A pair of SIU-Carbondale students sat down Thursday with a state lawmaker to talk about the future of MAP Grant funding.
State Senator Gary Forby - along with SIU-C professor and former Lt. Governor Sheila Simon - met with students Joshua Bowens and Shantel Franklin at Longbranch Café and Bakery.
Bowens told the gathering that if MAP grant funding stops, he'll have to work full-time, which will make getting his college degree much more difficult.
"I'm determined to be in school. I won't let a MAP Grant stop me from getting my education. But, without it, I'll really be struggling to really makes ends meet. It's really beneficial to me to have it because it takes a lot of stress off of me. Right now, I'm able to be in school full-time and go to work part-time."
Bowens asked Senator Forby if funding for MAP Grants would be included in a new state budget. The Benton democrat had some optimistic news for the political science major.
"I think the majority of people in Springfield wants MAP Grants. I do think Republicans and Democrats want that. I think we'll try to find a way of funding that if it comes down to it. I don't think MAP Grants will be off the budget. I think it will be there."
SIU-C senior Shantel Franklin says MAP Grant assistance is allowing her to get a college education.
"I would not be able to finish my undergraduate degree because I would not have the funds to continue to attend here. It would be something that would really affect me and my future."
Simon says the MAP Grant Program has been a strong investment for Illinois because the grant recipients are as successful in school as non-grant recipients.
"You'd expect students with lesser resources to come to college less prepared, to be less successful. In fact, the MAP Grant is what helps put them over the edge and is allowing them to be as successful as everyone else in college."
Senator Forby's office says without a new state budget and funding for MAP Grants, over 125,000 Illinois students may not be able to continue their college education.
