Dear Illinois Government,
This can't possibly be the first letter you've received concerning lack of MAP Grant funding to Illinois college students, so I'll get down to brass tax really quickly.
First, I'm not going to try and pin the blame on solely the governor, because while many would like me to believe it is all his fault, the government in Illinois is in a three part system. There has to be something going wrong at each level for this whole mess to not be working out.
This is my sophomore year of college, and starting very soon I will enter my fourth semester of college. For the previous three semesters, Greenville College has been so gracious as to fundraise for my sake (and about 300 other students' sake) so that we can continue to go to school with them though the MAP Grant is currently unavailable to us. I am beyond thankful, because every little bit counts when you're trying to pay for college, and I cannot imagine trying to scrape up another $2,000+ every semester.
I know that there are also several other schools in the state that are finding themselves in a similar situation, but unlike Greenville they are unable to assist their students. I cannot imagine how many students state-wide are wondering how they can continue their higher education.
So, I suppose my largest question is this: when can I expect my money?
When can we expect our money?
If hundreds of thousands of students annually qualify to receive a MAP Grant, but you do not currently have a budget that provides help to them, what will the future look like?
The previous two semesters, my financial statement provided me with extra spending money. This money, I discovered, is what the state of Illinois owes me for my MAP Grant. Imagine my excitement to realize that I would have extra cash to buy books and other such college commodities during the semester! But then, I was regretfully informed that the money must be withheld until the government funds the grant.
It took an extra year, but you were able to pay the 2015 Map Grant. This school year's Map Grant, unfortunately, has yet to be funded. It's officially 2017. When can I expect that you will sit down and start making budgets on time so that no one has to wait and wonder what's going to happen if they can't pay for college? When can I expect that you will provide my college, and colleges state-wide, with the money they're owed?
Sincerely,
Illi-noyed With Waiting
