Post #15 Final Abstract, Bibliography, and Link to Your Paper

Abstract:

   With the rising costs of tuition at institutes of higher education, the average student looks towards the federal government for help. After many years of legislation and passed bills only students who have formerly served in the military seem to have receive the most benefits. Are students who have formerly served in the military receiving special benefits from the federal government, or are veterans earning their education as another lieu of payment? Veterans who use their GI Bill are they receiving fair compensation or are they being set up to be targeted by for profit institutions? What makes it possible for the common person to support free education for GI's while the average student deals with loans and debt?

Complete Bibliography:

Anderson, Benedict. "Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Revised Edition Paperback – November 17, 2006." Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Revised Edition: Benedict Anderson: 9781844670864: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

Education and Training." Post-9/11 GI Bill -. VA, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

Jacobs, W. E., and Maureen McMahon. "Counterpoint: Free College Education Is Poorly Matched With The Needs Of The Students Or The Economy." Points Of View: Free College Tuition (2014): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

McGrevey, Michael, et al. "Chapter 15. 1987-Present Effect Of The Montgomery GI Bill: Creating A Recruiting And Educational Incentive." Across the Aisle : The Seven-Year Journey of the Historic Montgomery GI Bill. 154. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2011. Project MUSE. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Mettler, Suzanne. Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Moon, Tracey L., and Geraldine A. Schma. 2011. A proactive approach to
serving military and veteran students. New Directions for Higher Education, no.
153. Wiley Online Library. Accessed May 10, 2012.

"Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs." VA and the Post 9/11 GI Bill -. US Department of Veteran Affairs, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

Reed, Adolph Jr. "A GI Bill For Everybody." Dissent (00123846) 48.4 (2001): 53-58. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

STRACH, PATRICIA. "Making Higher Education Affordable: Policy Design In Postwar America." Journal Of Policy History 21.1 (2009): 61-88. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.https://login.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=44122934&site=eds-live

U.S Department of Education "Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2012; Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2012; Graduation  Rates, Selected Cohorts, 2004-09; and Employees in Postsecondary Institutions". Fall 2012. Web. Nov 17. 2014

U.S Department of Education: Budget http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013183.pdf.

Vacchi, David. "Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty-first-century College Campus." About Campus, 18 June 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/abc.21075/citedby.

 Vacchi, David T., and Joseph B. Berger. "Student Veterans In Higher Education." Higher Education: Handbook Of Theory & Research: Volume 29 (2014): 93. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

 

"VA Budget Report." (n.d.): n. pag. Budget Report. Web. http://www.va.gov/budget/docs/summary/Fy2015-VolumeI-Summary.pdf.

 

Interview

For my interview, I interviewed Michael Gross, he is a friend of mine studying at the University of Colorado Boulder. I chose to interview my friend since he is a veteran.

Question 1: Do you feel as if the GI Bill is a perk for your service or that you actually earned it.
A: "Well I feel more that we actually earned it, not that we're just given special treatment"

Question 2: Why is that?
A: "Most high school students go on to continue their education after school and attend college at the age of 18, most people like me wont start their education until were 22, 23. So while most kids my age were out partying and enjoying life I was stuck on base or in a country far away from home."

Question 3: What do you think of the situation for regular students trying to pay for college?
A: "Its a bit harder to see things from their perspective due to my circumstance, but it definitely looks bad if you follow the facts about how much loans are being taken out and is currently owned".

Question 4: Do you think there should be any program to aid regular students?
A: "While I believe there should be someway to helping them, it shouldn't be completely free. If it was completely free it would probably affect the economy due to higher taxes.

Question 5: What is the big difference between veteran students and regular students?
A: "The only difference is experience, we lived our lives a bit longer than most students and have seen things most people never will. We learned valuable lessons that can only be taught in the army. The average student begins to shape his life in school while we shaped ours in the army.

Question 6: Besides for being different from your previous answer, do you believe that people view soldiers on a more positive note than the regular citizen?
A: "Yes and no, there will always be people who dislike the military and believe us to be evil. At the same time there will be people who see us as hero's. The average sees us a good person doing what's right for our country, I guess the reason why people tend to treat us better is that by looking at us they see a soldier who they associate as someone who is a hero. When they look at a regular citizen, they see another person, so yes we probably are looked at as more positive people.

