MSA, MSVA voice concern about veterans' aid

A clause lets public universities charge credit hours at an unreduced fee.

By David Conway

Published March 12, 2010

When the Missouri Returning Heroes' Education Act was signed into law, it was intended to offer veterans low tuition at state universities. Now, Missouri Students Association and Mizzou Student Veterans Association are teaming up in opposition to what they view as a loophole in the bill that saddles veterans with an undue financial burden.

The bill, in effect since August 2008, offers combat veterans who held Missouri residency when entering the military a reduced rate of tuition at all public universities.

"All public institutions of higher education that receive any state funds appropriated by the general assembly shall limit the amount of tuition such institutions charge to combat veterans to $50 per credit hour," the bill states.

MSA Senate Speaker Evan Wood said the bill, as it stands, does not allow veterans to take classes for $50 per credit hour unless there are no financial aid funds available to cover tuition.

"They take your financial aid package, and they use that money and they charge you the regular rate for classes paid for with financial aid money," Wood said. "Only when there are any classes left unpaid do they start switching to a rate of $50 per credit hour."

A clause in the bill states the tuition limitation is to be provided only after all other federal state aid the veteran receives has been applied, and no veteran is to receive more than the cost of attendance between both the tuition limitation and financial aid.

As a result of this clause, the financial aid veterans receive ends up going toward paying for classes at full tuition, MSVA Internal Vice President Nick Kundert said. With their financial aid dedicated primarily to tuition, student veterans often end up paying for other fees out of their own pockets.

"The veteran is still forced to pay for all of the fees," Kundert said. "This is not a small chunk of change to a veteran that is living completely on his or her own."

This has directly affected a large majority of student veterans on campus, MSA Academic Affairs Chairman Ian Krause said.

"Right now, there are 60 student veterans currently enrolled at MU," Krause said. "Of those 60 students, only eight of them are able to use the Senate Bill 830 as it's intended to be used."

MSA and MSVA are working together to draft legislation and to lobby legislators in Jefferson City in order to get a modified version of the bill passed.

Krause said MSVA reached out to MSA for assistance due to the organization's lobbying experience.

"On our end, (former MSA Senate Speaker) Amanda Shelton has already met with seven or eight Democratic senators this previous weekend who expressed concern with how the bill has been used at the college level," Krause said.

MSA plans to utilize the Associated Students of the University of Missouri to organize lobbying on a statewide level, Wood said.

Kundert said though the issue has not been widely publicized, resolving it as soon as possible is crucial for maintaining a good relationship between veterans and the university.

"I would like to get this bill revised or fixed so, instead of just looking good, it will actually benefit veterans," Kundert said.