J-CLEAVE

There is a lot of apprehension about GI Bill 2.0, and what we as Columbia student-veterans intend to do about it. Responding to a lot of requests, I am writing this post in order to clarify our intent to move forwards with a robust, sustained, and long-term effort to revise GI Bill 2.0 in the interests of student-veterans at Columbia as well as peer institutions.


[Brief Overview]
The overall intent of this effort is to change GI Bill 2.0 to reflect the spirit of the original GI Bill and its Post-9/11 successor. Under the original bill a veteran could attend any institution they wanted at zero-cost and a living stipend. Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, students at all public universities were able to do this as well as some private universities with the aid of the Yellow Ribbon Program. Because of the particulars of the legislation, the amount the federal government contributed to private universities varied widely from state to state. Private universities in states with high-cost public schools like New York and Virginia benefited while private universities in other states like California (where tuition is low) struggled to open their doors to student-veterans--that was what GI Bill 2.0 intended to correct.

Now, in the legislative process a set of factors and compromise produced a bill that is less than ideal for many, and downright bleak for others. The effort to keep the bill zero-cost pushed the national cap further and further down to $17,500. They included the mandatory fee payments into that $17,500 figure. The didn't introduce a grandfather clause. Any third-party scholarships will be deducted from your received benefits. The bill looks less like the old GI Bill and more like a robust version of the Montgomery GI Bill, which had a flat rate that appreciated over time.

EBM NOTES; GBM ON THURSDAY, 02/03

Fellow Milvets:

Here are the main points discussed at yesterday's E-Board Meeting. I will try to break them down systematically because we covered a lot of important ground:


First and foremost, we have two elections coming up.

The first will take place at a General Body Meeting this upcoming Thursday, February 3rd at 8:15 PM in IAB 1512. As most of you know, the organization entered this semester in the midst of political turnover. At Thursday's meeting we will be electing a pro-tempore vice-president and treasurer by show of hands. Those elected will serve in that capacity until the end of this academic year. Anyone who wishes to be considered will be given an opportunity to address the general body at Thursday's meeting.

The second election will be the general election for next year's (2011-2012) Executive Board. The timeline for this election is as follows:

Thursday, February 10th - candidate biographical statements are due. These will be send out to the general body via the listserv
Monday, February 14th - General Body Meeting - all candidates address the organization; polls open directly after meeting
Thursday, February 17th - polls close

LOBBYING EFFORTS, ROSE BAR CANCELLATION

Milvets:

Brendan Rooney and John McLelland met Tuesday with GS administration about the G.I. Bill 2.0 lobbying effort. There will be a Milvets E-board meeting tomorrow, Friday January 28th, which will hopefully be the last step in the initial planning phase. The way it will ultimately work is that a small, joint committee will be formed that will guide our greater, collective efforts. It will be important for this to be a focused campaign. We will move into the implementation stage soon.

The social event that was to occur today at Rose Bar has been cancelled.

Finally, we have heard back from a couple of people who are interested in working on the website. We could still use a few more volunteers, though. If you have the appropriate skill-set, please contact us via the blog or individually.

Posted by: Matthew Bishop (jmb2275)

SUMMARY OF GENERAL BODY MEETING 01/21

For those not present at the meeting:

The first point of focus this coming semester will be on a lobbying effort to introduce a "hold harmless" clause and "payer of last resort" clause into the new 9/11 G.I. Bill legislation. Basically, we wish to leave the bill intact as it currently exists, but have Columbia's student veterans grandfathered under the old Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.

Be advised that the new legislation in its current form caps tuition payments at a maximum of $17,500 per year starting in August 2011. While the Yellow Ribbon Program will still be in place, there is no guarantee that Columbia's various schools will be able to continue contributing enough to zero out your tuition costs. Additionally, the BAH under the new bill will no longer cover periods between semesters. There have been rumors about the BAH being capped at $1000 per month. Looks like the BAH rate will only change for those who aren't enrolled full-time, for whom it will be pro-rated according to their academic course load. Click here to read the actual bill.

This will hit Milvets hard. Thus, we will be forming a joint committee of Milvets and Columbia administrators and together mounting an aggressive campaign to redress these problems. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) have already expressed interest in taking up this cause. This new legislation will affect all Milvets starting next year, and we need your help.

MILVETS WITH WEB DESIGN BACKGROUND

Milvets is trying to move forward as quickly as possible with a new website. Because we ultimately want a powerful website, and because professional web developing services are expensive, our leadership reached out this past fall to Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) for assistance in developing a professional product. Unfortunately, because CUIT's assistance is pro bono, we wound up being subject to their timeline.

We're now going to be pushing this project forward posthaste. We'll be meeting with CUIT tomorrow to discuss what progress they've made, if any. Additionally, in order to expedite the website's construction, we are looking for Milvets with programming or web design experience to contribute. The university is now home to well over 300 student veterans, and we are hoping some of you will have skill-sets that can help us get this done.

If you wish to be part of the website development team, please get in touch with us ASAP!

POC:
Jose Robledo / jmr2179

Posted by: Matthew Bishop (jmb2275)

JANUARY 2011 GENERAL BODY MEETING

There will be a general body meeting Friday, January 21, 2010 at 6:00 PM in IAB 1501. This will be an important meeting to attend for all who wish to have their voices heard about the future governance of the Milvets organization. Acting president Brendan Rooney will discuss plans for the following:

1. The immediate formation of a joint committee that will lobby Congress for changes to the Post 9/11 GI Bill (2.0). University administration will be involved in this effort.

2. A February election to select a new Milvets president.

3. A reinvigorated operational tempo to include frequent social events, regular general body meetings, community service opportunities, and professional/career events.

Milvets will begin moving quickly this semester. Membership will be regularly apprised of obstacles and progress alike. We urge you to get involved and join the discussion.


Posted by: Matthew Bishop (jmb2275)