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College Students Rally For Fully-Funded Public Higher Education

CHICAGO (CBS)-- About 100 college students from schools across the Chicago area marched on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago on Monday afternoon and then held a rally in front of the Art Institute calling for fully-funded public higher education in Illinois, WBBM's Terry Keshner reports.

Specifically, the students from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern, UIC, University of Chicago, Roosevelt, Moraine Valley Community College and other schools say many public schools and colleges are under-funded.  They want more funding through programs like MAP Grants (Monetary Award Program (MAP) provides grants, which do not need to be repaid, to Illinois residents who attend approved Illinois colleges and demonstrate financial need.)

21-year-old Esau Chavez is an organizer with Chicago Street and Action and a student at IIT.

He told WBBM, "We're specifically here at the Art Institute because we want to target museum trustee Ken Griffin who here is seen as a very charitable man, whereas he is funding the Republican agenda to dismantle public services and higher education."

Egle Malinauskaite  (Agala Mal-innoh-sky-tuh) is a student at IIT with Chicago Student Action and an undocumented Lithuanian immigrant.

She says Chicago businessman Ken Griffin should convince Governor Rauner to do more to help students.

"He (Griffin) has given millions of dollars to his (Rauner's) campaign to push an agenda that would cut public services like education that students like myself need.  And I'm angry about it!  A lot of students are affected by this."

WBBM has reached out to Ken Griffin's office in Chicago for comment.

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