Literature Review #5

Jacobs, W. E., McMahon wrote a thesis called
Counterpoint: Free College Education is Poorly Matched with the Needs of the Students or the Economy. In it he brings up counter points to why free education would be beneficial. With a mixture of our economy and a large drop out rate for current college students, Jacobs argues that free tuition does not benefit us. 

This paper is helped used in my paper in the counter argument. I state that the government aids only soldiers. This article helps bring up facts that the GI Bill is from federal government and taxpayers would not be penalized if the government falls short on spending. Public education though would be another burden that falls on taxpayers.

"In making the case for free college education, many people are arguing that the GI Bill has been successful and should be replicated for the general public. However, the GI Bill uses federal funds to offset the tuition of college for military personnel; taxpayers are not required to fill in gaps where the government falls short (Page 1)." By understanding the differences between the GI Bill and what free tuition would be we must realize that free tuition would affect an already over burdened population of tax payers who are living from pay check to pay check.

"The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education notes that investing in higher education for high school graduates can improve a state's economy: people with degrees get higher paying jobs, can spend more money, and can increase tax revenues. That would be a possible argument if the same Center didn't also cite that "less than 50 percent of first-time, full-time college students complete an associate's degree within three years or a bachelor's degree within six years" ( Page 1)." Currently it is mandatory for everyone to receive an education up to grade 12. After grade 12 when the average student turns 18, they become adults and have the ability to chose for themselves. With this many students who are new to college don't succeed and there is no system to catch them from failing. For most kids in high school there is a system to enable those to succeed. If we were to set free tuition for everyone we must realize that we will even be paying for those that don't finish their degrees.

"However, tuition is only about half the cost of a college education for most people. When room and board are factored in, as it is in the cost of the University of California, for example, even without tuition, students are still paying over $8,000 per year (page 1)". While the fight for education is what the common student is fighting for there are more bills that need to be paid. For some colleges the bill of living in the community is equal and even greater than free tuition. Although lowering tuition will ease the burden for students, in most cases they will still need to take out loans or find a job for living expenses.

The free education that we are fighting for isn't equal to the GI Bill. GI's receive free tuition, money for their living expenses and books. The free education that we are fighting for would only allow free tuition. Clearly there is a large divide between the common student and GI's, and we are not even setting our selves to be looked as equals to them on terms of education.

Works Cited

Jacobs, W. E., and Maureen McMahon. "Counterpoint: Free College Education Is Poorly Matched With The Needs Of The Students Or The Economy." Points Of View: Free College Tuition (2014): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

Literature Review #4

Access, Equity, and Community

Colleges: The Truman Commission and Federal Higher Education Policy from 1947 to 2011
by Claire Krendl Gilbert and
Donald E. Heller
 
 
 
 
This article that I found online discusses U.S policy on education from 1947 until 2011. It goes over the several policies that were enacted over this time to help send the general population to college and universities. It also goes on to talk about the different demographics that attended universities during this period.


The commission that was created to help bring education to all demographics was aimed not at one particular group but for every student in the United States. It was also a very controversial topic when it was initially brought up. "The Commission’s recommendations on expanding access by eliminating financial, race, sex, and religious barriers were extremely controversial for years after the publication of the report within the higher education community (page 12)". The fact that it was controversial to help all these demographics achieving a free or cheap higher education shows how reluctant the government is at helping the whole population as a whole.
 This article talks about the various ways how the government decided to go about encouraging all demographics to attend higher education. While the commission in this article noticed the raising prices of tuition, they only helped by allowing easier access to loans, which they didn't think would actually aid students. "This certainly meets the Commission’s desire for a vastly expanded federal involvement in higher education, especially in providing financial support to students. However, the increasing emphasis on loans is probably not what the Commission would have wanted, given its belief that an increase in loan aid would not serve to actually provide opportunity for students (page 11)." This quote goes to show that the commission realized that loans would help students pay for education but would ultimately hurt them afterwards.

Other methods that the commission initially sought to make education equal for all was creating a set of public schools that would be the equivalent of the first two years of college education. These public institutions now known as community colleges were thought of being funded by the local government and not the federal government, but would create free higher tuition education for all demographics.

"In other words, the Commission expected that public community colleges would be as free and accessible to students as other parts of the K–12 school system. However, in the Commission’s conception of funding structures for the two-year colleges, this free tuition would be accomplished not through federal support but through financing by local communities with supplemental aid provided by the state (page 15)".

