Currently, the U.S. Department of Education is discussing new rules regarding course materials that will dramatically impact students like me at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale. I need to speak out about how these changes impact access to quality educational resources. Especially for those of us who rely on federal programs like the GI Bill to fund our education.
Universities across the country are making sure that students receiving financial aid have access to course materials by the first day of classes, regardless of whether their financial aid funds have arrived yet. Programs that enable this are sometimes referred to as inclusive or equitable access. At Broward University, this program is known as First Day. This month, the Education Department could water down Obama-era regulations that make these programs possible and advantageous.
Delays in financial aid are a serious problem for many students. I support programs like First Day primarily because they save me time and money.
Throughout my career, I personally know what it's like to have scholarship aid delayed or to attend school with or without these programs. I have worked as a professional firefighter and first responder for his 20 years. I am currently working full time and attending nursing school. I also served in the Coast Guard before attending college.
Early in my career, I used the GI Bill to pay for EMT and firefighter training. It would have been a lot easier if I had access to a program like First Day when I was using the GI Bill to pay for college.
It's great to be able to use the GI Bill to get an education. But I had to spend hours on paperwork, wait days for the university to complete its part, and spend weeks before receiving my refund. In order to get the materials in time for class, I had to purchase all the materials at my own expense.
Fortunately, I was working and had the money to do so. I know that many students do not have that privilege. With a program like First Day, he could have received access to the course materials in advance, and once his refund came in, he could have easily used his GI Bill to pay for the course materials and tuition. .
I am a lifelong learner and have completed programs such as EMT, EMT, Law Enforcement Officer, and Florida Firefighter. After retiring from the fire department, I enrolled in a nursing program. I have also taught classes and know what the students and instructors are like.
In addition to student time, another consideration is how First Day helps ensure that all students have the right materials to study. Some of my classes require us to work in groups. You will be more effective as a student or instructor if everyone uses accurate versions of course materials that are accessible on your school's online portal.
If the infrastructure that underpins inclusive access programs is eliminated, many more students will have to make the same difficult choices I had to make when I first started school.
The Department of Education has made it easier for students like me, who are using financial aid or the GI Bill to pay for college, to have the option to purchase course materials through programs like First Day at the beginning of each semester. You have to consider how easy it will be.
William Glover is a military veteran and nursing student at Broward College.
