Bill Text: HI SCR85 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 85 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Veterans; University of Hawaii; Systematic Program Initiative

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-13 - Referred to HRE/PSM, WAM. [SCR85 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-SCR85-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	85
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging the University of Hawaii System to establish a system-WIDE program to require each college, community college, and university to increase support and specialized student services to veterans.

WHEREAS, as the combat mission draws to a close in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hawaii's service members are returning home in vast numbers and attempting to find employment or pursue higher education; and

WHEREAS, despite a proven work ethic and a philosophy of service above self that are cultivated by military service, new veterans still face a weak economy and high unemployment; and

WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate reached twenty percent for male veterans age twenty-four and under in 2012; and

WHEREAS, with an influx of service members comes a heightened need to understand the military community, and the higher education community has indicated a strong desire to better serve this growing population; however, the higher education community admits to a lack of information on how to effectively serve veterans; and

WHEREAS, understanding veterans' benefits and obtaining credit for military service are among the many hurdles that veterans face on their journey to academic success and employment; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the advocacy of the Hawaii Alliance of Student Veterans and many of Hawaii's roughly 117,254 veterans, it is apparent that Hawaii must provide increased support and specialized student services to returning service members; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii reported that approximately 13,000 veterans in Hawaii were receiving federal GI benefits, as of fall 2013; however, this number may not reflect all veterans enrolled in the State's colleges and universities because these institutions are not required to track veterans or report enrollment trends, credits accepted, completion rates, or other parameters of success; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii ranks number one in military commands, yet the State's higher education institutions are behind many other states in implementing military friendly policies in the key areas of veteran support, faculty education, and credit acceptance; and

WHEREAS, within the University of Hawaii System, there is no system-wide program that allows the universities and colleges to communicate amongst each other, which hinders the success of student veterans; and

WHEREAS, through implementing a system-wide program focusing on veteran success, Hawaii's higher education community will be given clear direction on how to accommodate veterans and the discretion to make decisions that align with each school's overall academic mission; and

WHEREAS, the goal of a system-wide program is to strengthen the understanding of, and empathy for, the veteran experience and bolster investments in veterans' long-term success; and

WHEREAS, institutions of higher learning will become aware of the many differences between student veterans and the traditional college student; develop a deeper understanding of the mental health needs of service members, veterans, and their families; and create relationships with student veterans, both on campus and in the community; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii System is urged to establish a system-wide program to require each college, community college, and university to increase support and specialized student services to veterans by:

(1) Designating a coordinator to be the single point of contact for veterans;

(2) Posting veterans' services, programs, withdrawal policies for mobilization and deployment, and credit transfer policies on websites and other accessible places;

(3) Tracking veterans through the application process and assessing the skills of veterans;

(4) Exploring becoming a veteran supportive campus, including establishing resource and student centers on campus for student veterans and their families and student family members of the Armed Forces who are currently deployed, and offering community-based collaborations to allow the private sector to support the resource centers through financial aid and in-kind gifts;

(5) Providing sensitivity and awareness training on military and veterans' culture, including peer mentoring and peer support programs;

(6) Offering student veteran orientation programs and at least one course limited to veterans and taught by a veteran or trained volunteer on veterans' issues;

(7) Providing outreach to local military bases; and

(8) Accepting the American Council on Education's recommendation to award credit for military experience, developing policies relating to military transfer credit, publishing concise information explaining the credit process, expanding agreements to include credit for military training, and expediting decisions regarding transfer of credit; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, President of the University of Hawaii System, and Chancellors of each campus of the University of Hawaii System.