Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and Universities

Scholarship pinch worries students, schools

Released: 9/19/2009

Loss of MAP grant money would affect many at IC, Mac
September 19, 2009 11:41 PM
BY JAKE RUSSELL
Jacksonville Journal-Courier

Following Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of the Illinois budget in early July, many students are unhappy the state has not acted to provide funding for spring Illinois Monetary Award Program grants.

The grants are need-based scholarships available to Illinois residents attending public or private Illinois colleges who need money for school, said Axel Steuer, president of Illinois College.

Funding for fall and spring Monetary Award Program grants is usually budgeted a year in advance. This year, things “broke down” sometime during the summer, Steuer said, and the state of Illinois could only commit to a half year. Because of deficits, the state cut costs on Monetary Award Program funding all across the board. Because the decision was made so late, the state wasn’t able to cut funding 50 percent for the fall and 50 percent for the spring, so the state committed to the fall and eliminated the spring.

“Legislators need to step up and do something so it doesn’t get overlooked,” said James Murphy, Director of College Communications at IC, “but we need to raise our voices to them.”

In a joint effort, Steuer, along with Colleen Hester, president of MacMurray College, and Jan Terry, executive director of Lincoln Land Community College in Jacksonville, signed a letter urging state legislators to restore the cuts made to Monetary Award Program funding for the current school year. Letters were sent to Sen. Deanna Demuzio, Rep. Jim Watson and Gov. Pat Quinn.

“We keep our fingers crossed,” Steuer said, “and hope that people understand that higher education is the engine of the state. If you don’t support that, then the state is not good.”

Joe Heidbreder, a junior accounting and economics major who participates on the track and field team at IC, agrees.
“As a state, we need to fix our budget and figure out what’s really important,” Heidbreder said.

With the cuts, Heidbreder will have to further manage time between school, sports and work.

“Luckily, I have an off-campus job but it’s going to hurt my spending money,” Heidbreder said. “I’m going to have to watch what I eat and work extra hours. The Monetary Award Program grant usually gives me just enough to have a steady income.”

About a third of the student population in IC applies for Monetary Award Program grants, Steuer said, including a very high percentage of first generation students.

“Families and institutions will be devastated if students can’t return,” Steuer said. “I think the anxiety is starting to grow with students.”

The elimination of the Monetary Award Program grant would “greatly affect” Erin Kelly, a junior mathematics major at IC, who pays for her own schooling as well as Emily Schoon, a senior literature major at IC, who comes from a single-parent household on a small farm in Canton.

MacMurray College senior Amanda Pruett is a deaf education major who will be student-teaching next spring. In addition to tuition expenses, she will have to pay a $350 fee towards student teaching.

MacMurray College said no one would be available to discuss the situation until next week.

Many students at Lincoln Land Community College may have to work more hours or take out loans, said Lee Bursi, assistant vice president for financial aid.

Janelle Bishop, a single mother of three children ages 4, 7 and 12, works and attends Lincoln Land Community College full-time. She is the recipient of a $500 Monetary Award Program grant to pursue a special education major. Bishop is looking to start another job during the weekend, which will “take time away” from her kids.

“That’s a big chunk of money that I need,” said Bishop, expressing the difficulty she already has maintaining her car, paying rent and acheiving her goals. “I want to go to school and make a better life for myself and my kids. I want an education and I want my boys to have an education. I have a big issue with education. We shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket. The system is not set up right.”

Most Lincoln Land students receive federal Pell grants that cover most of their tuition, including books and other fees, said Lynn Whalen, executive director of public relations and marketing.

The average Monetary Award Program grant awarded to Lincoln Land Community College students is $500, Bursi said. Last year 1,100 students received such grants. About 80 to 100 of those students attended the Jacksonville campus.

The maximum Pell grant is $5,350. The total fee for a year’s tuition at Lincoln Land is $3,700, including books, Whalen said. Last year, 2,162 students received Pell grants, Bursi said. More than half of those students received the maximum amount.

The Monetary Award Program grant, strictly for tuition, eases students’ financial burdens by allowing them to pay for books and living expenses with their Pell grant, Bursi said.

“Because our fees are much lower, it helps,” Whalen said. “We’re hoping that many and most of (the students) will be OK.”