JG-TC.com > News > State won't provide MAP grants in the spring

TODAY'S HEADLINES

SPECIAL SECTION

ONLINE POLL

ONLINE EXTRAS

Shop Smart, Shop Local

SITE TOOLS

OTHER LINKS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 10:53 PM CDT
State won't provide MAP grants in the spring

By MIKE RIOPELL, JG/T-C Springfield Bureau

SPRINGFIELD — Many Illinois college students will remain without state help paying their tuition bills for the spring semester next year, even though lawmakers finalized a state budget last week.

Grants through the Monetary Award Program are given to Illinois students based on their financial needs. The MAP program will operate as usual for the upcoming fall semester.

But the state budget as approved will mean no grants at all for the spring semester, said Andrew Davis, executive director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

“No one should assume there’s a solution for second semester,” Davis said.

It’s another result of a state budget lawmakers approved knowing cuts would be coming. Gov. Pat Quinn wanted an increase in the state’s income tax rate to avoid deep cuts. But he failed to get enough support.

Now, Davis said, he will join other groups that rely on state funding in asking lawmakers for more money in the fall or early next year, in hopes new taxes or another solution can create more money.

“The reality of this budget is it kicks the problem down the block a couple of months,” Davis said.

The state did come up with money to pay for more specific state grant programs that help some top students who plan to become teachers or nurses. An original plan approved by lawmakers would have cut similar programs.

Critics have said cuts to MAP grants could mean students will be faced with more debt, or with the choice to drop out of school altogether.

Individual universities try to pick up some of the slack. Last year, Illinois State University chipped in $5 million of financial aid, and spokesman Jay Groves said they’ll do so again this year.

Still, the budget would leave $7 million more needed for students who qualify for the MAP program, he said.

“That is the most important thing to the poorest students in Illinois,” Groves said.

The state has information about financial aid at www.collegezone.com.

Contact Mike Riopell at mike.riopell@lee.net or (217) 789-0865.

Add your comments

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login? (requires cookies)
	Forgot Your Password?

Not already registered?
Then click Here.

Comment policy:

JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.

In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.

We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.

No comment may contain:

* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.

If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.