Rep. Hinojosa urges Congress to fund student-vets' centers

This week, Texas Congressman Ruben Hinojosa urged his fellow members of the House to support funding in FY2010 for a provision in last summer's Higher Education Opportunity & Affordibility Act commissioning veterans' "centers of excellence" on college campuses nationwide.

Hinojosa, chaimen of the House subcommittee on higher education, circulated a Dear Colleague letter throughout the House delegation urging the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to approve $10 million in the upcoming budget for a pilot program on 40 of the nation's leading college campuses. We have included a draft of the letter here.

AMVETS played an integral role in drafting the original proposal for the Higher Ed bill, and AMVETS Legislative Director Ray Kelley has been working extensively with Hinojosa to ensure the the program receives the necessary funding.

With the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill scheduled to roll out in August, AMVETS has spent much of the last year convincing national leaders that colleges must be prepared for a sudden influx of veterans, and that schools need to offer vets all the necessary tools to succeed.

To accomplish this, AMVETS continues to work with John Schupp and the SERV program from Cleveland State University, which many in Congress and Student Veterans of America have acknowledged as a model student-veterans' program.

AMVETS feels student-veterans remain an underserved segment of the population on many college campuses due to their unique circumstances and life experiences. If you have a story or comment on this issue, please share it with us below.

As Hinojosa and AMVETS continue to push Congress on funding for student-vets' centers, check back with American Veteran Online for details.