Frerichs, College Students Ask Rauner To Restore College Aid
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Democratic Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and others have urged Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to restore state scholarship money for needy college students.
Frerichs said there's no reason low-income college students who expect to receive grants from the Monetary Award Program (MAP) should be held hostage during the ongoing budget standoff between the governor and Democratic legislative leaders.
"It's not like [Rauner] vetoed the entire budget. He vetoed most of the budget. He signed the education budget, K through 12. I personally believe that our commitment to education does not end at the 12th grade," he said.
The treasurer said, when Rauner vetoed most of the state budget approved by majority Democratic lawmakers, he cut off $400 million for MAP grants, which provide up to $5,000 a year in financial assistance to low-income college students.
"When they fulfill their dreams, they improve our entire state, and that's why it's important that the governor and the General Assembly approve college tuition assistance for the hundreds of thousands of families that rely upon it to put them on that pathway to success," he said.
Frerichs was joined by other students, college administrators, and state lawmakers in making his plea to restore funding for the Monetary Assistance Program. Last year, about 130,000 students received MAP grants.
Roosevelt University student Sean Anderson said if MAP grant funding isn't restored, many students will struggle to pay for college.
"If students do not have their MAP grant, many of them will be forced to drop out, or take an unsustainable amount of hours at work that affects their grades, and things like that," he said.
Vanessa Cadavillo, a senior at DePaul, said she and other students shouldn't be used as political pawns.
"I and my fellow college students do not deserve to have our education put at risk because of a budget that is beyond our control," she said.
State Rep. Kelly Burke (D-Oak Lawn) has sponsored a House bill to restore MAP grant funding, and the Senate recently passed a similar measure.