A letter from Veterans Affairs sent in February announced to universities and student veterans across the nation that for the first time in nearly 60 years, many veterans would have to pay for their college tuitions in the fall.

Whereas residency status did not previously affect the amount the Federal Government would pay (as long as it was within a generous cap), now out-of-state veterans attending a public university will only receive the amount of the school’s in-state tuition and have to pay the remainder. For veterans considered out-of-state at UNCW, this means an additional $11,285 a year.

In a letter to NC state legislators, Jason Thigpen, a student and representative for Wilmington Chapter 11 Disabled American Veterans, wrote that 80 students at UNCW have been impacted by the recent changes to the GI Bill, making UNCW the most affected school in all of North Carolina.

Shannon Miles, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, said the “knee-jerk reaction” for veterans to go back to their home state for school is not always an option because they don’t necessarily have a home state. “They get caught in this black hole of ‘where do I fit in?'” she said.

Jacques Kochen, a student veteran at UNCW, applied for residency upon being informed of the change but was denied in-state status. He has been stationed in North Carolina for four years and owns a business in Wilmington. His home state is Washington, but he is not considered a resident there either. “I can’t move,” said Kochen. “This is my home.” Kochen had to pay for tuition and fees using grants and loans.

Admissions and the registrar handle residency applications and “look at every possible avenue to help [veterans],” said Miles, but the requirements are set forth by the state.

All along students like Kochen “could have been establishing residency,” said Miles, but the fact is that previously “there was no need.”

In a similar situation, Student Veterans Organization (SVO) President Cody Hoyt had to take out loans that he had not planned for in order to cover his tuition. “I’ve been here for over a year,” he said, “but I didn’t start the paperwork soon enough.”

“Nobody knew exactly what would happen, and everyone was scrambling at the last minute [to establish residency],” said Hoyt. Hoyt said he would not have moved here from Oklahoma if he had known he would have to pay the difference.

Hoyt, formerly vice president of SVO, became president at the beginning of September after former President Matthew Goers resigned.

Goers said that due to the vague language of the state laws and the resultant possibility of misinterpretation, “certain oversights” on the University’s part “have made it hard for some to qualify for residency.”

Michael Ramos, the former treasurer of SVO, resigned less than two weeks prior. “Tuition bills were due Aug. 11. I asked for a meeting with administrators in February. We had the meeting Aug. 19,” Ramos explained.

When military-affiliated students started asking questions and voicing concerns as the fall semester neared, a storm of emails began circulating among members of the listserv.

“The meeting with the administrators boiled down to, ‘it is your responsibility as leaders to quit fanning the flames over email,'” said Ramos. Two days after the meeting he resigned.

“I could not, in good conscience, tell veterans that it is going to be okay,” said Ramos.

According to Ramos, some returning veteran students could not continue their education at UNCW because of the cost. “It’s not many, but one is too many,” he said. Miles confirmed that a number of students had to take a semester or year off to establish residency, though she said the majority of veteran students in this predicament have turned to financial aid.

Congressman Mike McIntyre has voiced his support and is urging “legislative action that would allow our veterans to receive in-state tuition,” he stated in a letter to Senator Tom Goolsby.

Hoyt plans on working with the military bases in North Carolina to educate prospective students about the changes so that they can start establishing residency as early as possible. Hoyt has also contacted Thomas Ross, president of the UNC school system, asking for his take on the issue.

The hard-hitting news that veterans may have to foot the bill for tuition “rubs us a little raw,” said Ramos. “Most of us didn’t go from senior year of high school into freshman year of college…I earned my ‘free’ education,” he said.

“We’re not asking for special treatment by any stretch of the word,” said Goers. “We’re asking for fair treatment in our special situation.”