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thedrifter
07-16-09, 08:26 AM
Students, universities look forward to expanded benefits under new GI Bill

By LIAM DILLON

Sunday, June 28, 2009

LEE COUNTY — Less than a year ago, Ariel Montero was a lance corporal in the Marines just two months removed from running foot patrols in Ramadi, his third tour in an Iraqi war zone.

This week, Montero sat in a classroom at Edison State College in Fort Myers with four other veterans discussing classes, books and life on a college campus.

It’s been a whirlwind transition to civilian life for Montero, one about to be made easier.

Starting Aug. 1, the post-9/11 GI Bill becomes active, providing new and expanded benefits for veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001.

Montero plans to take advantage.

“That whole transition is really, really stressful,” said Montero, 24, of Fort Myers. “You have to go to school and you have to find a job. This makes it a little lighter. Especially with this economy, it helps you get ahead somehow.”

The benefits could be immense. Depending on a veteran’s service time, he or she could receive full tuition at both public and private institutions, a monthly housing allowance and a stipend for books and supplies.

Southwest Florida’s colleges and universities, some already offering their own veterans scholarships, also are benefitting from new grassroots organizations designed to help veterans navigate university life.

This week was Montero’s first meeting with the Edison State College Veterans Organization, a group that is part of a nationwide student veterans network and was recognized by Edison in March. Edison’s organization is open to veteran students, faculty and staff and is designed as a safe haven for veterans used to each other’s company.

“Whether you say head, latrine or cathole, we know what you’re talking about,” said James Torrico, 43, a group member and former Army first lieutenant.

Florida Gulf Coast University formed a similar veterans organization for students, faculty and staff in May, called CampusVeterans.

The group came just in time to help veterans learn about the new GI bill, said Robert W. Green Jr., an Air Force veteran who works in the parking division of FGCU’s police department.

“That’s a power-packed bill,” Green Jr. said.

Susan Byars, FGCU’s interim registrar, is aware. She attended a training session on the bill’s benefits, one of three people on campus trained to handle questions.

Byars said there were about 120 veterans on FGCU’s campus last year, and she expects a similar number for the coming academic year. The school is expecting a major increase after that, once word spreads about the new bill’s benefits.

“We’re looking forward to serving them the same way they served our country,” Byars said.

The post-9/11 GI Bill sets a maximum tuition and fees benefit per credit hour and per term for each state. In Florida, the benefits are $682.23 per credit hour and $3,172.86 in fees per term. Those figures more than cover tuition for a full-time resident undergraduate student at FGCU and Edison.

The new GI Bill also provides for a benefit over and above the maximum tuition amount through its voluntary “Yellow Ribbon Program.” More than 700 schools nationwide have chosen to take part in the program, which gives veterans a school scholarship that then is matched by the federal government.

Ave Maria University told the government it could give 100 veterans an $8,000 annual scholarship. That means a veteran attending Ave Maria on the new GI Bill could receive the maximum state tuition and fee allowance plus up to $16,000 in additional scholarship money per year.

“From the beginning we have welcomed veterans,” said Ave Maria President Nick Healy. “We have a special sense of gratitude to veterans.”

Ave Maria also offers a separate scholarship and program for Marines.

Joe Gilchrist, director of financial aid at Hodges University, said his school would have taken part in the Yellow Ribbon Program if its tuition and fees weren’t covered already by the bill’s state tuition benefit. Like Ave Maria, Hodges also offers separate veteran scholarships.

Gilchrist called the new bill “tremendous” and said it holds special meaning for him as an Air Force veteran.

“I wish they would have had that when I got out of the military,” Gilchrist said.

Ellie