Measure will send veterans to school
(Augusta Chronicle) By Vicky Eckenrode | Morris News Service
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

ATLANTA - A state senator wants to make it a smooth transition from battlefield to classroom for soldiers returning to civilian life in Georgia. Sen. J.B. Powell, D-Blythe, introduced a bill this week that would require the University System of Georgia to accept applicants who have served in active military duty in a combat zone, such as Iraq or Afghanistan. Dubbed the "Returning Hero Education Act," Senate Bill 74 states that each school belonging to the state university system will admit the veterans as long as they have graduated from high school and are Georgia residents. The measure allows the schools to review applicants' records to see whether they need prep work before starting classes. Mr. Powell's legislation, which members of both parties co-sponsored, now sits in the Senate Higher Education Committee. He said the idea should draw bipartisan support. "We're talking about Georgia veterans," Mr. Powell said. "Let them begin to put a life back together that's normal, where they're not getting shot at." Mr. Powell said he was concerned about the high number of young people being deployed to the Middle East. "They're witnessing things and experiencing things that most of us will never have to experience - terrible things," he said. "The sooner that we can get them back and get them focused on the future, I think the better off we all are." He said he drafted the bill after hearing about problems returning veterans were having with college admissions. He said he thought the university system already had a policy streamlining the process for veteran applicants, who in most cases get tuition money through the federal Montgomery GI Bill. But university system spokesman John Millsaps said there is not an automatic admission policy for anyone. "Right now, students have to apply and meet the minimum academic requirements of an institution," he said. That includes showing high-school grade point averages and standardized test scores, such as the SAT or ACT, for most of the state schools except two-year colleges. Josh Moor, a 23-year-old Athens resident, said he sent in more than enough information when applying to the University of Georgia last year after having problems with the admissions process. Because Mr. Moor had attended LaGrange College before enlisting in the military at age 19, university admissions officials had a hard time deciding whether to classify him as a transfer student or nontraditional student, which is an older applicant enrolling in undergraduate courses. Mr. Moor spent a year in Afghanistan as part of an infantry unit. He said he would still be in the Army if not for knee problems that caused him to get a medical discharge. "My old unit's over in Iraq right now. It's hard not to be there," he said. For now, the Dahlonega native plans to focus on classes next semester at UGA and a career in forestry. "There's a lot of job opportunities right now, and a lot of them are outdoors," he said.

Reach Vicky Eckenrode at (678) 977-4601 or vicky.eckenrode@morris.com.
From the Wednesday, January 31, 2007 edition of the Augusta Chronicle