Post by title1parent on Oct 12, 2009 7:07:00 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1819490,naperville-cuts-map-awards-na101209.article
College students stung by grant reductions
October 12, 2009
By HANK BECKMAN For The Sun
In financing his education at North Central College, Chris Ranallo's family has become intimately familiar with sacrifice.
His father Jim works two jobs — full-time jobs. His mom, Cindy works full time. And they've taken out a $70,000 home equity line of credit to defray expenses for the senior education major and president of the Student Government Association.
But now it might get just a little bit harder.
"They've already told us he will lose winter and spring," Cindy Ranallo said, referring to the looming budget cuts in the Illinois Monetary Award Program for college students.
To make matters worse, the Algonquin family was recently informed that, like many Americans in an era of financial uncertainty, their bank was reducing their line of credit to what they've already borrowed, about $26,000.
"We lost our home equity loan and now we're losing the MAP grant," Cindy said, noting that with another son beginning Western Illinois this year, things were looking grim.
Ranallo's plight is shared by students all over the state.
With a $200 million budget shortfall, the MAP awards are scheduled to be significantly reduced. Roughly 138,000 Illinois students will receive only half of the grants they were awarded and 130,000 will receive nothing at all.
Moreover, without any action by the state Legislature in the coming veto session, the first half of 2010 will see a total cancellation of the awards until a remedy can be found.
So with many of the state's college students already locked into a financial plan for school year 2009-2010, the full impact of the cuts will only be felt after Jan. 1.
The impact on local students, particularly North Central recipients, with 714 students currently MAP recipients — or 30 percent of its student body — has college officials worried.
"We're trying to make sure our state officials and legislators understand the full impact of the cuts," said Marty Sauer, North Central dean of admissions and financial aid.
Sauer indicted that the college was working through several professional organizations to get the message out, but stressed that students themselves would have to play a part.
"They're operating under very tight budgets right now, so they will be the best advocates," he said.
Mark Holysz, director of financial aid for the College of DuPage, said the third-largest community college in the nation is starting to see the effects already, saying that "with the restrictions (on MAP), we had to plan for fall semester only."
Although only about 8 to 10 percent of COD students receive MAP grants, the total number of students potentially affected is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500.
Holysz agrees that students making their case directly to government about restoring the planned cuts is the most effective approach.
"The student voice is more important than an institutional voice," he said.
Taking the advice to heart, Chris Ranallo is taking a proactive stance by coordinating an e-mail campaign among North Central students to contact various state legislators.
"It's upsetting, to be honest," he said recently. "It's money I counted on to finish my senior year."
As for those legislators everyone is contacting, some are working to solve the problem
Illinois House of Representatives Bill 4622 is an effort by a group of Republican legislators to solve two problems at once.
It creates a tax amnesty plan for Illinois citizens and businesses that have become liable for outstanding taxes since 2002. The plan would allow citizens to pay back taxes without interest or penalty on taxes owed since 2003, which was when the last amnesty plan was implemented.
Written into the bill is language earmarking the money recovered to plug the gap in the MAP funding.
"It would only be for MAP," said Rep. Darlene Senger (R-Naperville). Senger said a conservative estimate put the amount to be recovered at about $104 million, and she highlighted the positive aspect of recovering money owed the state.
"It sends the message that we're going after you if you don't pay your taxes," she said.
Rep. Michael Connelly (R-Naperville) supports the measure, but wants citizens to know that Gov. Pat Quinn already had the means to plug the gap in MAP funding.
"He (Quinn) has plenty of funds to make up the difference," Connelly said, saying "he had $1 billion in discretionary funding at his disposal as a result of the last state budget ... The Legislature gave him the authority, but he doesn't see it as a priority in his administration."
A spokesman for the governor claims the money is already spent for other pressing needs.
"About $1 billion went to health care in the form of payments to Medicare and group health payments," Grant Klinzman said. Klinzman wouldn't comment on HB 4622, but did say Quinn is proposing a $1 per pack tax on cigarettes, which would go into the Illinois General Fund.
Whatever the final solution turns out to be, Cindy Ranallo isn't taking anything for granted. She's written letters to nine different state representatives, Quinn and — just so no stone is left unturned — President Barack Obama.
