[Oct. 16, 2009] VIDEO — Columbia College Chicago students joined their peers from colleges and universities throughout Illinois at a rally in Springfield intended to urge lawmakers to vote for reinstatement of funding for the Monetary Award Program, or MAP grant, that provides need-based tuition assistance for nearly 140,000 Illinois students.
The House and Senate voted Thursday to allocate $205 million to the Monetary Award Program, securing grants already promised to tens of thousands of students for the spring 2010 semester. It remains unclear, however how the program will be funded in future years.
Members of Columbia Student Government Association organized a letter-writing campaign and worked diligently to raise awareness among students, faculty, staff, and the larger community about the importance of the MAP grants to Columbia students, and organized the bus trip to Springfield.
Another group of Columbia faculty, staff, and students created a music video, including an original score, in just 24 hours to help raise awareness of the issue.