Scott Airmen advised to seek alternate funding sources for education Published March 15, 2013 By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- When the Air Force announced its suspension of Tuition Assistance for active duty military members March 11, it left several Airmen wondering how they would pay for school. That also put Roland Smith and the team at Scott's Education Center into overdrive as they launched a campaign to tell Airmen they can help them find alternate funding sources and receive individual counseling. "What we don't want is for our young Airmen to think they're stuck or that they have to put their education on hold," said Smith, manager for the Education Center. "We've been getting calls from colleges we work with who are offering discounts, there are grants and scholarships we can help them find, and they can always test out of classes through the CLEP and DANTES programs. My message is that instead of saying 'I can't go to school now,' I want them to say, 'How can I find a work around'." Smith advises Airmen to start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, because aid is based on income so it would benefit the junior ranking or those with families to qualify for low or no-cost repaid grants and low-interest loans. While aimed at veterans who want to continue their education after separating from the service, the Montgomery GI Bill and Post 9/11 GI Bill are also available for Airmen right now, he added. "These are good sources of hard money that will be immediately available to most students, depending on when they came in the service," he said. "Airmen who have been in as early as 90 days can have some portion of the Post 9/11 GI Bill available to them." He said there are pros and cons with using either GI Bill, so he urges Airmen to come in and seek counseling to make sure they choose the right course of action that will benefit them most. In addition, scholarships and grants are available for Airmen who are willing to look for them. "Virtually every institution has some types of scholarships, and they've been reaching out to us to announce new financial aid options--the response to help our Airmen has been heartwarming ... we're receiving updates every day." That's great news for Senior Airman Gerald Campbell, a junior studying exercise science at American Military University, who said that even though the loss of TA is a setback, he plans to continue with his education through scholarships. "I plan on getting my Doctorate in physical therapy in the next four years," said the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron radio operator. "The Education Center keeps a list of scholarship offerings, so I plan on using those to apply for scholarships. It's a little bit of extra work to get the money, but I think it will be well worth it for me to accomplish my goals." The suspension of TA, has also affected the way the Education Center staff operates, too. Smith said the staff is redirecting their training so they can become more knowledgeable about the other areas of counseling that will assist military members. "Our Airmen are counting on us to do a lot of the initial legwork. And, similar to what we did with TA, we can go over their options case-by-case so they can make the best decision," he said. Campbell tells others to "definitely get in touch with the Education Center." "[The staff] has a lot of experience and knows how and where to go to help us. I would say to reach out to the resources available on base." And for Airmen that will be important as it is not known if TA will be suspended past Fiscal Year 2013, which ends Sept. 30. Airmen currently enrolled in classes or who were already approved for future courses are allowed to complete them, however, it remains to be seen when or if the Air Force will be able to resource TA again. (Editors note: As of April 1, 2013, congress is discussing the reinstatement of tuition assiatance in mid-April)