Veterans get help from Governor, CSU

By Valerie Weston
The Collegian

With almost 60,000 California men and women exiting military service each year, the office of Governor Schwarzenegger, in partnership with the California State University system and California’s military base commanders, has decided to reach out to veterans to facilitate their transition to college.

Last month Gov. Schwarzenegger announced the formation of the Veterans Education Opportunities Partnership, which will develop an academic outreach, admission and enrollment plan to assist California veterans. The partnership will consist of senior administration officials, military leaders, and leaders of the CSU, University of California and California Community College systems.

“Today we are focusing on ways to do all we possibly can to create a veteran friendly college system,” Gov. Schwarzenegger said when he announced the plan. “The men and women of our armed forces put their lives on the line to protect us, to protect our country, our state, and our freedom. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for their service and we should do everything we can to honor them when their time of service has ended. California has the greatest higher education system in the world and our veterans deserve easy access to it.”

The California law allows state colleges to give priority consideration to veterans of the armed forces, but the Governor’s plan goes further. The Partnership wants to achieve goals such as enhancing and expanding the use of the priority admission allowance for veterans, improving academic and financial advice and counseling and coordinating and improving outreach and the flow of information to veterans regarding California higher education opportunities.

“We want California to be the most friendly state from a college and university standpoint to veterans in the United States,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “Many of these veterans fit the profile of a typical California State University student, so we believe we have a lot to offer them.”

Kondwani West, a 23 year old veteran and a junior in business, came back from fighting for six months in Iraq in 2003. He said the Veterans Education Opportunities Partnership is definitely a great idea.

“ I had already completed a year and a half of college when I left to Iraq. When I came back and decided to go back to school, I had to do it myself and it was a hard transition. No one helped me,” West said.

When West came back to California he said he had to readapt to our everyday life and worked for a year before he applied at Fresno State.

“I was not mentally ready to go back right away, and I had to get used to people that are not in the military and that cannot relate to me.” He said.

West hopes this partnership will create programs that will help veterans with tuitions and offer classes related to what they did in the military.

“The combat troops especially have a hard time to readjust to our everyday life, and we need a program that could assist them when they get back,” West said.

The Governor’s Office reports California is home to 175,000 active military personnel and one in nine of men and women serving in the U.S. military reside in California.

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