The Other 85 Percent

More Sad News on the 21st Century GI Bill

March 3, 2009 | Filed under: Capella, Capella University, GI Bill, higher education, military, online education, online learning, online university

On Jan. 29, Inside Higher Ed carried the following story:

Under the new GI Bill, which will cover tuition up to the rate for the most expensive public institution in the state, costlier private colleges can opt to enter into a matching program with the federal government to waive the balance. There may be fewer takers than anticipated: Keith Wilson, director of the education service for the Department of Veterans Affairs, told the Daily Press of Virginia that in informal conversations with private college officials, he hasn’t heard much interest. “Most schools aren’t going to want to do a Yellow Ribbon program … because their finances have been hit too hard in the last couple of months,” Wilson was quoted as saying (he also said he hoped he was wrong). He added that some colleges “may do something token” so they don’t seem “anti-veteran.”

I have posted several times about the unfairness of the GI Bill and the decision not to pay housing allowances to those veterans who pursue a college degree online under the assumption that those adults who study online have jobs and don’t need as much financial support.

One would assume that veterans would move en masse from those online schools and programs they currently attend to traditional, face-to-face, campus-based programs.  Not so according to the VA where the person charged with making this program work says that he “hasn’t heard much interest” and most colleges “may do something token” so they don’t seem “anti-veteran.”

So, who loses in this process?  The online schools and programs will lose students but they will not be harmed that much.  It is the veteran who loses options, options that they preferred when there was an open playing field.  Those options were online schools and programs that developed a commitment to serving veterans and active servicemembers, who learned how to navigate the VA rules and regulations, and who were veteran-friendly.  These options will be replaced by some on-ground schools who will do very well but also by those that are expected to merely offer token services.  It is the veteran who served our country who is served less well under this bill.

Again, let’s hope that California Representative Bob Filner, a champion of justice for veterans, is successful with his bill to remove the language that denies the housing allowance for veterans studying online.

Please feel free to comment with your thoughts and questions.

Mike

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