But as 2012 quickly approaches Solsberry, 21, is struggling to finish college due to state budget constraints, which are hindering his ability to stay in school.
“I attended a private college in Missouri my freshman year but it became too expensive so I decided to transfer to an Illinois college so I could receive more financial aid,” explained Solsberry. “The reality though is that I am receiving less financial aid now than when I was an out-of-state student.”
The state’s grim financial position has resulted in cuts to colleges particularly the Monetary Award Program, whose budget was reduced by $17.2 million. So now, Solsberry, who had been attending Olive-Harvey College on the Far South Side, will have to sit out next semester because he will not receive a MAP grant as he did this semester. “I have been looking for a job but that has not worked out. So now I don’t know what I will do,” he added.
The cuts will affect more than 130,000 students who receive the grant each year, according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), which administers the grant. And the biggest group affected by the cuts will be students attending community colleges. At City Colleges of Chicago there are more than 125,000 students where blacks make up the majority, according to Katheryn Hayes, a spokeswoman for City Colleges.
Solsberry is not alone when it comes to the state’s budget problems affecting needy black students.
At local universities, such as Chicago State University (CSU), where the student population is majority black, administrators are blaming the political gridlock in Springfield for the rapid evaporation of black college students.
“While society continues to debate the soaring cost of higher education, today’s college students are actually bearing the brunt of tighter state and federal budgets,” said Angela Henderson, vice president of enrollment management at CSU. “This presents an opportunity for students to plug into the political process by calling their state legislators to indicate how important these grants are.”
In Illinois, students can receive between $300 and $4,968 for the school year from MAP. And with a cap on federal students loans at $6,500 for a school year, the only other alternative for needy students caught in the middle is to seek a private student loan to use with the federal Pell grant, which is also available, said John Sinsheimer, interim executive director for the ISAC.
Parents can also be considered for a Direct PLUS loan from the federal government to help pay for their children’s education but the parent, not the student, is responsible for repayment.
According to state Rep. Kenneth Dunkin, (D-5th), who chairs the Budget Committee on Higher Education, this year’s cuts to MAP is the largest ever.
Quinn alleged that state lawmakers often award the scholarship, which pays for tuition only to any four-year public college or university in Illinois, to children of donors and relatives rather than to needy students in their district.
“It is broken and needs fixing or we need to get rid of it. That is where we are right now,” Quinn said.
The scholarship being saved is of little concern to Solsberry, who said all he wants is the opportunity to return to school.
“I want to go to school. That is where I belong. Not at home doing nothing which ultimately will lead me down the wrong path,” said Solsberry. “Now I see why so many black males end up in prison. If you are not in school or cannot find a job, what else is there to do?”
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