The Executive Vice President announced the Monetary Awards Program grants submission deadline has been moved up to Thursday.

At the student senate meeting, Mitch Gurick said the deadline to apply before the suspension of the program for 2014 to 2015 had been moved up because of growing state budget difficulties. The unprecedented amount of early applications also warranted the Illinois Student Assistant Commission, who handles the MAP grant budget, to bump up the deadline.

MAP grants provided state funding for students in need of financial aid. Gradually but continually, the amount of MAP grants awarded to students has decreased for the 2014-2015 MAP start-up formula by 5 percent.

To receive the MAP grant award, students must file the 2014-2015 Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Due to the immediacy of the deadline, students should file it online at the FAFSA website.

Gurick said this is one of the many reasons why the Student Action Team and the lobbying trip to Springfield is crucial.

Dan Nadler, the vice president for student affairs, announced he will be proposing there to be no increase in student fees for the next school year at the Board of Trustees meeting Friday. While some of fees were decreased, others were increased to even out the same amount for student fees, which is $59.69 per semester credit hour.

The senate also approved the budget for Gurick to head to Columbia College in Chicago, Ill., in order to attend the Illinois Board of Higher Education- Student Advisory Committee at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Gurick said he will not be using much of the approved budget because he will be taking a train. He will only be using $170. He said he did not want to use the university van putting at risk the lives of the other senate Student Action Team members and himself with the rough weather to come in the upcoming days.

There is expected to be more than 10 inches of snow falling later this week north of Charleston.

MAP grant funding is one of three things talked about at the meeting. They also looked over points to be made when they lobby like the need for state appropriated funds for higher education.

The Student Body President made a point to make sure the Student Senate understands their responsibilities and the importance of fulfilling their roles at the senate meeting Wednesday.

Kaylia Eskew went through each one of the duties of a senate member from pointing out they need to do such things as attend meetings and complete there hours. She said the senate meetings in particular have been too informal and inefficient.

The senate also approved a budget of $44 for blow-pops to handed out on Tuesday in the Booth Library. Kathryn English, the student vice president for academic affairs, said this gets the student government name out to the students and will remind students of midterms starting Monday. She said when she was doing this in past years students legitimately were unaware of midterms.

They also approved the Student Action Team bylaws, which had a few minor changes since it was proposed at their last meeting. It was clarified that a Student Action Team member should be in good standing with the university while maintaining a 2.5 GPA.

The bylaws now clarify that the senate must approve of the termination of a team member. Eskew said the member will be notified if there is interest in removing them from their position. Other than these changes the rest of the changes proposed at the last meeting are the same

The senate will meet again at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Arcola-Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].