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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Bridge
5Program for Underrepresented Students Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    "Public university" means Chicago State University,
8Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University,
9Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University,
10Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University,
11Western Illinois University, the University of Illinois, or any
12other public university established or authorized by the
13General Assembly.
14    "State resident" includes an individual who meets all of
15the following conditions:
16        (1) the individual resided with his or her parent or
17    guardian while attending a public or private high school in
18    this State;
19        (2) the individual graduated from a public or private
20    high school or received the equivalent of a high school
21    diploma in this State;
22        (3) the individual attended school in this State for at
23    least 3 years as of the date the individual graduated from

 

 

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1    high school or received the equivalent of a high school
2    diploma;
3        (4) the individual registers as an entering student of
4    the public university no earlier than the fall 2018
5    semester; and
6        (5) in the case of an individual who is not a citizen
7    or a permanent resident of the United States, the
8    individual provides to the public university an affidavit
9    stating that the individual will file an application to
10    become a permanent resident of the United States at the
11    earliest opportunity the individual is eligible to do so.
12    "State resident" also includes a person on active military
13duty and stationed in Illinois and any of his or her
14dependents; a person on active military duty and stationed out
15of Illinois, but stationed in this State for at least 3 years
16immediately prior to being reassigned out of Illinois, and any
17of his or her dependents, as long as that person or his or her
18dependent (i) applies for admission to the public university
19within 18 months of the person on active military duty being
20reassigned or (ii) remains continuously enrolled at the public
21university; or a person who utilizes benefits under the federal
22Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or any
23subsequent variation of that Act or the federal All-Volunteer
24Force Educational Assistance program.
25    "Underrepresented student" means any student who:
26        (1) is Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino,

 

 

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1    American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or
2    Other Pacific Islander;
3        (2) is from a county in this State from which a public
4    university at all of its campuses combined has enrolled on
5    average 2 or fewer students from the county over the last 3
6    years; or
7        (3) is from a family whose household income is at or
8    below the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the
9    Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
10    Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2) and whose
11    expected family contribution as computed by the public
12    university equals zero.
 
13    Section 10. Purpose and program responsibilities.
14    (a) Subject to appropriation, a public university may
15establish a Bridge Program for underrepresented students.
16    (b) The Bridge Program shall be open only to State
17residents. Priority shall be given to applicants whose life
18patterns have been characterized by historical economic or
19cultural deprivation.
20    (c) A public university's Bridge Program shall include, but
21is not limited to, the following, which shall be approved by
22the public university's Board of Trustees:
23        (1) a description of the content of the Program,
24    including, but not limited to, counseling, tutoring, and
25    skill development in a Program plan format;

 

 

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1        (2) procedures for the selection of students from
2    eligible applicants;
3        (3) procedures for evaluation of student progress; and
4        (4) reporting procedures to the public university's
5    Board of Trustees.
 
6    Section 15. Program funding. Appropriations made available
7to a public university under this Act shall be utilized only
8for the following Bridge Program purposes:
9        (1) testing, counseling, and guidance services in the
10    course of screening potential Program applicants;
11        (2) remedial courses, developmental courses, and
12    summer courses for potential Program applicants;
13        (3) tutoring, counseling, and guidance services for
14    enrolled students;
15        (4) any necessary supplemental financial assistance,
16    which may include, but is not limited to, the cost of books
17    and necessary maintenance, for the students; however,
18    supplemental financial assistance shall be furnished
19    pursuant to criteria established by the Board of Trustees
20    of the public university; or
21        (5) direct Bridge Program staff costs.
 
22    Section 20. Program personnel. Each public university that
23establishes a Bridge Program shall designate a full-time
24Program director. The Program director shall be responsible for

 

 

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1the following:
2        (1) development of the Program plan, including, but not
3    limited to, the academic achievement levels and academic
4    progress necessary to remain in the Bridge Program;
5        (2) management of Program enrollment and finances as
6    approved by the public university's Board of Trustees;
7        (3) conducting fiscal planning and fund distributions
8    with appropriate monitors and controls;
9        (4) developing an application process and marketing
10    process for the Program;
11        (5) creating clear guidelines for applicant
12    eligibility, enrollment, service coordination throughout
13    the public university, and Program structure;
14        (6) management of all full-time or part-time staff
15    members associated with the public university's Program;
16        (7) promoting collaboration between the Program and
17    other offices affecting applicants or enrolled students,
18    including, but not limited to, the admissions office or
19    financial aid office;
20        (8) establishing an advisory structure that promotes
21    consultation with university department heads, faculty,
22    and professionals on matters of policy, procedure, and
23    curriculum;
24        (9) establishing specific procedures for counseling
25    students who are being dismissed from the Program for
26    academic reasons or who withdraw from it voluntarily; and

 

 

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1        (10) creating Program reports as required by the public
2    university's Board of Trustees or State law.
 
3    Section 25. Reporting. A public university that has
4established a Bridge Program shall, on or before September 1,
52019 and on or before September 1 of each subsequent year,
6publish on its website and make available to the public a
7report for the previous fiscal year containing all of the
8following:
9        (1) A statement of the objectives of the Program at the
10    public university.
11        (2) A description of the Program.
12        (3) The budgetary expenditures for the Program that
13    separately states instructional costs, tutoring costs,
14    remedial course costs, tutoring costs, counseling costs,
15    supplemental financial assistance costs, program staff
16    costs, and any other costs the Board of Trustees finds
17    essential to the continuation of the Program. The
18    expenditures shall separately detail costs from
19    appropriations and costs from other funds of the public
20    university.
21        (4) The number of applicants for the Program.
22        (5) The number of applicants accepted to the Program.
23        (6) The number of students enrolled in the Program.
24        (7) The progress of the students enrolled in the
25    Program.

 

 

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1        (8) First and second year retention rates for students
2    enrolled in the Program.
3        (9) Graduation rates for students enrolled in the
4    Program.
5        (10) The number of full-time and part-time faculty
6    dedicated to the Program from the public university.
 
7    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8becoming law.