Show fc wj fi College Protests Vet Reporting kf Asks Equality With Other Schools E A charge of discrimination has I been leveled by Pres Jay L. L Nelson I of Utah Technical College at Salt t Lake at veteran schooling allowance rk reporting procedures of the Veterans Veterans Vet Vet- t. t c erans Administration t. t The charge was contained in a aJ aletter aletter J lett letter r to Veterans Administration f Regional Director Elmer J. J Smith i Pres Pres Nelson says that veterans attending schools like Utah Tech tf w are required to report their hours of attendance on a monthly basis asis i verified by school officials in order to receive their education allow allow- ance Vets attending academic schools receive their benefits on a aC ar C r credit hour basis and do not report attendance monthly Pres Nelson wants Utah Tech on the credit hour basis Pres Nelson labels the reporting practice as discriminatory downgrading downgrading downgrading down down- grading a veterans veteran's choice of vocational education over an academic one The practice is a throwback to the discredited idea that academic education is inherently better and thus preferable preferable preferable prefer prefer- able than other kinds Pres Nelson C stated in his letter He also said the I reporting procedure penalized the vocational vocational technical technical student Prior to 1967 Utah Tech's veteran veteran veteran vet vet- eran students reported on the monthly basis When the college was accredited by the Association of Secondary and Higher High High- er Schools in 1967 courses were given quarter-credit-hour quarter values The VA then allowed Utah Tech's vets to report enrollment on the quarter-hour quarter basis as at other institutions institutions institutions of higher learning Recently the VA reverted to their earlier procedure which says a monthly certification must be submitted for each veteran and eligible person enrolled in a course which does not lead to a standard college degree Pres Nelson claims this require require- ment says to veterans attending a vocational-technical vocational school like Utah Tech that their educational program is of less worth than the student at the academic school expecting them to be held more closely accountable for their time In his letter to the VA Regional Office Pres Nelson said We seek your aid to correct these discriminatory discriminatory discriminatory practices We are asking all who care about the matter to call for amendment of laws that perpetuate perpetuate perpetuate inequities among veterans When such utter nonsense is being fostered by regulations of bureaus and when legalism legalism legalism legal- legal ism becomes more important than service to individuals it is time to speak out and call for reforms reforms' |