As Bradley students head home for Fall Break this weekend, a new group of students will flock to campus.
Student Senate’s MAP grant summit will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Michel Student Center Ballroom, with student leaders from across the state discussing ways to combat the grant’s potential cut.
As of Wednesday, 15 Illinois schools out of the 136 invited had confirmed a leader’s attendance.
“ISU, Western, Wesleyan, Eureka and a lot of local schools will be attending,” Student Body President Kyle Malinowski said. “But we also have schools like Roosevelt University from Chicago and schools from all over the place.”
Vice President for Student Affairs Alan Galsky will open the meeting. The summit will then move into a closed-door discussion for students.
“We’ll talk specifically about what we are doing to motivate students on our own campus,” Malinowski said. “A lot of schools are doing campus-wide petitions and resolutions. We’ll provide each other tips.”
All students are invited to attend the discussion. Even though many students will be travelling home for the break, Malinowski said this was the best weekend for the event.
“Last weekend we had Homecoming, so logistically it would have been a nightmare since we’re bringing people in from all over the state,” he said. “The other reason it was selected is because the rally is on Thursday, so if we kick off [this weekend] it will have a snowball effect up until the rally.”
The rally is at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday on the steps of the capitol in Springfield. Bradley is providing busses for students wishing to attend, that will depart at 10 a.m. from the Student Center.
After the students meet on Sunday, the summit will open up to the press for statements and questions.
In addition to speaking himself, Malinowski said he plans to invite a student leader from a large public school and a community college to make a small speech. Then, all leaders in attendance will sign a proclamation.
About $200 million is needed to continue funding MAP grants next semester.
Although Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed a $1 a pack cigarette tax to raise the funds, other lawmakers have called it regressive, saying it would hurt those who could least afford it.
Quinn, a proponent of MAP grants, will also participate in a rally at the University of Illinois on Wednesday.
For now, Malinowski said it’s important for everyone to participate in showing state officials how important MAP grants are to students.
“It’s really affecting the entire economy of Illinois,” he said. “The entire culture of Illinois will suffer if there are less students able to attend universities in the state, not to mention the 1,400 at Bradley who may not be able to return if the grant is cut.”