 
This article helps my case for my project, as it helps show that the government is able to notice the issues that are affecting its citizens. It goes on to show that while it does realize are issues it isn't able to achieve or push through legislation that will help solve some of the major issues.  Gilbert, Claire Krendl, and Donald E. Heller. "Access, Equity, And Community Colleges: The Truman Commission And Federal Higher Education Policy From 1947 To 2011." Journal Of Higher Education 84.3 (2013): 417-443. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.

Blog #9 Counter Argument

My argument for my project is that if U.S Government is willing to pay to send veterans to university they should then be able to pay to send everyone to university. Veterans are clearly a favored group in the eyes of the government, while the rest of the population is ignored. I prove this by showing the amount of money being put into educating a veteran against the amount of money being put into educating a regular student.

To add onto my argument I show that veterans are a not like other social groups that are made up in the United States. Anyone from any demographic can join the army and be included in this group of veterans, but other demographics are secluded into their own group which is why there is a reluctance to helping the general population.

My counter argument is simply that veterans aren't any different then anyone of us. The benefits that are included to veterans like the GI Bill, life insurance and housing aid is a benefit to their employment. To become eligible for the GI Bill veterans need to pay a stipend for the first year of their paycheck just to become eligible for GI Bill benefits. On top of receiving aid for various programs, that base pay of U.S soldier serving for more than four years can be calculated as being lower than the federal minimum wage.
On top of being under paid and receiving benefits from their employment, there are still large amounts of problems towards benefits for veterans. Most veterans don't receive their GI Bill tuition on time causing problems between them and their university. GI Bill benefits are also being slashed as the government attempts to cut federal spending.

The two sides of the arguments can clearly be seen as one side argues that veterans are a group that is favored and given the most help, which can be seen through the various benefits that veterans receive. The other side is that veterans are like everyone else, they have their own issues and the benefits that we see is another benefit from their employment.

Vacchi, David. "Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty-first-century College Campus." About Campus, 18 June 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/abc.21075/citedby.

Anderson, Benedict. "Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Revised Edition Paperback – November 17, 2006." Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Revised Edition: Benedict Anderson: 9781844670864: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

http://www.goarmy.com/benefits/money/basic-pay-active-duty-soldiers.html

Blog #7 Your Case

My case for my overall project is that the idea of free tuition for public college and universities is an actual possibility that can be seen from my past examples. My final proposal that the government is not doing enough for the general population as it is for its veteran population can be clearly defined by my case. I have shown in my past blog posts that veterans attending universities are given full support from the government when it comes to paying for tuition, books, and living expenses. I am trying to prove that the same can be done for the general student population even if the government would only cover the cost of tuition.

The research I have done shows the total amount of money being collected by public college and universities and compares that to the amount of money being spent on veterans for their free education. From looking at the tables that I've posted and other sources from my past blogs, its begins to become more clear that the government only focuses on a special part of its population which is the veteran population.

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013183.pdf - Graph that shows the total revenue collected by college tuition
http://www.va.gov/budget/docs/summary/Fy2015-VolumeI-Summary.pdf - Page 185 under education shows how much the VA budget goes towards the GI Bill

Research Blog #6 Visual

The table that I uploaded to visually represent the case of my blog is the total cost of tuition that is paid by the average student per year. This table was found from the U.S Department of Education website (http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013183.pdf). The revenue that is collected by public colleges and universities is a total of $61 billion a year. Although this does seem like a rather large figure, it pales in comparison to other programs that is currently being run by the federal government.

The total figure that the government is currently throwing towards education with Pell Grants and other programs would negate from the total $61 billion bringing it down to $48 billion a year.

This table helps in my project as it shows that clearly free tuition for everyone is feasible, but the government still only focuses on free tuition for military veterans.

U.S Department of Education "Enrollment in Postsecondary
Institutions, Fall 2012; Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2012; Graduation  Rates, Selected Cohorts, 2004-09; and Employees in Postsecondary Institutions". Fall 2012. Web. Nov 17. 2014 

Research Proposal

Benjamin Homa
Professor Goeller
Research In Disciplines: College!
October 31st, 2014

Working Title: American Soldiers, the Unforgotten Students.

Topic:
    I will be exploring how universities and the government have forgotten about the average student, but still focus on helping students coming from the U.S military. My paper will show examples from the past few decades how U.S government shifted its priorities in educational spending. It will compare how the average student was helped decades ago until recent years to how the average veteran was helped decades ago until recent years.

