Sep 15, 2009 5:25 pm US/Central
Students Lose College Grants To Budget Cuts
2,800 Students At Chicago State University Affected By MAP Grant Cuts
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Emerald Clark, a student at Chicago State University, is struggling to pay tuition after MAP grants were cut from the state budget.
CBS
More than 150,000 college students could be forced to drop out of school. It has nothing to do with their grades. Their grant money has been cut by the state. And as CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports, for some it's the difference between a college degree and life on the streets.
For Emerald Clark, it's not just about the education. It's about survival.
"I need to go to school. If I do nothing else, I need to go to school," Clark said. "I don't want to follow the family pattern. Everybody sells drugs and goes to jail."
Emerald Clark is crying because staying in school is in jeopardy. That's why she's sitting in the financial aid office at Chicago State trying to figure out how she'll pay next semester's tuition.
The budget is tight for Clark and some 2,800 other students at Chicago State University. They're the ones who depended on the state's MAP grants that were cut from the budget.
And if lawmakers don't restore the funding, Clark will be short about $1,600. She's maxed out on loans so losing the grant could destroy her dreams of becoming a doctor.
"My mom ended up in jail three weeks ago. My dad's been in jail since I was 10," Clark said. "And that's why I want to go to school. I want to do something legal. I really do."
"If we don't get this money restored by the Illinois General Assembly during veto session, a lot of students will not be able to graduate or continue with their education," said Erma Brooks Williams, Chicago State University.
Students are making their pleas about how much they need the MAP grant directly to lawmakers; sending them e-mails explaining how they're "a single mother of three children" or "struggling to pay every year for college."
"Any other grants by itself are not enough to pay the whole tuitions and even the book supplies, and every semester everything is getting more expensive," said Chicago State student Soujoud Saleh.
If the state doesn't fund the grants, Clark will be forced to drop out of school.
"I won't be able to go to school and that's going to be really tragic," Clark said. "I really need to try and show my sister and brother there's something different than selling drugs. I'm really trying to go to school."
Chicago State administrators are hoping to find scholarships for Emerald Clark.
Lawmakers will be back in Springfield in mid-October, but it's hard to say what the chances are of legislators restoring the MAP grants. Clark and thousands of other college students will be watching to see if lawmakers will fund their futures.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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