Published: March 28, 2009 11:57 pm      

LETTERS: March 29, 2009

Mayor should leave firemen’s monument alone

Why is Mayor England so concerned about getting the firemen’s monument, standing in Fairview Cemetery, moved in front of a fire station in New Albany?

This is a memorial monument honoring the firemen of New Albany, not to make the mayor of the city look “big.” If the organization had not wanted it placed in Fairview Cemetery, it would not have been placed there. Since it was set in the cemetery, it should stay in the cemetery. If he wants one for the firehouse, let him buy another one or find an organization who will.

— Rebecca Carpenter, Floyds Knobs



ISU: Colleges must support troops



With the war in Iraq showing signs of winding down, President Obama’s pledge to bring our troops home by 2010 reminds us of the great debt we owe these men and women. They have made sacrifices on our behalf, and the president’s promise should motivate us to take action to repay that debt.

From my perspective as a veteran and the president of Indiana State University, I cannot overemphasize the importance of the role education can play in improving the lives of our veterans. If we are to do right by them and, in turn, help the country right its economy, we must do all we can to assist them in furthering their education.

In today’s economy, more than ever, a good education can mean the difference between just getting by and being able to live the American dream. Colleges and universities have long been the engine of that dream, and our laboratories and classrooms have traditionally been the source of the technological innovations and the intellectual and professional skills necessary for progress in a constantly changing world.

While America can never fully repay its debt to those who serve, today’s GI Bill goes a long way toward helping veterans complete their education — an education that is inarguably more vital to success than ever before. It is the obligation of America’s institutions of higher education to communicate to our veterans and current service men and women the benefits that can accrue from higher education.

We also need to make veterans feel welcome and wanted on our campuses. All of our students benefit from having these veterans in their classes, and they are a tremendous resource for our campus communities. Their real-world experiences and mature perspectives on international events provide a unique and complementary dimension to the more traditional aspects of a college education.

Part of a welcome to ISU we had planned for Indiana National Guard and regular military veterans returning from active duty overseas was a first-semester tuition waiver. While initially intended to help returning veterans meet tuition expenses while waiting for their GI Bill benefits to arrive, recent changes to veteran benefits by Congress now specifically cover tuition for veterans. With this change, we have decided to apply our tuition waiver to other direct educational expenses that veterans face in their first semester in college.

On a more personal level, we need to be aware that many of those returning — or who have already returned — will need our society’s assistance in making the transition to civilian life as veterans have throughout the ages. Some will require continuing medical care; others will need counseling. On our campuses, we need to ensure that services provided by the veterans’ services coordinator at ISU, and groups such as our campus Vet to Vet organization which facilitates veterans reaching out to one another as they adjust to college life, are the best we can provide. Our veterans deserve nothing less, and we must do all we can for them.

Just as my generation hoped and prayed there would be no more Vietnams, we now pray there will be no more Iraqs. But for now, this is the world in which we live. Colleges and universities around the country should do everything they can to support our veterans.

It is, quite simply, the right thing to do.

— Daniel J. Bradley, President, Indiana State University, Terre Haute