Research Question:
    Has the U.S government forgotten about the average citizen and their hardships to attain a college degree? Or has the government decided to focus mainly on its veterans who are now returning from war? 

Theoretical Frame:
   For the past few decades the cost of tuition has increased causing a larger burden for the average student. Government financial aid has not grown proportionally alongside it for the average student, but for a select group of citizens the government has always been available to pay the bill. The G.I Bill or as it was first known as, the Serviceman Readjustment Act was passed in 1944 to help pay for college education for returning veterans from war. Leading up until today the G.I Bill has been updated several times to help with the new hardships that many students are seeing today. At the same time the U.S government has passed several bills that were based off of the G.I Bill to help students coming from different classes and lifestyles, but these programs have been ignored and not as well funded in recent years. This has caused many students attending universities to apply for private loans, causing great hardships that affect todays average student.
   This topic is of great interest to me as I have served in a foreign military, where its respected government also pays for its veterans education. At the same time this government has several programs to help the average student pay for their education, that are as effective as is for their veterans. I first came up with this idea when wanting to compare both the U.S government and the government of the country in whose' military I served.      

Research and Plan:
   To research my paper, I am going to be looking at several programs in the United States that are designed to helping the average student pay for education. I will be comparing those programs to the G.I Bill and discover if they have any link between them. In Making Higher Education Affordable: Policy Design in Postwar America by Patricia Starch, I was able to find data on most programs that are currently available in the United States. From here I will be able to show the founding and passing of these government bill that were designed to help the average American. I will show how in past years, most programs that were designed to help the average student have been ignored, while programs helping veterans are constantly being tended to.
  For a counter argument I will take examples from David T. Vacchi and his article Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty First Century College Campus. The counter arguments will be that the U.S government is actually not doing enough for veterans. "Administrators must acknowledge the inflexibility of the federal government’s fiscal year and plan to accommodate student veterans using the GI Bill by not expecting payments until well after the first day in October during the fall semester” (Page 20, Vacchi). This quote from Vacchi's article claims that although the government is helping its veterans its not doing so on basis that universities are accustomed to, and these problems are passed onto veterans who aren't able to handle these types of situations. Other points that I will bring in to counter this argument is proving that G.I Bill does not only benefit veterans, but also how it benefits the country as a whole.


Bibliography:

STRACH, PATRICIA. "Making Higher Education Affordable: Policy Design In Postwar America." Journal Of Policy History 21.1 (2009): 61-88. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

https://login.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=44122934&site=eds-live

Vacchi, David. "Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty-first-century College Campus." About Campus, 18 June 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/abc.21075/citedby.

Literature Review #3

Dissent: A GI Bill For Everybody, by Adolph Reed Jr.
 
 In his article, Adolph Reed Jr. discuses how the GI Bill has benefited America. While it has helped veterans attend college it also benefited the economy as a whole. " The report also found that each dollar spent educating that 40 percent produced a $6.90 return (more than $267 billion in 1994 dollars) in national output due to extra education and increased federal tax revenues from the extra income the beneficiaries earned.” (Reed 54).


With the high returns coming from the GI Bill, one would expect the government to give more money towards higher education. Adolph Reed goes onto state that although the price of higher education has been rising, government aid has not been following suit. "By 1980, increasing concerns about rising costs had prompted increased government aid—covering more than 23 percent of tuition and fees nationally, though this increase hardly kept pace with increased costs. By 1996, such grants had declined and covered less than 12 percent of total tuition and fees.” (Reed 56).

He goes on to question why the government has done so little for the common citizen that it has done for its soldiers. "
A 1999 report from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics indicates that in 1996 tuition and fee revenues at all two-year and four-year degree-awarding public educational institutions totaled just over $23 billion.” (Reed 56). Although the government has been helping citizens its very little compared to the amount spent on veterans. "By 1952, the federal government had spent $7 billion (nearly $39 billion in 1994 dollars) on sending veterans to college.” (Reed 54)
This article helps support the research in my project by proving that although the government has been helping its citizens pay for higher education, it cannot be compared to the amount being put in for veterans.

Adolph Reed Jr. is a professor of political science at University of Pennsylvania and specializes in American politics. He has taught and written about economical inequality in the United States.  

