MU veterans group works to help members adjust

By Katy Bergen

Published Sept. 23, 2008

For a soldier who has experienced war, sometimes intimidation comes in the form of a return to a college campus.

"When you're in a combat zone, there is no break from that wartime mentality," Mizzou Student Veterans Association President Daniel Sewell said. "The transition from the military lifestyle to the civilian world is a difficult one."

The Mizzou Student Veterans Association hopes that a task force for veterans' affairs, created last year by Chancellor Brady Deaton, will help ease some of the difficulties by establishing a Veterans Resource Center.

The veterans' task force met Monday to discuss the possibility of such an establishment as well as other recommendations posed by the MSVA. Their response is expected this week.

Sewell said a resource center could serve as a "one-stop shop" for veterans to turn to in order to deal with issues such as financial aid, enrollment and admissions and to give information for veteran-specific programs on campus, local, state and federal levels.

"We're not integrated into campus the way a normal student would be," said Sewell, adding that veterans are often left "out of the loop" of campus programs and do not know how to get involved with campus life.

"I'm 26, married with a two-year old and I'm going to class with 19, 20 year olds," said Sewell, who served in the active duty Air Force and spent six months in Afghanistan. "There's somewhat of a disconnect."

Disconnect is not the only issue veterans deal with when returning to school. Financing an education is another difficulty. Legislation was passed this summer that will attempt to ease this problem. The Missouri Returning Heroes Act was enacted this August and places a $50 cap per credit hour for Missouri combat veterans who maintain a 2.5 GPA. The bill defines a combat veteran as anyone who served in the military after Sept. 11, 2001.

MU stands to lose money through this bill, as non-veteran students pay $245.60 per credit hour. According to Veteran Services representative Carol Fleisher, there are about 250 veterans enrolled at MU and the large majority of them are enrolled full-time. MU is responsible for acquiring the cost difference, though they can appeal to the House Budget Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee for reimbursement.

"At that time the legislature will decide if and how much a university can receive by looking at the revenue in the state coffers," said Minority Floor Leader Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis, who sponsored the bill. "We think if it as a request for services rendered."

It remains to be seen whether such funds will be available.

According to some, the details of the bill were not as clear as they see. Jordan Worley, Missouri Student Veterans Association Vice President, was surprised to find one clause in the bill. The $50 cap only applies after financial aid, scholarships and other forms of tuition assistance are calculated into a student's funding.

"It's a case-by-case account," said Worley, who served six and a half years in the Army Reserve. "If you're going to say that combat veterans get $50 per credit hours, then combat veterans should be charged $50 per credit hour."

Worley said he fears that for those who have families and other living expenses to take care of, the support won't be enough.

Still, Sewell believes progress as been made in informing campus officials of veterans needs.

"The campus didn't know how to deal with it, and if an administration cant deal with it, how can a brand new veteran on campus deal with it?" he said.

Two other bills introduced to Congress support MU veterans' needs if they pass. The Securing Success for Veterans on Campus Act of 2008 and the Supporting Education for Returning Veterans Act of 2008 will set aside funds to create veteran programs on American campuses.