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Printer-Friendly ModeBroken Promise?
September 28, 2009 —
Students are defending the Michigan Promise Scholarship while legislators take the scalpel to an ailing state budget.
In a five-hour span Thursday, representatives from Student Association and campus political groups collected nearly 850 signatures from those opposed to cutting the grant. The information was sent to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and House Speaker Andy Dillon.
Michigan’s economy and 15-percent unemployment rate have left the state with a $2.8 billion budget gap. The Legislature must enact a budget by Thursday or risk a shutdown of state services.
The Michigan Promise Scholarship offers up to $4,000 to help qualifying Michigan students who pursue at least two years of higher education. More than 1,400 students at SVSU and 96,000 statewide are eligible to receive it.
The Michigan Promise grant would require about $140 million to fund.
At SVSU, the campaign to rally students’ political support was a first for Student Association, said Julie Boon, a history sophomore and parliamentarian for SA.
“Students are losing money, and we had to do something about it,” Boon said.
Activism to protect the Michigan Promise grant is finding fuel on campuses across the state. Students have rallied in grass-roots efforts through Facebook groups and Web sites such as nobrokenpromise.com.
But lawmakers face serious decisions on the priorities of Michigan’s funding.
A Michigan Senate vote in June froze the grant funds and left many students with holes in their financial planning.
Chad Young, a political science junior and president of the College Democrats, was one student who found the blank space on his financial aid receipt this fall. He had to borrow an additional $1,000.
Coincidentally, Young was one of 20 students who worked last summer at an internship at the state Capitol. He helped answer letters to state representatives, some from parents who wrote that their children needed scholarships such as this to afford college.
“It’s important that students know what’s at stake here,” he said. “[Cutting] this would affect a lot of people – parents, siblings, little cousins – not just students.”
Activists on campus sent letters to state representatives who have been moderate in their approach to the Michigan Promise issue.
“We wanted to send copies of the 60 pages of signatures to everyone,” Boon said. “But we didn’t think that would be very green.”
Boon said she was excited her classmates’ response.
“A lot of students were thankful to us for doing that,” she continued. “They seemed really proud to take part in the process of democracy.”
Boon said she hopes students continue to involve themselves in politics, and SA will try to help. “It’s part of a yearlong process to get students aware that their voice does matter.”
Justin Alexander, a political science junior and College Democrat, agreed.
“There’s a new birth of political activism in our generation, and we’re not going to take this sitting down.”