She said she wouldn’t be impacted if the money were taken away because her family pays for her tuition. But, she is aware that other students aren’t so lucky.

“Personally it wouldn’t affect me that much, but I know I have friends who really depend on it who aren’t as financially stable or have to pay for college on their own,” she said.

Boulus said Michigan universities are trying to do whatever they can to protect students from the financial crisis.

“Every single university, as they’re setting their budget and tuition for next year, are also increasing their financial aid,” Boulus said.

On June 16, the University Board of Regents approved a budget that included $118 million in financial aid, which is an 11.7-percent increase in undergraduate financial aid.

Despite the increase in aid, Boulus said the government needs to find a source of revenue so that scholarships are not cut from the state budget.

“It’s called the promise grant for a reason, and the Senate’s action would literally break the promise scholarship to about 100,000 students,” Boulus said.

“The fact of the matter is the state can’t cut its way through this budget mess it’s in,” he added. “Until they start addressing the tough issues on finding more revenue and reforming Michigan’s tax system, they’re going to continue to play chicken with the budget to avoid hard choices.”

Boulus said he believes the government may have no option but to pass the bill.

“If they don’t raise revenue, they have no choice but to make the cuts that the Senate (presented),” he said.

Vedder said University officials must wait for the decision before taking action.

“There is a lot of discussion going on, and we have to trust our lawmakers to make the right decision for our students here in Michigan,” she said. “We’re going to keep monitoring it, and as soon as we know something our students will know something.”