financial burden, and forced to drop out. Please DO NOT take away the Illinois MAP grant it is truly needed with our economy being in such a huge turmoil.

  11. #11 by Samantha Miller on October 20, 2009 - 11:47 am

    I am currently a Senior and planned on going to a Illinios College. My Government class has been talking a lot about the MAP Grants and how it would be a great thing to have for us next year. We had a talk in our class today about how can we try and get this grant back so we have to oppertunity to have this college money. We decided that we are going to start a petition in our lunch cafeteria and have everyone in our school partcipate. I honestly think that this is the best idea. It will show our Government that we really do care about this money. Most of our students could really use that money.

  12. #12 by Dan Knight on October 20, 2009 - 9:22 am

    Bring Back the money because homeless straight A students like me need it

  13. #13 by Takara F. on October 19, 2009 - 9:12 pm

    Why would they do this. I am currently a baking and pastry student trying to be somebody and now I might not be able to finish. With the map gone my chance for a career might be leaving. I dont have a job and don’t see one coming wit the way things are going HOW CAN I BE WHO I WAS WANTING TO BECOME. Please don’t do this to the students. So many people need this to get there life started. Don’t stop them before they can get started.

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