Reed, Adolph Jr. "A GI Bill For Everybody." Dissent (00123846) 48.4 (2001): 53-58. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Literature Review #2

Making Higher Education Affordable: Policy Design in Postwar America, by Patricia Strach

In her article, Patricia Strach discuses different policies which have been passed by congress to help make higher education affordable. She goes on to talk about the GI Bill, Work-Study program, Pell Grants and Hope and Lifetime credit.

She introduces when the need of these policies were first created. In 1943 due to the selective service act, which lowered the draft age to 19, many students had to enlist into the military causing them to drop out of college. When congress decided to raise the issue of helping its citizens attend college they were given the option of either helping everybody or only a portion of its population. “But faced with the opportunity to make higher education affordable to Americans generally or to please a specialized constituency, policymakers chose to provide very generous benefits to a narrow range of people. This decision would create a pattern of constituency-based aid that characterizes federal higher education programs still today.”(Strach 70)

Later in her article she states that by congress deciding to help only a select few, it set the limits for all future policies regarding affordable higher education. "In large part, what policymakers would propose in the years following the GI Bill was limited by the capacities already in place. Although policymakers looked to the GI Bill for inspiration, at no point was there any discussion of extending, modifying, or combining the GI benefits with the Higher Education Act, Pell Grants, or later tax expenditures.” (Strach 71)

All future policies that were created were new and based off of the GI Bill that it only targeted a select group of citizens, instead of helping the total population. "Respectively, the 1944 GI Bill effectively ended the possibility of a GI Bill for everyone. Creating aid for higher education for a particular group (veterans) administered by a specialized agency (VA) contributed to a patchwork quilt for educational aid, where future programs (like work-study. Pell Grants, and the Hope Scholarship) were added one piece at a time for a particular group administered by a specialized agency rather than expanding existing programs or formulating a comprehensive plan.”(Strach 70)
 
This article helps my research as it shows the several policies that have been passed by congress to help make higher education affordable. It helps me compare the GI Bill to several other policies and how over the years that only members who qualify for the GI Bill are helped more than those benefiting from other programs. 
Patricia Strach is an associate professor at University of Albany. She specializes in American politics and public policy. Her research examines the relationship between social and political institutions in American public policy

STRACH, PATRICIA. "Making Higher Education Affordable: Policy Design In Postwar America." Journal Of Policy History 21.1 (2009): 61-88. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Bibliography

Bibliography Cited:

 

McGrevey, Michael, et al. "Chapter 15. 1987-Present Effect Of The Montgomery GI Bill: Creating A Recruiting And Educational Incentive." Across the Aisle : The Seven-Year Journey of the Historic Montgomery GI Bill. 154. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2011. Project MUSE. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Moon, Tracey L., and Geraldine A. Schma. 2011. A proactive approach to

serving military and veteran students. New Directions for Higher Education, no.

153. Wiley Online Library. Accessed May 10, 2012.

Reed, Adolph Jr. "A GI Bill For Everybody." Dissent (00123846) 48.4 (2001): 53-58. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 23 Oct. 2014

STRACH, PATRICIA. "Making Higher Education Affordable: Policy Design In Postwar America." Journal Of Policy History 21.1 (2009): 61-88. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

https://login.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=44122934&site=eds-live

Vacchi, David. "Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty-first-century College Campus." About Campus, 18 June 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/abc.21075/citedby.

 Vacchi, David T., and Joseph B. Berger. "Student Veterans In Higher Education." Higher Education: Handbook Of Theory & Research: Volume 29 (2014): 93. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Literature Review Blog #1 Post #3

About Campus "Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty First Century College Campus" written by David T. Vacchi.


In this article, David Vacchi explains who veteran students are and their transitions from soldier to student. He states that there is confusion about classifying who a student veteran is and goes on to give his classification of a student veteran “A student veteran is any student who is a current or former member of the active duty military, the National Guard or Reserves, regardless of deployment status, combat experience, legal veteran status or GI Bill use” (Page 17, Vacchi 17).

Veteran students don't have the same financial struggles that plague other traditional students. With the help of the government, veterans are covered by the GI Bill when its come to paying for college. Some colleges though haven't made the proper accommodations when it comes to accepting GI Bill tuition money. Most traditional student are required to pay for classes before the beginning of the semester, which isn't as always possible for veteran students. “Administrators must acknowledge the inflexibility of the federal government’s fiscal year and plan to accommodate student veterans using the GI Bill by not expecting payments until well after the first day in October during the fall semester” (Page 20, Viacchi).

