John Byrnes is a member of the New York National Guard. He was a full time student at Hunter College, part of the CUNY system, when he was called up for active duty first in the United States and then to fight in Iraq.

On his blog he details all of the aggravation he had to deal with when he got called up regarding his classes at Hunter College. It sounds like the president of the college had the right attitude about helping members of the military enrolled at the school but some professors and petty bureaucrats were either hostile or had no clue of the difficulties that members of the armed services have in meeting deadlines and submitting forms when they are stationed in a war zone. You have to read his description of a professor who wouldn’t let him drop a class even though he had a valid excuse – he was heading towards a war zone. Here are some more of the petty problems that he had to deal with.

Worse was the problem I had with the Bursar’s office. Although my tuition for the fall of 2003 was free, I had neglected to pay the $150 or so in Student activities fees. Of course I never got a bill; my mail was chasing me around the US and then the world. The Bursar’s office decided to freeze my access a few weeks after I arrived in Iraq, but well before my duffel bag with my checkbook in it caught up to me. They refused to remove this stop. This was a problem because I needed a copy of my college transcript for promotion points. Time was limited. Another appeal to the President and the Dean of Students succeeded in freeing my records in time, and when my lost luggage arrived I sent them a check.
I came home. I had a whole semester to finish my incompletes, and I did so turning all my work in by the early June deadline. Some of my professors now have been late in submitting change of grade forms. Even worse the registrars office is demanding that all the late grades come with signed and stamped assurances that my work was submitted prior to June 8th. Including the grades they have already received, from professors who are doing research overseas for the summer. Could you guys just give me a break for once? Just process the grades so at least I can use my transcript as a diploma.

Mr. Byrnes’ point is not to complain about all the hassles he had to endure, although I’m sure it feels good to get this off his chest. He has a good suggestion for any institution that has a number of National Guard members who might be deployed.

Most of the people involved were sympathetic, and many tried to be helpful. Many others simply could not or would not make adjustments. At least the college president and the dean of students were there for me. But I would prefer that they had tamed the institution, not made exceptions and phone calls every time I needed something. Hunter College is a part of CUNY, and is thus a joint city and state institution. The fact that this State institution is not prepared to support New York State’s National Guard soldiers who are called to service is simply unacceptable. These deployments are no longer the exception; they are a part of my life, and thousands of other citizen soldiers. This is what “Support the Troops” is all about. It’s not about a magnetic ribbon on the trunk of the car. It’s about adjusting the institutionss of our society.
One of my pet peeves is the leveling of criticism without any positive suggestions. So I am calling on the President of Hunter College to appoint a Dean for Veterans and Reservist affairs. In fact I am calling on the CUNY Chancellor to make it requirement at all the CUNY schools. This official should be an advocate and a watchdog. Not only a point person and a resource for soldiers to cope with the inane bureaucracies that have thrived in the CUNY system, but someone who can advocate policy changes to the colleges and the University. People have adjusted to the new realities of the post 9-11 world. It’s time that institutions like CUNY did so too.

That’s an excellent idea. And the military should have more people on its end who can do the same sort of thing for members who don’t work in a big institution like CUNY that can afford to have special contacts. I’m sure they are doing what they can, but clearly it’s not enough.

It’s a great point that “Support the Troops” means more than a slogan. People fighting in Iraq shouldn’t have to worry about bureaucratic hassles resulting from putting their lives on hold to fight for the country.

John in North Carolina has some more ideas on what each of us can do to help.