DePaul students may remember in October 2009, when more than 200 students rallied in Springfield to protest a planned 50 percent budget cut to the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP). Another 15 students traveled to Springfield in March of 2011 to continue to show their support for the MAP grant's continued existence. With almost a quarter of its students utilizing MAP grants to offset the cost of a private university education, DePaul is keeping a close eye on developments at the state level. The MAP grant was "a huge reason why I attended DePaul," said Anthony Alfano, a senior and president of DePaul's Student Government Association (SGA). "Two years ago, my ability to stay [at DePaul] was threatened [by the proposed cut, and with approximately 4,600 students at risk of losing their grants at the time, the rally at Springfield was a necessity.
"Many students would have to reevaluate whether they could continue to attend DePaul," he said.
