By Miharu Sugie, News Staff
In light of the government’s shutdown and subsequent suspension of the Military Tuition Assistance (TA) program, President Joseph E. Aoun urged Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to continue the program and declared Northeastern would fund those students for the rest of the fall semester.
The government’s action would have affected more than 100 active duty military members who receive up to $4,500 per year. This stipend helps students pay for books, housing and tuition, according to Makese Motley, a Northeastern alumnus and Assistant Director of federal relations and political analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Some active duty military students were advised by military branches to withdraw from their current courses or to avoid enrolling in courses that started after Oct. 1, according to Aoun’s letter to Hagel. Students also could not apply for new benefits as long as the government remained shut down, according to Anthony Erwin, Dean of Student Financial Services.
“This is completely unacceptable, and this is why we moved very swiftly to not only do something at Northeastern, but also affect a national effort to stop this nonsense,” Aoun said. “You cannot tell a student who started [classes] to just drop all their courses and stop studying.”
President Barack Obama announced late Wednesday night that he would sign a bill authorizing government funding, including tuition assistance, until the end of the year. The temporary agreement sets up another Congressional showdown in January over federal spending.
In response to the suspension, Erwin said that Northeastern’s Student Financial Services contacted all students affected by the decision, to ensure resources are available to them at all times.
For many of these military members, the TA program is a “critical lifeline” that promises a different career like in business, academia or the federal government to pursue after leaving the military, according to Motley. In many cases, Motley said that a degree is critical for military personnel, especially those in the navy who are pursuing a promotion.
Like many other military personnel, third year Hochiang Wang is pursuing a degree in business with a concentration in supply chain management after serving in the Marine Corps for eight years.
Wang receives money from the Post-9/11 GI-Bill provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, so he did not experience the two suspensions of the TA program. This past March, the program was shut down due to the government sequestration’s budget cuts.
“[Active duty students are] serving our country, have a lot of other stresses besides just being students, but then to not have TA adds another level of stress that they do not need, period,” Motley said.
Wang’s former colleagues who are pursuing degrees in Washington, D.C. are experiencing that extra level of stress. They have told Wang that they were unable to pay for current classes and to apply for courses in the spring, ultimately extending their time in universities. Although the government has been shut down for about two weeks, Wang said that it will have repercussions for months.
“It’s definitely appreciated that Northeastern recognizes the services of these students and [importance of] continuity in education,” Wang said. “[Northeastern] is definitely setting an example for many other organizations.”
After Aoun sent the letter to Hagel on Oct. 6, the Massachusetts Congressional delegation also wrote a follow-up letter to Hagel on Oct. 11, reiterating Aoun’s request.
“[The military] has been in our history, in our DNA and we’re not going to change it,” Aoun said. “I’m very heartened by the efforts … of the congressional delegation.”
