A word from SVA

GI Bill Vote in Senate within Next Few Days

All,

As of the events of last week, and the passage of the GI Bill through the house, I've come down to D.C. for a last minute, "emergency" lobbying trip. The GI Bill will be voted on within the next few days in the senate and we need your help. We have the near 60 votes required to override a veto (which the President has promised), but nothing is for sure. So far SVA has been extremely successful in advocating and garnering support from members of senate, such as with SVA's Regional Director John Powers and the whole Northeastern region getting Senator's Reed and Specter to sign on as cosponsors.

Is what we need is for you to contact your senators D.C. offices and if they are already cosponsoring the S.22 to thank them for their continued support of veterans and for them to vote for the S.22; and if they are not, tell them they need to vote for the S.22 and that this bill is the only veterans educational reform which will adequetely take care of vets when they return from war. Please ask your friends, family, and anyone you know willing to make a call to make it.
Here is the url to find the number to your senators D.C. office:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

You can also use the action center on www.newgibill.org to send a quick email. It literally takes less than a minute and can make a huge difference.

Also, use the following arguments to help in convincing the legislative aid you are speaking with, be sure when you call to ask to speak with the veterans legislative aid. The bill has bipartisan support, is supported by Collin Powell, as well as Tom Ridge (one of Senator McCain's advisors). And is THE ONLY BILL THAT WILL PAY FOR YOUR (OR ANOTHER VETERANS) EDUCATION. If the people calling are vets make sure they tell him where and how many times they deployed, and how they feel this bill is an absolute necessity to your and other veterans futures. If you have any stories of difficulties with GI Bill be sure to share them as well.

Finally, if they are not sponsoring the bill let them know that after last weeks successes, it WILL pass and you would like to see them supporting the bill when it does.

Thanks again for all of your hardwork, and again please take a few minutes to make a phone call to your senator's D.C. office, it really could make the difference. Hope to hear from you soon.

-Derek

Derek Blumke
President
Student Veterans of America
derek.blumke@studentveterans.org

News and Events - Week of 5/19/08

There are a lot of news and events I want to share with you.  As news comes up I will be posting them on http://milvets.wordpress.com/ If you have not already done so, please email us at milvets@gmail.com with your name, school yr (if alumni, what you do now), phone, and dob so we can continue to keep you apprised of all the things going on with MilVets.  We are making changes to the way we do business so please make sure you drop us a line so we can keep you in the loop.

1)  Fleet Week VIP Tours
2)  MilVets hosts special happy hour for Fleet Week
3)  Commissioning for Peter Brennan
4)  MilVets does the Bahamas!

1)  VIP tours aboard the U.S.S. Kearsarge.  We have 20 slots for VIP tours before the general public can board the U.S.S. Kearsarge.  First come first serve.  I have slots available for Thursday, May 22nd at 8:30am or Friday, May 23rd at 8:30am.  Forget the lines that go for hours and get aboard early.  Call me asap at 212-991-8432 to RSVP (if I don't answer just leave a message with your name, phone number and number of guests in your party).  Slots are sure to fill up quickly!

2)  MilVets will be hosting a special happy hour in honor of Fleet Week at Volstead Lounge on Friday, May 23rd at 8:00pm.
Where:  Volstead Lounge, 125 E.54th Street between Park and Lexington Aves.
When:  Friday, May 23rd at 8:00pm.
What:  Special happy hour for the men and women in uniform - $4 buds, shot specials, and $8 cosmos.  Sex in the City has nothing on this event!
If you need more information feel free to contact Paul Kwon (Director of Special Events) at 818-723-0483 or myself at 212-991-8432.

3)  The official commissioning ceremony for Peter Brennan will take place at Manhattan College's Smith Auditorium promptly at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, May 24th.  It can be accessed easily by taking the "1" train to either 238th or 242nd and walking up the hill.  Cadets should be posted along the way as guides.  For more information please contact Peter Brennan directly at pb2200@columbia.edu.

4)  MilVets is coordinating its first organized trip ever.
Where:  4 day Cruise from Miami-Nassau-Cocoa Bay-Key West-Miami.
When:  Friday, August 22nd - Monday, August 25th.
Costs:  Around $650 (includes airfare, transportation, and cruise).
RSVP and 50% deposit must be made by June 4th.  Please contact us asap at milvets@gmail.com if you are coming!  This great deal is limited to 18 people so get back to us ASAP.

President's Message

With finals upon us and temporary bleachers resurrected all around the grounds of Columbia, it signifies the end of the '07-'08 academic year. I first want to take this opportunity to congratulate the graduating class of 2008. I wish you all the best in your endeavors outside the Columbia bubble. Congrats!

