Each year, thousands of college hopefuls receive crucial financial assistance from two important forms of government aid: the Federal Pell Grant and the Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant that is provided to students of Illinois.

But due to the downturn of the economy and the threat of budget cuts, the funding for these grants is being seriously reconsidered and many students could be turned away or lose their current financial aid.

In order to raise awareness around this looming issue, Loyola University Chicago is hosting a rally in April, and the entire Loyola community is invited to attend.

Inside Loyola has the story:

“The rally is very much an information session, but the idea behind it is to give our students the tools for grassroots lobbying so that they feel more comfortable and are encouraged to contact their own legislators, not only about MAP, but also about federal financial aid,” says Phillip Hale, the vice president of government affairs.

Eric Weems, the director of student financial assistance, actually expects the funding for the MAP Grant that is provided at the state level to stay the same as it has in recent years. However, that is not necessarily good news. “That will represent a cut in a sense because there are more students coming into the process. So in playing with the same amount of money year to year actually serves as a reduction,” he explains.

As of this year, about 2,600 students received the MAP Grant at Loyola, but the demand for this financial aid is growing every day. Students of Illinois who receive the MAP Grant will know by July 1 whether or not their funding has been cut, as this is the date in which the state is required to have a budget in place.

In past years, the Pell Grant that is supported at the federal level has actually seen increased funding through the Obama administration. Today, about 3,300 Loyola students receive Pell funding. However, the recent talk of serious decreases to the federal budget does not bode well for this student grant.

“As much as I’d love to see the amount be increased, I would consider it a victory to at least see level funding,” states Weems. “The hope is that if it doesn’t increase, at least it doesn’t decrease so the same pool [of students] can remain in the program coming forward. but with such an emphasis being made on the reduction of spending, it’s a very real possibility,” he says.

While the first step towards securing this funding is raising awareness around the worsening issue, the second step lies in the hands of the students. By contacting their personal state representatives in Congress, reaching out to members of the Illinois General Assembly, or writing a letter to Governor Pat Quinn, students can make a world of difference in this campaign.

If you would like to write a letter to your representative or legislator, Hale recommends you include three elements:

1. First, talk about yourself and your personal situation
2. This is called the “but for” stage of the letter; for example, write, “But for MAP. but for Pell Grants. but for this financial aid I couldn’t attend Loyola.” The point is that without this aid, you could not be studying at Loyola.
3. Lastly, talk about your personal dreams and mission in life and how being at Loyola is going to help you achieve that

“Sending a letter or even seeing [your representative] in person makes a huge difference. If they receive only five or six letters on the same issue, it’s going to get their attention,” says Maggie Meza, a junior at Loyola who works as the government relations coordinator with Loyola’s government affairs office.

Details concerning the exact time and place of the rally will be announced in the coming weeks and posted on the Inside Loyola site.

- Jordan Muck

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