"You promised him this money," she said. "You owe it to him."
College students stung by grant reductions
October 12, 2009
By HANK BECKMAN For The Sun
In financing his education at North Central College, Chris Ranallo's family has become intimately familiar with sacrifice.
His father Jim works two jobs — full-time jobs. His mom, Cindy works full time. And they've taken out a $70,000 home equity line of credit to defray expenses for the senior education major and president of the Student Government Association.
But now it might get just a little bit harder.
"They've already told us he will lose winter and spring," Cindy Ranallo said, referring to the looming budget cuts in the Illinois Monetary Award Program for college students.
To make matters worse, the Algonquin family was recently informed that, like many Americans in an era of financial uncertainty, their bank was reducing their line of credit to what they've already borrowed, about $26,000.
"We lost our home equity loan and now we're losing the MAP grant," Cindy said, noting that with another son beginning Western Illinois this year, things were looking grim.
Ranallo's plight is shared by students all over the state.
With a $200 million budget shortfall, the MAP awards are scheduled to be significantly reduced. Roughly 138,000 Illinois students will receive only half of the grants they were awarded and 130,000 will receive nothing at all.
Moreover, without any action by the state Legislature in the coming veto session, the first half of 2010 will see a total cancellation of the awards until a remedy can be found.
So with many of the state's college students already locked into a financial plan for school year 2009-2010, the full impact of the cuts will only be felt after Jan. 1.
The impact on local students, particularly North Central recipients, with 714 students currently MAP recipients — or 30 percent of its student body — has college officials worried.
"We're trying to make sure our state officials and legislators understand the full impact of the cuts," said Marty Sauer, North Central dean of admissions and financial aid.
Sauer indicted that the college was working through several professional organizations to get the message out, but stressed that students themselves would have to play a part.
"They're operating under very tight budgets right now, so they will be the best advocates," he said.
Mark Holysz, director of financial aid for the College of DuPage, said the third-largest community college in the nation is starting to see the effects already, saying that "with the restrictions (on MAP), we had to plan for fall semester only."
Although only about 8 to 10 percent of COD students receive MAP grants, the total number of students potentially affected is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500.
Holysz agrees that students making their case directly to government about restoring the planned cuts is the most effective approach.
"The student voice is more important than an institutional voice," he said.
Taking the advice to heart, Chris Ranallo is taking a proactive stance by coordinating an e-mail campaign among North Central students to contact various state legislators.
"It's upsetting, to be honest," he said recently. "It's money I counted on to finish my senior year."
As for those legislators everyone is contacting, some are working to solve the problem
Illinois House of Representatives Bill 4622 is an effort by a group of Republican legislators to solve two problems at once.
It creates a tax amnesty plan for Illinois citizens and businesses that have become liable for outstanding taxes since 2002. The plan would allow citizens to pay back taxes without interest or penalty on taxes owed since 2003, which was when the last amnesty plan was implemented.
Written into the bill is language earmarking the money recovered to plug the gap in the MAP funding.
"It would only be for MAP," said Rep. Darlene Senger (R-Naperville). Senger said a conservative estimate put the amount to be recovered at about $104 million, and she highlighted the positive aspect of recovering money owed the state.
"It sends the message that we're going after you if you don't pay your taxes," she said.
Rep. Michael Connelly (R-Naperville) supports the measure, but wants citizens to know that Gov. Pat Quinn already had the means to plug the gap in MAP funding.
"He (Quinn) has plenty of funds to make up the difference," Connelly said, saying "he had $1 billion in discretionary funding at his disposal as a result of the last state budget ... The Legislature gave him the authority, but he doesn't see it as a priority in his administration."
A spokesman for the governor claims the money is already spent for other pressing needs.
"About $1 billion went to health care in the form of payments to Medicare and group health payments," Grant Klinzman said. Klinzman wouldn't comment on HB 4622, but did say Quinn is proposing a $1 per pack tax on cigarettes, which would go into the Illinois General Fund.
Whatever the final solution turns out to be, Cindy Ranallo isn't taking anything for granted. She's written letters to nine different state representatives, Quinn and — just so no stone is left unturned — President Barack Obama.
"You promised him this money," she said. "You owe it to him."
