Joliet Junior College students joined thousands of other students at a rally for the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grants in Springfield on Thursday, Oct. 15. Led by Student Trustee Darren Newenhouse, the students attended the rally and then met with key legislators representing the JJC district to ask for their support in funding the MAP grants.
Approximately $200 million is required to fund the grants for the spring 2010 semester. The MAP grants were originally budgeted at $400 million before being cut in half during the budget process by the governor. On Thursday, the House and Senate both voted to support the funding of the remainder of MAP but the governor still must identify a source to pay for the grants.
Nicole Spencer, Ryan Gue, Noel Salazar, Marla Harris, Allyson Poljack, and Newenhouse discussed the MAP grant issue with Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, Rep. Jack McGuire, and Rep. Renee Kosel. Nearly 2,000 JJC students received MAP grant funding in the fall semester.
"It was a good experience," Newenhouse said. "It was fun, informative and worthwhile. I felt really honored to be a part of the rally, and I was excited to have other students from JJC involved in the process."