October 14, 2009, 4:02 pm
Just to let you know, Academic Affairs has formed the excellence awards review committees and they are scheduled to meet for the orientation session this Friday. There are two committees. One reviews the materials for Teaching and Resource Professionals and the second committee reviews the application materials for Instructors and Academic Support Professionals. Each forwards recommendations to President Hahs for her decision.
My understanding is that until there is a contract settlement between the administration/Board of Trustees and the UPI, the number of awards available is an unknown as is the amount of the award.
October 12, 2009, 9:02 am
We completed approximately 3000 MAP postcards that will be delivered to the state legislators. President Hahs and NEIU students will travel to Springfield this week to join 100s (maybe 1000s) in a MAP rally. Everyone has worked together to get MAP grants addressed during this veto session. But there is one more potential barrier to getting MAP addressed during this session.
Speaker Madigan decides what issues will be brought to a vote during the Veto Session. If he decides not to call for a vote on the restoration of MAP grants, all our work across the state will be for naught. All the legislators who are prepared to vote to restore MAP funding will be unable to vote their conscience.
The UPI has launched a second advocacy campaign directed at Speaker Madigan. Please go to this website and send an e-letter to Speaker Madigan. You can edit the letter. It is important to send the letter this week when the session begins.
October 1, 2009, 4:05 pm
Last evening I had the opportunity to speak about the MAP grants to my state representative, Michael McAuliffe. He reported that the Republicans have put forward a bill to fund the MAP grants through the recovery of delinquent taxes. Here is a synopsis of the bill:
Synopsis of HB4622:
Amends the Tax Delinquency Amnesty Act. Provides for an amnesty period from January 1, 2010 through February 15, 2010. Provides that interest and penalties for taxes due after June 30, 2002 and prior to January 1, 2010 shall be abated and not collected if those taxes are paid during the amnesty period. Provides that money collected during the amnesty period that would otherwise be deposited into the General Revenue Fund shall be deposited into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act to provide that a limitation on the amount that may be on deposit in the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund does not include moneys received as a result of the amnesty program. Effective immediately.
Introduced 9/24/2009. Action so far is addition of sponsors (18 as of 9/30/09).
What was more interesting was the amount of email he has been receiving. McAuliffe estimated that he was receiving about 30 emails a day from parents concerned about the recovery of MAP funding. He says that he is responding to the emails. I promised that more emails, letters and postcards would be on the way.
Please encourage your students to get family members involved in the MAP campaign. Send them to the ISAC site for additional information and options. If you are a parent send an email to a legislator.
Tell your students about this site that will allow them to identify their state reps.
We will have labels at the postcard table so that we can send the cards to specific legislators. Thanks for your commitment to our students and their future.
