2008 Woodie Awards
Vets Experience Rough Transition to College Life
MCT Campus
Issue date: 2/26/07 Section: Holt News
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Jake Warner lashes out when his classmates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison protest the war.
Katie Nelson, a junior at UWMilwaukee, gets confused by her financial aid.
Four years after enrolling at UW-Oshkosh, Todd Johnston still feels lonely; he misses having friends by his side 24 hours a day.
A slew of government benefits, including a new Wisconsin G.I. Bill, is propelling record numbers of veterans into Wisconsin's
colleges and universities.
Thousands of men and women, many back from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, are seizing the chance for a free, or nearly free,
education.
But even with the financial assistance, the transition to college can be difficult, as veterans such as Warner, Nelson and Johnston
can attest.
"It's a lot," said David Pelis, a counselor at the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical
Center in Milwaukee who has worked with veterans at area colleges. "On top of their class schedules, they're dealing with readjustment issues that the average 21-year-old student doesn't have."
College has never been more affordable for veterans in Wisconsin.
There are longstanding benefits, including the Montgomery G.I. Bill, the Wisconsin National Guard Tuition Grant and the Wisconsin Veterans Education Reimbursement
Grant.
More assistance arrived in 2005 when the state Legislature passed the Wisconsin G.I. Bill. It has covered half the cost of tuition
for veterans in the state's public colleges and universities. This year, it will expand to cover 100 percent of tuition.
The new benefit is significant because students don't have to wait to be reimbursed; the assistance
is upfront. Spouses and children of veterans also are eligible for the benefit if the veteran died or became disabled in the line of duty.
Nearly 3,000 veterans and dependents cashed in on the Wisconsin G.I. Bill last fall. The number of participants is expected to continue to rise.
"The state G.I. bill has obviously perked an interest in going back to school," said Karen
Katie Nelson, a junior at UWMilwaukee, gets confused by her financial aid.
Four years after enrolling at UW-Oshkosh, Todd Johnston still feels lonely; he misses having friends by his side 24 hours a day.
A slew of government benefits, including a new Wisconsin G.I. Bill, is propelling record numbers of veterans into Wisconsin's
colleges and universities.
Thousands of men and women, many back from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, are seizing the chance for a free, or nearly free,
education.
But even with the financial assistance, the transition to college can be difficult, as veterans such as Warner, Nelson and Johnston
can attest.
"It's a lot," said David Pelis, a counselor at the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical
Center in Milwaukee who has worked with veterans at area colleges. "On top of their class schedules, they're dealing with readjustment issues that the average 21-year-old student doesn't have."
College has never been more affordable for veterans in Wisconsin.
There are longstanding benefits, including the Montgomery G.I. Bill, the Wisconsin National Guard Tuition Grant and the Wisconsin Veterans Education Reimbursement
Grant.
More assistance arrived in 2005 when the state Legislature passed the Wisconsin G.I. Bill. It has covered half the cost of tuition
for veterans in the state's public colleges and universities. This year, it will expand to cover 100 percent of tuition.
The new benefit is significant because students don't have to wait to be reimbursed; the assistance
is upfront. Spouses and children of veterans also are eligible for the benefit if the veteran died or became disabled in the line of duty.
Nearly 3,000 veterans and dependents cashed in on the Wisconsin G.I. Bill last fall. The number of participants is expected to continue to rise.
"The state G.I. bill has obviously perked an interest in going back to school," said Karen
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