The Tuition Aid Program, created by interim President Lou Hencken, who allocated $100,000 from the tuition increase to aid students with financial need, may continue next year.

Jone Zieren, director of financial aid, is optimistic the program will continue.

“The president is supportive of continuing the program to help students meet the cost of education,” Zieren said.

The TAP mirrors the Monetary Award Program, which helped full-time, in-state students who don’t receive assistance from their

parents meet the cost of tuition and fees.

The MAP was cut as a result of the budget cuts, leaving 500 students at Eastern who qualify for the program without the added financial aid which led to a need for a university initiative like the TAP program.

“As a result of the tuition increase, we increased subsidized loan amounts for students who hadn’t exceeded the maximum. For students who qualified for the MAP, we notified them in a letter,” Zieren said.

A student who qualified for the MAP program would receive a maximum of $200 a school year or $100 a semester from the TAP program to help pay for school. The grant system currently has 500 students.

For Rebecca Krikie, a junior transfer student from Lakeland College, the

financial aid package was almost not enough.

“I wasn’t able to receive any financial aid other than loans, which means right now I don’t know how it’s going to affect me until after I have to start paying back the loan,” Krikie said. “Next year, I may be eligible for scholarships. As long as scholarships are available in accordance to tuition-a tuition increase shouldn’t be a problem.”

Nancy Zegler, freshman special education major and Student Senate member, said students must be more active in voting to get increased money for the university.

“I think the only reason we’ll always have to deal with a tuition increase is because none of us on campus vote,” Zegler said.

“If people learn that they can register in Coles County and vote on issues like tuition, when President Hencken goes up to speak on Eastern’s behalf, they can look up the statistics and see that Eastern votes, and we’re more likely to get the money.”