Army & Marines Suspending Tuition Assistance Program

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Anthony Pina, Mar 9, 2013.

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  1. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I do not think it should be a profit/non-profit or public/private issue. When I was at Touro University International (private and non-profit) it was $750 for a 4 credit class. Trident (for-profit) was $1000 for a 4 credit class. That is cheaper then USF for in-state tuition but not cheaper then UWF's in-state tuition. Maybe cap the cost per credit allowed and the difference the student pays.
     
  2. I loved tuition assistance. It paid for my entire undergraduate degree. However, at the current stage of everything it was a foregone conclusion that it was about to be cut. Even without TA there still is the Post 9/11 GI Bill. That's better than most other (prior to GI BIll) veterans have. I'm sure they will bring it back at some point. It may not be 100% but hopefully at least 50-75%.
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    The Air Force does that now. I can't speak for the other services.
     
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    No. I'm a citizen who votes.
     
  5. AdjunctInstructor

    AdjunctInstructor New Member

    While China increases it's military footprint and the self-declared enemy militant Islamic faction continues it's quest for worldwide theocratic government. No freedom comes with a big price tag.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2013
  6. Traugar

    Traugar New Member

    This is really sad that our politicians allow this. First, they blame this on the sequester even though the budget is higher this year than last year even with the sequester. Logically, they should be able to afford everything this year that they had last year. Second, the option to reallocate what got sequestered was there, but it wasn't taken. And lastly, you can't tell me the military couldn't find anywhere else to make the cuts. All the things that they waste money on, and they cut important things like TA. We have all read the crazy stuff the military, and the government in general waste money on. This is just the equivalent of someone throwing a fit because they didn't get their way.
     
  7. rmm0484

    rmm0484 Member

    I know two people in my office that are using tuition assistance to get a masters degree or a graduate certificate for the money alone, since it pays a substantial amount of the tuition, and offers a stipend as well. They both have well paying full time jobs. This program is overly generous to working adults, and should be means tested. It was intended for those former military full-time students that are not also working.

    As an aside, one is going to UOP and one to George Mason. I try to talk the tuition assistance guys out of going to expensive for-profits such as UOP, but they do not always listen. X percent of an expensive school is more money out of pocket than X percent of a state school!

    I did talk one of them into attending George Mason over UOP. However, he did his bachelor's degree at UOP, and is now complaining about the graduate workload at George Mason.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2013
  8. Traugar

    Traugar New Member

    Your talking about GI Bill. It is different for tuition assistance. TA is for them to use while on active duty. You don't get a stipend check, or any other kind of check from it. It simply pays the tuition.
     
  9. Delta

    Delta Active Member

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    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2013
  10. smokey2011

    smokey2011 Member

    What you are describing sounds like the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which is not the same thing as Tuition Assistance. As for it being means tested, I think serving 36 months of active duty is a great way to means test the G.I. bill.

    I can't speak for the entire armed services, but I know plenty of people who don't want to use the G.I. Bill while they are in for the sole reason of losing that stipend. We are not losing the ability to pursue further education, we are losing one means of it being paid. I don't agree with suspending the whole program, and personally speaking, I will use whatever means I can to complete my graduate degree. I have been preparing for a reduction in T.A. for two years now, but I think this total reduction is a drastic measure as a way to force sequestration to the forefront of the military discussion. The military is good at doing more with less, but the moment you take an entitlement away from the military, everyone who is affected (in this case, everyone in the military) will start voicing their opinion really loud. This gets Congress' attention rather quickly.
     
  11. Jacob Perry

    Jacob Perry New Member

    It's almost as if this Administration is selectively choosing programs to be cut that would generate the most outrage from the public instead of using a common-sense approach. Oh wait, they are.

    Austerity leads to Greece? Someone has overdosed on their Hopenchange pills.
     
  12. My guess is that the military has NOT always had Tuition Assistance. It's not an entitlement. It's a privilege. Most people seem to forget that. Even minus the TA military still come out better than the average citizen. My post 9/11 GI Bill paid for ALL, and I do mean ALL, of my law school. That "saved" me $120,000 dollars (including room and board). The military is for serving your country. It's not some quick way to get a "full ride" to a university. With that said, I don't feel it's fair to cease the program immediately. At the very least it could be faded out. Hopefully it will return, even if it's at a lesser rate.
     
  13. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    Serving in the military is a privilege! I chuckle when I recall my old Battery Sergeant's statement: "Don't ask what you can do for your country but what your country can do for you".:ponder:
     
  14. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Yeah. Don't you just hate it when the Democrats use politics to stand up to the GOP using politics? The GOP sure does!
     
  15. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    John F. Kennedy was your Battery Sergeant?
     
  16. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Is it really necessary to lead of with being insulting? Did I say something about you? I didn't think so.
     
  17. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Do you mean "always" as in "since 1775"? If so, I'm sure you are correct, but I'm not sure what the point is. If you mean it isn't a long-standing program, I'd disagree. It's been around since the 1940's. I used to manage the program at the base I was stationed at in the late 1970's.

    The program isn't necessarily a guaranteed benefit, certainly. But eliminating it can be perceived as violating the social contract between the government and its military members. The members will have to decide that and what it means to them.
     
  18. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    Actually, JFK said, "Ask not, what your country can do for you. Ask what, you can do for your country."

    Re-read my Sergeant's play with words. He was being sarcastic but cryptically telling his troops to take advantage of everything the Army offers. Why are you such a typical condescending Air Force puke?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2013
  19. Phdtobe

    Phdtobe Well-Known Member

    It will be nice if everyone can get funded for his/her programs. It reality with limited resources someone is going to be disappointed. I have seen some very passionate arguments why “my” program is better than the other person program.

    In Canada we love our entitlements. As one bureaucrat said at a hearing, “I am entitled to my entitlements.” Up here we are willing to pay our taxes because we are entitled to my entitlements.

    It looks like the US is a different story; government is seen as nuisance, everyone hates entitlements, but no one wants his / her entitlement to be cut. The US overspends on these programs but with money from China because raising taxes is seen as a bad thing to pay for these programs.
    Wasn’t there a non-partisan group that recommended what the US should do to put its economy in order? This one may be too important to leave to the partisan politicians.
    It is ironic that a for profits school is the op. This goes against the argument in the US that government spending is not important to the economy.
     
  20. smokey2011

    smokey2011 Member

    I wouldn't call it typical Air Force condescension. That's individual condescension, ours is a whole other breed.
     

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