Guard member loses college aid when called to duty

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

GALLUP — One former University of New Mexico-Gallup branch student has concerns about how active military servicemen and women are treated when they are called to duty during the school semester.

Laris Manuelito said that when she was called to duty with the U.S. Army National Guard while attending UNM-Gallup, she ended up losing her financial aid. Manuelito, who is a sophomore studying computer science, said she wants to bring attention to the issue so that returning members of the armed forces do not encounter the same problems when they attend school.

“If it’s done properly, the students are given a military withdrawal,” Suzette Wyaco, the manager of enrollment services at UNM-Gallup, said when asked about the school’s policy regarding people who get called to duty.
Manuelito was unaware that there is a military withdrawal policy at the UNM-Gallup branch, where those who must withdraw because of military obligations are able to receive grades of Withdrawal Pass.

“Even when I went to an advisor, they didn’t tell me about military withdrawal,” she said.

She said that she was told she had to work it out with the instructors.

“Never was there a military withdrawal mentioned at all,” Manuelito said.

Wyaco pointed out that the military withdrawal policy is in the student catalog and said that it’s up to the students to read the catalog and make sure they withdraw properly.

However, Manuelito said, “Who has time to read the entire catalog?”

The catalog states that students who withdraw because of military obligations before the end of the 12th week of the semester are “entitled to a grade of WP in each course in which they are enrolled.” Those who withdraw after the 12th week receive full credit for each course with a C or better and receive a WP if the grade is less than a C.
Manuelito said she was not aware of that provision and she received two WP grades and three failing grades due to leaving before the 12th week.

She said that she had provided her orders to school personnel from the military before leaving but never went through any military withdrawal process.

Because of the problems she is having with her grades and the withdrawal process, Manuelito, who now lives on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, lost her financial aid and has been unable to register for classes at the main UNM campus there.

When she tried to get help from Albuquerque, she said she was referred back to the Gallup branch and had to take days off to travel to the Gallup campus from Kirtland, only to have her appeal denied by the director of the financial aid office.

“You can’t be getting financial aid if you’re not constantly meeting the grade-point-average requirements,” Wyaco said.

This is not the first time that Manuelito had to leave UNM-Gallup because she was called to duty. She went through a similar situation during the fall 2006 semester when she was called to basic training, but did not encounter the same problems at that time.

The financial aid office would not discuss the situation with the Independent citing privacy laws.

But Wyaco said, “We do what we can for VA students.” She added that the military withdrawal is usually not a problem for those students who must withdraw.

Manuelito hopes that by bringing attention to the issue, more outreach and communication will take place for the college’s students who serve in the military and that they will be able to go through the proper process and receive the correct grades.

“If this is how I’m treated, what about when a warrior comes back?” Manuelito asked. “How are they going to treat other soldiers coming in?”

Students who must withdraw because of military obligations should contact Wyaco who coordinates services for VA students at the branch.