Hundreds of Eastern Michigan University community members rallied to show their concern about the broken Michigan Promise Scholarship when Governor Granholm visited the EMU Student Center on Monday morning.
The Michigan legislature still has time to change their decision to cut funding for the scholarship program, but Michigan students and citizens must demand action, Granholm said.
“It’s not too late to be able to save the Michigan Promise, and I’m really here to ask for your help,” Granholm said. “This promise should be kept, but we can’t do it alone.”
Several students from EMU and the University of Michigan spoke at the rally about how the broken promise of the scholarship will negatively affect their education. All of the students who spoke come from low-income families, and they illustrate a trend that could continue if state and federal aid for education continues to be reduced; only the wealthy will be able to provide higher education for their children.
Up to 2,000 EMU students will be affected by the loss of the scholarship. For some students the scholarship makes a difference in their decision to attend a university. “When I realized that I was going to get the Michigan Promise I was thrilled. I realized that I could follow my dream and go to a top university like Eastern Michigan,” said Kimberly Rose, an EMU freshman who will be losing the scholarship this year.
Granholm compared Michigan’s predicament to President Obama’s approach to national healthcare reform. “He has a strategy of going around the country asking for citizens to raise their voices, and that’s exactly the right strategy,” she said. “It’s you who have the power.”
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Reporting by Courtney Miller and Rachelle Marshall
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