UIndy offers financial support for veterans
Some students walking around the University of Indianapolis campus have risked their lives for the protection of the country.
Serving in the armed forces is a task that 93 of over 5,000 UIndy students have done. UIndy has given these veterans benefits such as the UIndy Freedom Award and Yellow Ribbon Program to support them in their goal of obtaining a higher education.
According to the UIndy Registrar website, students must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for the UIndy Freedom Award. Students must meet the requirements for the Post 9/11 Veteran Benefits and the Yellow Ribbon Program. They also must be an undergraduate and day division student, maintain a 2.3 grade point average and complete 20 credit hours each year.
For the Yellow Ribbon Program, men or women in the armed forces must have actively served after Sept. 10, 2001 for at least 36 months. Students must also attend an approved program offered by a college or university that participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Former Army sergeant and information systems and operations and supply chain management major Stephen Mejean receives benefits for service from UIndy through The Post-9/11 GI-Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program. The Post-9/11 GI-Bill is financial support for people who have served in the armed forces for 90 days or more, with service starting on or after Sept. 11, 2001.
“The university has gone above and beyond what I expected. The faculty at the university has helped me so much and I am doing very well and expect good things in my future because of them,” said Mejean.
Mejean was in the Army for six and a half years before enrolling at UIndy. For the first four years he was stationed in the airborne infantry in Richardson, Ala. Then in September, he was sent overseas to Iraq, where he served for 15 months.
He currently has an internship at MD Logistics and works in the campus writing lab.
“The GI Bill covers almost half of my tuition. The UIndy Freedom Award works with the Yellow Ribbon Program to provide the quarter of my tuition that is left over,” Mejean said. “In the end I pay nothing. The Post-9/11 GI Bill also provides a monthly living allowance and $1,000 for books.”
The Post-9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program are both cut off at $17,500 per academic year for private schools and out-of-state schools. For in-state public schools, however, tuition is fully paid.
“I feel that’s the atmosphere at campus is a lot nicer than IUPUI and Ivy Tech, which I have previously attended. The professors [at UIndy] are nice and from what I’ve seen, the professors are all very knowledgeable and willing to help. Overall it’s the best college experience I’ve had,” said former Patriot Missile Fire Control Operator/Maintainer and the Crew Chief of the RADAR set Jeffrey Farnum-West, a criminal justice major.
Farnum-West served in the Army for 39 months, 13 of which were spent in South Korea, before entering UIndy to further his education.
In addition to the financial help, Mejean saw other benefits to attending UIndy.
“They [UIndy] are ranked highly in the veteran education publications as being veteran- friendly. I also liked the size of the campus,” Mejean said.
Farnum-West said that all high school graduates should think about serving in the military for three years in order to receive benefits from the GI Bill.
“Military service is great for learning life skills and helping you transition from being a kid to a productive member of society. It also gives you the ability to go to school for free,” Farnum-West said.
