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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2015)
NEWS The Battalion 3 The Corps takes on Bloody Cross Tim Lai —THE BATTALION The annual Corps competition, Bloody Cross, took place Saturday. Cadets ran 2.6 miles with their units. Results should be announced later this week. OPINION CONTINUED The Hazlewood Act is a Texas benefit providing veterans, their spouses or their dependent children with up to 150 hours of tuition exemption at public Texas institu tions. To qualify, the veteran must have served at least 180 hours of service, received honorable discharge and must have lived in Texas at the time of entry into active duty. On Jan. 26, the District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled unconsti tutional the requirement that veterans must have lived in Texas when they enlisted. The judge, Ewing Werlein Jr., argued the provi sion violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The state’s appeal is pending, but in the meantime the eligibility requirements remain the same. Public university leaders in Texas are concerned in particular with one ramifica tion of this court ruling — money. The Hazlewood Act brings with it significant economic implications for public universities in Texas. More than $169 mil lion were waived in tuition and fees due to the Hazlewood Act in 2014, covering around 39,000 recipients, according to the Legislative Budget Board. Texas university officials argue that if the benefit were to be available to people who were not Texas residents at the time of ac tive duty enrollment, it would cost universi ties much more than it already does, and it already costs a lot. And that cost grows more each year, even with the residence requirement. But Werlein Jr. doesn’t think that’s what matters. In his ruling, he wrote, “Texas may not discriminate against its more recent resi dents in favor of more established residents simply to control costs.” And I concur. Keith Harris, the plaintiff in this case, joined the army at 18 when he was living in Georgia, but he moved to Texas in 2004 and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston in 2011. He’s been in Texas for more than 10 years. That length of residence, along with his service, should justify him to be more than deserving of receiving the educational benefits Hazlewood has to offer. And I would put my money on the fact that Keith Harris, like my dad, wouldn’t hesitate to be ready to go if called. The Hazlewood Act was not created to benefit universities. It was created to benefit the people who serve the country. And if benefiting our veterans by allowing them to get an education nearly free of charge means costing public Texas universities some money, so be it. HAZLEWOOD CONTINUED January, however, ruled this part of the act un constitutional, stating that veterans and depen dents should be able to qualify no matter what state they were in when they enlisted. So far the ruling only applies to plaintiff Keith Harris’ individual case for the payment of his tuition at the University of Houston. Har ris enlisted in the military in 1996 while living in Georgia, but has been a Texas resident since 2004. Harris’ argument said under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S., Constitution’s 14th Amendment, the line restricting the Hazle wood Act to Texas-enlisted veterans should be unconstitutional. If the decision is upheld it could lead to an expansion on the act that would make the ex emption more expensive for Texas universities. The state’s appeal is pending, most likely until a federal appellate court weighs in. Joe Pettibon, associate vice president for aca demic services in the Office of the Provost, said no money from Hazlewood goes to the univer sity, unlike a scholarship. Those who qualify for Hazlewood simply don’t have to pay for tuition and fees. “With some programs, there’s money that would be appropriated for them, like with Texas Grant, we get the money from the state and then we actually award that to the students in the form of financial aid,” Pettibon said. “In the case of Hazlewood, there’s no money coming from the state, it’s just no revenue.” Pettibon said universities have tracked the ap pellate case since the ruling, because if the ruling stands, veterans from other states who move to Texas could be eligible for tuition exemptions. In 2014, Texas public universities spent $169 million in Hazlewood benefits. The Houston Chronicle predicted that the new exemption policy would jump that figure to $750 million per year, and if veterans began to move to T exas from out of statp, the number could rise to as high as $2 billiojii annually. Pettibon said A&M is in a state of waiting for a ruling. Pettibon saicj universities and legislators are always looking for better ways to sustain the Hazlewood exemptions. The Texas Legislature granted $30 million in the 83rd session toward Hazlewood, although Pettibon said this was a one-time fix to help offset a small portion of the cost. Psychology junior Ashley Girod qualifies as a dependent of her stepfather, who served in the Navy and Army. Girod said the sacrifice made by the veteran in her life should not go unnoticed. “I can confidently say that the hard work that my stepfather put into the military deserves to be rewarded, and as he says, seeing me go to one of the best colleges without worry of pay ing for tuition is the best reward he could get,” Girod said. Andrew Liu, an out-of-state student veteran from California, said he liked the idea of the new policy, as it would open new resources to stu dent veterans. He said he did not think the cost would have a negative effect in the long term. “It may drive up the cost in the short term, but I think it would level out over their years,” Liu said. Jeremy Williams, graduate student at the Bush School, is receiving benefits under Hazlewood. He served three tours in Iraq from 2003 to 2006 in the Marine Corps. He said he disagrees with the potential new policy change. “I think it is an asinine approach because the regulation explicidy states and enumerates that you must have served honorably for a minimum of 180 days and enlist as a bonafide Texas resi dent,” Williams said. “How much more clear can the law state?” Even with the appellate case in process, Wil liams said those who use the Hazlewood exemp tion will continue to receive benefits. Joshua Sutton, an out-of-state student vet eran from Pennsylvania, also expressed concern with the new policy. “The Hazlewood Act is a piece of Texas legislation meant to benefit those of Texas resi dence or origin,” Sutton said. “As an out-of- state student veteran, never once have I thought the Llazlewood Act is unfair because I’m ineli gible for it. ” Liu disagreed, stating all student veterans in Texas, whether from out-of-state or in-state, are pursuing similar goals of gaining an education from Texas. “All veterans attending schools in Texas should have the same access to these benefits as the Texas veterans because we’re all veterans, and we’re all trying to get the same education from the same institution,” Liu said. Sutton said if the new policy is established there will likely be an influx of out-of-state stu dent veterans coming to Texas, something he is concerned may lead some to label student vet erans as “freeloaders.” “Regardless of their own state loyalty [or] affiliation, I feel the benefit of free tuition and fees would be too big of one to pass by,” Sutton said. “I feel that Texas would see an increase in the number of veterans that return to instimtions of higher education because there would essen tially no longer be a consequence of failing.” Smith said, for now, the university is provid ing the answers it can and keeping an eye on the appellate case. Place an Ad Phone 979.845.0569 Suite L400, Memorial Student Center Texas A&M University When to Call 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Insertion deadline: 1 p.m. prior business day V/SA e_Jlg3i Private Party Want Ads $10 for 20 words running 5 days, if your merchandise is priced $1,000 or less (price must appear in ad). 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