New GI bill lands more veterans at Columbia

With new financial incentives, the School of General Studies is looking more attractive than ever for military veterans.

While the School of General Studies already has numerous benefits in place for military veterans, the new GI Bill is giving military members a huge financial incentive to go to college after being discharged from service.

Since the original GI Bill was passed in 1947, General Studies was redesigned specifically for veterans. Over time, it has become increasingly supportive of the veteran community at Columbia and prospective veteran students. The new GI Bill, passed in 2008, is similar to the old bill in terms of tangible benefits for returning students. But the new bill has been customized to meet the needs of modern-day military members.

And the new bill seems to be having an impact—Columbia has seen an increase in applications and veterans enrolled.

“Students who are one hundred percent eligible, are receiving full tuition scholarships which allows veterans to look at college,” Curtis Rodgers, Dean of Enrollment Management, School of General Studies and Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, said.

Though Columbia does not have a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program on campus, it has been largely receptive to veterans. They receive benefits from both the post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program, a U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs initiative in which schools give student veterans a tuition waiver or grant matched by the Veteran Affairs department. Yellow Ribbon is an extension of the post-9/11 GI Bill.

The new post-9/11 GI Bill gives an amount per credit along with Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), depending on the zip code of the school.

Sean O’Keefe, head of the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia—the veterans’ association at Columbia—and a five-year veteran, said he was not concerned about a post-secondary education when he enlisted.

“I joined [the military] shortly after the attacks of 9/11, right after high school,” he said. “It was a combination of the attacks and always wanting to go in to the service, doing special operations.”
After he was discharged, O’Keefe flew out to New York to visit Columbia and also met a representative from General Studies in his home state of California before applying to the General Studies program.

“I was keen in on investment banking and Columbia really stood out because of that,” he said.

Veterans say there is little difference between them and other students on campus.

“We do hang out, we get along fine, it’s one of those things that’s not necessarily like sitting [in] the bar and talking about the military, but we have the same type of humor and personalities so we mesh better,” O’Keefe said of the veteran experience on campus.

The first GI Bill, passed after World War II, gave veterans seeking additional education the freedom to do so and provided them with a lump sum to cover tuition on a monthly basis. “When I got out, the GI Bill was cool, I got some pocket change, and it wasn’t a carte blanche,” O’Keefe said.

But over time, the value of a college education for veterans decreased with the advent of rising tuition costs and inflation.

“The old GI Bill was ‘chump change,’” John McClelland, GS and MilVets vice president, said. According to McClelland, it did not provide enough to match the cost of education, and many veterans chose to go to community college.

Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, veterans also get a book stipend, and $2,700 a month, according to McClelland.

“You’re going to school for free, if not, making money,” O’Keefe added.

While student veterans are benefiting from the bill, some still noted some shortcomings.

McClelland finds the system to be more bureaucratic, and the program took significant time to implement.

“Columbia didn’t get their [Yellow Ribbon] money into December ... a couple of people have been ineligible for the full 100 percent because of a technicality.”

O’Keefe noted what he saw as an increase in the number of veterans leaving the army to pursue a college education in order to reap the benefits of financial incentives.

Ultimately, McClelland said that veterans gain more than financial rewards from their experience at Columbia.

“My experience at Columbia is going to be a significant part of my life,” he said.

paul.hsiao@columbiaspectator.com