Aleta Riley-Tellis
As the Illinois budget standoff continues, members of the Saint Xavier University community are continuing their efforts to fight for the release of Monetary Award Program (MAP) funds. There are currently 1,602 SXU students who are packaged for MAP Grants, which provide financial aid to undergraduate students enrolled in Illinois colleges who demonstrate financial need.
The lack of an Illinois budget means that no funding has been appropriated for the MAP program. In an interview with The Xavierite, President Christine Wiseman explained why the budget impasse is a critical issue for the 130,000 MAP recipients across the state.
“The issue of MAP has a huge impact on the education of students in this state. The reason it is so critical is, without MAP funding, many of those 130,000 students could not afford a college education. And if there is anything we know, especially at this time, it is that democracy demands critical thinkers, and that is the intended goal of higher education,” said Wiseman.
In 2015, MAP grants accounted for $357 million of financial aid for Illinois students of four-year universities, community colleges, hospital schools or proprietary institutions. According to Joan Knox, Associate Vice President, the MAP funds represent $6.5 million in tuition revenue for SXU.
In an interview with The Xavierite, Susan Swisher, Executive Director of Financial Aid, stressed the importance of filing for FAFSA as soon as possible during this time of financial uncertainty for the state of Illinois.
“The main thing I want to encourage students to do is to make sure that they continue filing their FAFSA, our priority deadline is February 15. So the main thing I would stress is the fact that every student get their FAFSA filed for next year by February 15, because they suspended processing last year in late February. We don’t know if this year they will be suspending processing then, or later or earlier,” said Swisher.
In response to the lack of funding for MAP grants, Saint Xavier University will help MAP recipients cover the cost of their education, though not indefinitely.
“Unlike some institutions, we made the decision to advance those financial aid monies to our students because we understand that, without those monies, many of our students would not have the ability to go on. But we can’t do that forever, none of the 60 institutions, public and private, can do that forever. So, it is becoming a matter of crisis for higher education in this state,” said Wiseman.
Wiseman explained that her position as the Chair of the Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and Universities (FIICU) gives her a platform to advocate for MAP funding. She was appointed the Chair of FIIICU by former Illinois governor, Pat Quinn. Wiseman is also the only sitting university president on the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE).
As a member of the IBHE, Wiseman led a taskforce that recently published a white paper on access and affordability of higher education. The publication was distributed across the state of Illinois. As a member of the IBHE, she also made a statement to the board on the interdependence of public and private education. Wiseman explained that, in both FIICU and the IBHE, she has not seen any competition between public and private education regarding MAP funding.
Instead, she says that private and public institutions are working together for the common goal of serving the needs of Illinois students. Wiseman also explained that it makes sense for the state of Illinois to continue providing MAP funding for private institution because private education is more cost effective for the state.
The only funding private institutions receive from the state is the MAP awards, which for SXU amounts to an average of about $4,700 per MAP recipient. The rest of the funding for private universities comes from the federal government or the universities themselves. Public institutions, on the other hand, are also funded by a legislative appropriation from the state.
The SXU administration is working in collaboration with institutions such as DePaul University, Loyola, University of Chicago, and the Illinois Institute of Technology on this issue. Wiseman stressed that the issue of MAP grant funding is being discussed in institutions, large and small, public and private, across the state. SXU students, faculty and administrators have also been advocating for MAP funding, even before there was a budget crisis, by frequently contacting Illinois legislators.
Last semester, a group of students attended a rally for MAP funding in Springfield and had the opportunity to speak to legislators. In the past, SXU MAP recipients have also taken trips to Springfield to talk to legislators about what the grant means to them during the Private College Student Lobby Day.
Wiseman has also written personal letters to each legislator, and has made phone calls to both Democratic and Republican legislators. In the 2015 fall semester, SXU also hosted a legislative breakfast where the issue of MAP funding was discussed. When asked about the responses of the legislators to her phone calls and letters regarding MAP funding, Wiseman said that their reactions were mixed. Some legislators told her that they were fighting for funding while others blamed the opposing party.
However, Wiseman also says that she does not believe that there is any legislator who does not realize the gravity of the situation. During the State of the State address held on January 27, Governor Bruce Rauner’s discussion regarding higher education centered on the need of institutions to cut administrative costs.
Wiseman pointed out that universities are already making significant cuts and noted that, since she came to SXU in 2010, she cut over $2 million, mostly from the administrative level, out of the operating budget. Wiseman also stressed that the Saint Xavier community, including administration, faculty, and staff work hard to put the needs of the school and students first.
She argued that the people who make SXU the institution that it is do not always receive the recognition they deserve for their efforts. Both Wiseman and Swisher say that they cannot imagine how the budget impasse can continue for much longer. However, they also acknowledged that they were surprised that the situation has gone on for so long.
When asked what would happen if SXU is no longer able to advance the financial aid for MAP recipients and MAP funding is still not released, Wiseman answered that the university would have to look at all possible alternatives. While, institutions are already exploring these alternatives, they also hope that they will not be necessary.
“Everyone is hoping and praying that it doesn’t come to that, we are all thinking that it can’t possibly come to that, no one would be that foolish; but I didn’t think it would be the middle of February without a budget,” said Wiseman.
Ultimately, Wiseman says that SXU must continue to advocate for MAP funding and plan for the worst.
“This is an entirely new situation. I am not a native of Illinois, but my colleagues who’ve been here for 20 years tell me that they have never seen this situation. So, all we can do is monitor it, keep up the advocacy, the letters, the support and keep people informed. And of course, we all plan for worst case scenarios,” said Wiseman.
Yasmeen Abdellatif
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