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Saint Xavier students had the opportunity to attend The Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities’ annual Private College Student Lobby Day in Springfield to discuss why the Monetary Award Program (MAP), Illinois’ need-based student aid program, is important to them.
The students left SXU at 5:30am on Wednesday and returned to the campus at 5:30pm. SXU provided the students with transportation, breakfast, lunch, and snacks. For many attendees, Lobby Day is an important opportunity to share their stories to those in a position of power.
“I decided to go to Lobby day to meet with our representatives and to talk to them about why the MAP grant is essential for students to continue their education. I believe that being in Springfield in person to talk to the representatives would allow the representatives to see that students are more than a signature on a petition,” said Angelica Munoz-Valenzuela, junior accounting major.
The MAP grant is awarded to Illinois residents who are undergraduate students at an Illinois college and demonstrate financial need. Eligibility for the grant is determined yearly based on FAFSA results.
This year, the amount awarded ranged from $472 to $4,720. For many SXU students, the MAP grant is an essential part of paying for their education.
“The Monetary Award Program (MAP) is extremely important to students at Saint Xavier because it effectively supplements their federal financial aid package and, as a form of gift assistance, it does not have to be paid back to the state…In that way, it greatly narrows the gap between what an individual may have to borrow in student loans or pay out of pocket him-/herself to settle their tuition bill each semester,” said Andrew L. Helber, Student Support Specialist of the Student Success Program.
First generation student, Munoz-Valenzuela, discussed the importance of the MAP grant she received for her and her family.
“The MAP funds are important to me because, as a first generation student, I didn’t have much information on the different scholarships that were available to me, besides the FAFSA and institutional scholarships. Now that my younger brother is also attending college, the MAP grant benefits both of us since we come from a low income family,” said Munoz-Valenzuela.
The students were able to meet with Senator Bill Cunningham of the 18th District and Senator Mike Hastings of the 19th District, as well as Representative Frances Ann Hurley of the 35th District and Representative Kelly Burke of the 36th District.
The meetings were coordinated by SXU’s Executive Director of External and Legislative Affairs, Joan Knox. The legislators who spoke to the students were very familiar with SXU.
“Representatives Hurley and Burke both have a very special connection to SXU and were particularly sympathetic to our cause. In the case of Representative Hurley, she is a proud alumna and, ironically enough, Representative Burke actually worked on the staff of SXU in a fundraising capacity from 2006-11,” said Helber.According to Helber and Munoz-Valenzuela, the legislators were already supporters of the MAP grant and of Saint Xavier University, but they believed that it was still important for students to share their stories.
“…even though they already have our best interests at heart, the whole objective behind Lobby Day is renewing awareness of the issues that are important to us today,” said Helber.
Helber explained that Lobby Day is the best way to share their thoughts and concerns and general observations.
“There really is no better way to get that point across than by showing up en masse [with] our peer institutions and encouraging students to share their personal accounts of how the MAP Grant has made it possible for them to attend the school of their choice in Illinois,” said Helber.
Besides offering students a chance to let their voices be heard, participating in Lobby Day also provides an opportunity to see the legislative process in action. Overall, Munoz-Valenzuela says that her experience in the state capitol was extremely positive.
“I really enjoyed being able to talk to the legislators, and was very surprised at how open they were to coming towards us and talking to us…I also enjoyed the opportunity to see the legislators in action debating and making decisions in the Senate and the House of Representatives,” said Munoz-Valenzuela.
Yasmeen Abdellatif
News Correspondent
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