If you are like me, or like the over 150,000 other students statewide that rely on the Illinois Monetary Assistance Program, known by most as the MAP grant, this year has been a rollercoaster ride. With the state budget in flux, thanks to the penny-pincher Bruce Rauner's plan to balance the Illinois budget, the funds for the MAP grant have yet to be filled, despite the fact that students are already receiving their award letters for next school year.
Many students rely on the MAP grant not only to pay for their tuition, but for many of the day-to-day expenses of a college student, from purchasing books and school supplies to buying personal care items, and even food. The MAP grant does more than just pay for our education. It serves as an equalizer for students from low socioeconomic status to remain focused on school without distractions, such as how to afford your books or buy a stick of deodorant.
Unless you are one of those students, it may be hard for you to understand the reactions of your peers these last couple months. Here are seven GIFS to carry you through our seven stages of grief, as we realized that we wouldn't be receiving the MAP grant this year. (For the record, I'm not a psych major, so if I do this wrong, I'm sorry.)
Stage 1: Shock and denial
In the early stages of this dilemma, many students didn't even recognize that there was a problem. We were used to not receiving the funding for the MAP grant until October or November, so we were all good. We told our friends to not worry about it. There's no way they won't pay our MAP grant!
Stage 2: Panic and guilt
As it began to sink in that there was a possibility that we might not receive the MAP grant, the impact of every unnecessary purchase hits our pockets 10 times harder.
Step 3: Anger
At the end of first semester, we still hadn't received our MAP grant and the anger reached its apex. With a proposal to approve the MAP grant being rejected by Gov. Rauner, the funding of the MAP grant seemed to be secondary to the political game being played, therefore sending students anger to its highest.
Step 4: Depressive reflection
With many students relying on the MAP grant, the prospect of returning back to school seemed bleak. Without the MAP grant, tuition is too expensive and we can't afford to pay. If we can't pay tuition, we can't go to school. If we can't go to school then...
Let's just say these were sad times. At one point or another, stripping became a legit option for you.
Stage 5: The upward turn
As we've gotten through almost the entirety of second semester, we're still able to attend classes and work towards our degrees. Although no solution is in sight at the moment, we haven't been kicked out of school yet, so that's a good thing.
Step 6: Reconstruction
Even though our education is up in the air at the moment, we amazed ourselves at what we could still accomplish. Whether it was picking up extra hours at work, spending our school breaks working, cutting back on expenses or begging family members for money, we were somehow are making it work.
Stage 7: Acceptance, but mostly hope
Many of us have accepted that we probably won't get the MAP grant for this year, and worry about the future of our funding. But we still have hope. Whether it's the daily checking on Google News on the progress of Congress passing a budget, that Bruce Rauner will sign the Democrat's proposal for higher education funding, or that there are enough votes to override him. We still have hope, no matter how misguided it may be.
So there you have it, the seven stages of grief for all of us missing the MAP grant at the moment. While some of us have been lucky enough to have our schools cover the funds, I hope that those of us that haven't been so lucky are finding ways to remedy this situation. Students across the state of Illinois are suffering and are having their one chance to better their lives taken away. Education is not a privilege, it's a right. It's about time Rauner and his Congress figure it out.
