Four branches of the
military may no longer have to suspend tuition assistance programs for active
duty members due to sequestration.
The senate approved a
measure late Wednesday that would keep the government running through the end of September. The
House is scheduled to vote on the bill Thursday. The approved Senate version
includes a measure that would preserve the military tuition assistance program.
We checked with some
of our local colleges and universities to see how many students would be
impacted if the cuts remain.
"Ultimately it's a
feeling that I've served my country and I thought I had earned this benefit and
now it's no longer available" said Chuck Steenburgh, an Army veteran, serving
more than two years in Korea.
Steenburgh now works
for American National University and knows firsthand how losing military tuition
assistance hurts.
"It was the same
situation. I counted on using this benefit. The military said no I couldn't use
it but I was kind of forced to use my GI benefits instead" said Steenburgh.
The Communications VP
says veterans make up about 12-percent of their overall enrollment but only a handful
are active duty military members taking classes.
"We're trying to
assess how we can use those to maybe backfill some of the lost tuition
assistance funding that the students have" said Steenburgh.
About 30 Virginia Western
Community College students are expected to be impacted by the cuts, the school
says they're working to find other options.
"We want to do
everything we can to help offset what they were expecting" said Chad Sartini,
the Virginia Western coordinator of financial aid and veterans affairs. "As a
community college we're at an advantage because our tuition is about half that
of a regular four year college."
Steenburgh says
cutting benefits will hurt recruitment and the military.
"This program not
only benefits the soldiers but benefits the military as well because you get a
better educated solider out of the bargain" said Steenburgh.
Liberty University
has more than 4800 students impacted by the cuts. Virginia Tech has at least
180 students. Both schools say they are also working to find other options for students on a case-by-case basis.
