This update is primarily addressed to external entities and individuals navigating here in the wake of the recent Columbia ROTC controversy. In brief:
- While we deplore the treatment of fellow veteran Anthony Maschek last week, in recent days the greater Columbia community's support of the military and veterans has been questioned because of this incident, and as Columbia students ourselves, we find that unfortunate. Columbia is an active supporter and advocate of veterans. They have identified the value and diversity that veterans provide to the student community. Please see our press release (02/22/2011) on the subject of prevailing attitudes at Columbia University.
- Hecklers amid the anti-ROTC or anti-military activists are an insignificant, if unfortunate presence upon our campus. Of far greater significance to veterans at Columbia and elsewhere are recent changes to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill legislation scheduled to take effect in August 2011. These will compel untold numbers of veterans to transfer out of institutions like Columbia University.
Regarding this second point:
With rising tuition and fees rendering the Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits insufficient, Congress in 2008 passed the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. This bill brought throngs of former service-members to previously unaffordable institutions, and veteran populations at our nation's most prestigious schools jumped tremendously. For example, over 300 veterans--an unprecedented number--are now enrolled at Columbia University, making Columbia's the most robust population of student-veterans in the Ivy League.The vast majority of these students applied and matriculated here, just as they did at numerous other universities, based on the educational benefits made available by the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.
Unfortunately, in 2010 Congress voted to update the bill with what has become known as the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill (2.0), new legislation that will result in substantial accumulation of debt for veterans who remain at private universities. Why? Because the newest bill cuts their tuition benefits without grandfathering them under the previous legislation. Even worse, the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to inform student-veterans and active-duty troops of the changes to their education benefits. By passing this new legislation, Congress has ensured that many veterans will have to transfer out of their current institutions. Many others are still unaware of the changes taking effect this coming August.
Without a grandfather clause, Post-9/11 G.I. Bill (2.0) has the potential to wreak havoc upon the academic plans made by numerous young veterans and represents a breach of contract with them.
Rich Baldassari, a first-year Columbia student and an Air Force veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, writes the following:
Like many others, when I transitioned from the military to college, I was asked to choose between the old Montgomery G.I. Bill's education benefits and the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill's education benefits. I opted for the latter due to its perceived benefits. Expecting that Congress would remain faithful to the terms of this legislation, I planned my next four years, applying and matriculating at Columbia. Sadly, my original plan has now become a liability, because the legislation passed by Congress last December drastically reduces the benefits I had been been promised. (Technical aside: I wholeheartedly agree that greater scrutiny should be applied to for-profit institutions and that a funding cap based on their accreditation and corporate status should be applied. But punishing veterans currently enrolled in not-for-profit private universities is wrong. The funding required is in no way greater than that of the cap attributed to most state schools.)
My story is not unique, though. Across the country, men and women of the armed forces who planned their lives according to benefits offered in 2008's legislation are now finding that they have fallen victim to a bait-and-switch. These men and women are veterans who, in addition to seeking an education, already face many responsibilities, often family-related or personal. Many are counting on earning a degree in order to prepare themselves for future careers. It is disappointing that Congress passed 2.0 with such scant consideration for the veterans already enrolled under the previous legislation.
Under the original Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, students who attended private universities like Columbia received a tuition allowance that matched the highest tuition costs at public universities in their respective states. The new legislation creates a tuition cap for any veteran studying in a private university--a cap that significantly reduces the amount of tuition covered by their benefits. For instance:
- Veterans enrolled at leading private universities such as Southern Methodist in Texas, Dartmouth in New Hampshire and Columbia in New York will have their education benefits cut in half.
- All told, veterans enrolled in private institutions across 40 different states will receive less financial support after August 1, 2011.
- In 19 states, some veterans will experience more than a 50% cut of their educational benefits.
- In 7 states, some veterans will lose over 75% of their educational benefits.
Veterans are now enrolling in universities across the country in numbers not seen since the end of World War II, and more than ever, ours represents a crucial voice inside the halls of academia. If you want to support the future leaders of our country--veterans like Anthony Maschek--we hope you’ll contact your Congressmen and Senators and urge them to introduce a grandfather clause into S.3447/H.R.5933 (Post-9/11 GI Bill 2.0) that would extend the original Post-9/11 G.I. Bill's education benefits for all veterans who enrolled in education programs between August 1, 2009 and July 31, 2011. We would be grateful for your help in convincing Congress to honor the original terms under which we chose to enroll at our institutions.
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