Now that the year is behind us, we must look forward to the future. We have many plans for the coming year and hope that the varied activities will afford you the opportunity to get more involved with MilVets and the Columbia Community. I want to personally invite each of you to join a committee where your experience and passions will be valued and be of the utmost importance in propelling MilVets to the next level. Here are the committee heads (aka the incoming executive board).

Peter S. Kim – President
Angel Quiles – Vice President
Erika Gallegos – Treasurer
Sean O'Keefe – Director of Communications
Aaron Alfson – Director of Legislative Affairs/SVA Rep
Paul Kwon – Director of Special Events

Please find below a listing of major upcoming events:

5/22 - Fleet Week Tours at Columbia University hosted by GS & MilVets.

8/22-8/25 - MilVets Summer End Trip (more information to follow).

11/14 - Vets honor Vets Ball: Black Tie Gala.

We would love to hear your input into this events. None of these events can be successful without your support and assistance. If you would like to get involved please feel free to contact the e-board anytime at milvets@gmail.com.

Female Veteran Scholarship

All,
Please see below for a fantastic scholarship opportunity provided by
Royal Neighbors.

APPLY TODAY! Applications Due JUNE 1

Royal Neighbors of America has a more than 100 year history of
supporting women and those that they love. Now, the RNA Foundation is
announcing our Heroes at Home Women Veteran?s Scholarship Program.
Our goal is to help our female veterans the chance to give back to
their communities by reaching their education goals, making them
stronger women and stronger community leaders as a result.  Awards will
be presented at the Student Veteran?s Conference in Washington, DC on
June 13th, 2008.

The minimum award amount is $2,500. Multiple awards will be made, so
please download the application form posted below and send in your
application today!


Eligibility Criteria:

--Female Veteran
--Open to enlisted, officers and those who have completed their service
--Money can be used to pay for living expenses, as well as tuition,
books and school fees.
--You do NOT need to be a member of Royal Neighbors of America to be eligible

Minimum scholarship amount:  $2,500 paid in June of 2008 for 2009
school year funding.

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of demonstrated
leadership, participation in community activities, goals and
aspirations, and unusual personal or family circumstances.  Financial
need will also be considered.

Multiple scholarships will be awarded, so please turn in your
application today!

Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary
information. Applications are evaluated on the information supplied;
therefore, it is important to answer all questions as completely as
possible. All information that is submitted will be kept in strict
confidence and will only be read by the Foundation Scholarship Review
Committee and Executive Director of the Student Veterans Association .
All personal record and tax information will be shred and destroyed
immediately after the judging is final.

Scholarship Application
Interested students must submit the application by June 1, 2008
Eligible veterans can view and print the scholarship application posted
below. We are accepting applications via mail (postmarked no later than
June 1, 2008) and /or emailed to contact@royalneighbors.org

The link for the scholarship application can be found here:

http://www.royalneighbors.org/

21st Century GI Bill Rally and Press Conference

21^st Century GI Bill Rally and Press Conference

By Sean O’Keefe

The U.S Military Veterans of Columbia University in collaboration with 27 other veteran organizations from a crossed the country converged at Capital Hill last Tuesday. Their goal was to help support Senator Jim Webb’s ‘21^st Century G.I. Bill’ (S-22) which will reform the out of date G.I. Bill to better assists returning veterans.

Presently, veteran education benefits provide prior service members with approximately 1000 dollars a month to pay for college. However, students need to pay a majority of their tuition, books, and other fees at the start of the semester, not month to month. Also the amount of the G.I. Bill has hardly kept up with inflation. As one World War Two veteran at the rally stating he received his BA and law degree from Stanford University without paying a dime because of the G.I. Bill in the 1950’s.

The G.I. Bill was originally created because of returning veterans from World War Two. Policymakers realized the need to provide a smooth transition from soldier to civilian and found it in the form of education. The payoff of educated veterans provided returns in tax revenues at a rate of 7 dollars for every 1 dollar spent during the years following World War Two. Today, with the massive amounts of retiring veterans from the War against Terror, a new form of job allocation will be needed.

The rally was perceived as a success to the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University with many of its members speaking directly to their house and senate representatives. Although, President Bush has stated he will veto any bill that will reform GI benefits because of concerns that it will hurt military retention. The current bill is gaining steam through out Washington with a strong bi-partisan support with 57 cosponsors in the Senate and 241 cosponsors in the House. Senator Jim Webb expressed that he expects the bill to be passed by the end of the year.

House members who attended the rally were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), John Warner (R-VA), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), and Representatives Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), Pete King (R-NY), and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA).

If you would like to assist reforming the G.I. Bill please contact your representatives to express your concern.

Or for more information please contact the U.S Military Veterans of Columbia University at milvets@gmail.com.

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