There are many problems for schools when it comes to accepting veterans that traditional students don't face. Most traditional students applying to college are coming straight from secondary school and are up to date with tests and forms. Veteran students typically are coming at an older age years since they have graduated from secondary school. “The list of entrance obstacles for veterans is greater than nonveteran students. The perceived relevance of entrance test scores for veterans who completed high school several years in the past and for admissions personnel may be very different” (Page 19, Viacchi).

This article helps my counter argument, by arguing that although student veterans have less stress to handle when it comes to paying for college, they have many more factors of stress that follows them from the battle field, and lack of accommodations made by universities. Other factors that this article state, is that not all colleges are able to accommodate veterans and will look be less inclined into accepting them as students.

David Vacchi is a doctoral student at UMass-Amherst, researching the impact of college on student veterans. He retired as a U.S officer who has served for twenty years in the U.S military.

Vacchi, David. "Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty-first-century College Campus." About Campus, 18 June 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/abc.21075/citedby>.

Research Blog #3: Privitization and its effects on G.I Bill students.

         The recent privatization of universities has had less impacts on students coming out of the military than their traditional student peers.  As prices are rising and traditional students keep taking out loans, students coming out of the military simply forward the bill to Uncle Sam. The pressure and stress that traditional students are feeling from their financial burdens aren't felt by those who attend university on the governments behalf.

      There are many traditional students currently studying in colleges who are balancing a full course load and at the same time keeping themselves financially afloat. In "Walden on Wheels" Walden, a graduate student at Duke University, resorts to sleeping in his car to keep himself debt free. He worried so much about his debt and how it would effect him, as it has effected his friends. The average student attending college who served in the U.S Military doesn't face these same challenges.

    Universities are actively pursuing soldiers who are discharging from the army, and persuading them to attend their respective university. There are some for profit colleges that have even visited hospitals of wounded veterans to sign them up for classes. Universities see these students as a risk free investment.  

    Soldiers coming out of the army are given practically free tuition to universities across the United States. The government helps pay their tuition, and various bills that they will accumulate on top of the money they earned while serving. 

   To universities, a student who wishes to attend their college that has recently left the army, is guaranteed money. They will attract as many ex-soldiers as they can and reap the benefits from Uncle Sam. 

Research Blog #2: Scouting the Territory

1)  Since researching my subject, I decided to mostly focus on the G.I bill, conscription in the United States and in other foreign countries. I decided on these two subjects as they have a correlation between students attending school, and the government providing funds for its soldiers. This topic will suit me better as I have some experience and prior knowledge when it comes to be conscripted into the army, and being given a stipend education as benefit.

2) While searching online for my subject, I came across several sources for my research paper. I found information on the G.I Bill, and lists of countries that require their citizens to either enlist into the military or some other form of national service. I was able to find many sources that mentioned how different countries paid back its conscripted citizens, which will be the epicenter of my research paper.

3) Most articles that I found through Rutgers Library mostly focused on the G.I bill and the benefits they offer to active and discharged soldiers. I am hoping that I will be able to pull up some information about the draft in the United States and how its correlation to how it played a roll in educating returning soldiers in the 1960's and 1970's.

4) The important issues that came up in my research was the argument if the United States should re-enact the draft or mandate a different national service one that was founded in the New Deal from the great depression. Communities are discussing that by re-enacting the draft, will the government step up and help reduce the price of education.

5) Two links that helped provide me with information were https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2024.html . This website helped with showing which countries have any form of national service. Along with http://www.studyineurope.eu/tuition-fees, I was able to compare which countries have any form of national service and see if it has any correlation with its cost of education.

6) The main controversy regarding my topic are those who oppose mandating a mandatory draft for the military or national service and those who are for it. Those who are against, argue that not every person should have to sign up and do national service in exchange for cheaper education. Those who support the issue say they wish that there were more opportunities to receive a stipend education by doing some form of national service

Research Blog #1: Topic Idea

For our class topic, I will be researching how the U.S Army has played a role in educating our country. For this topic I will be going in depth about army policies and rights including the G.I Bill, College ROTC and War-Time drafts. Other topics I want to include are U.S policies that were created to push education in hopes of advancing our military infrastructure and munitions.
I believe by using examples from several European countries that there are other education systems out their that benefit students and their respective country simultaneously.