Military Spouse Advocates for Reform in Education Funding
In a quest to reform educational funding regulations, a military spouse from Sanford took her grievances to the nation’s capital. She sought to influence policies that currently allow underperforming and sometimes exploitative educational institutions to access federal funds.
The U.S. Department of Education is in the process of revising accreditation standards that are pivotal in determining which institutions are eligible for federal GI Bill benefits, which support veterans and their families in pursuing higher education.
Cynthia Lawrence, married to an Air Force veteran, was invited by an advocacy group to share her experiences with lawmakers and education officials in Washington, D.C. She recounted her struggles with a for-profit university, where she says bureaucratic delays in her doctoral program resulted in nearly $40,000 in unplanned expenses.
“I’m holding the bill for a university that took advantage of me, and I don’t want another veteran or another veteran’s spouse to have to go through that — ever,” Lawrence expressed.
Her educational journey began in 2014 with promising beginnings in basic coursework. However, complications arose as she progressed into dissertation classes specific to her doctorate.
“But as soon as I started getting into the doctoral-specific dissertation classes, that’s when they started doing bait and switch — changing program requirements, not honoring my contract as far as my catalog year, meaning the classes I was supposed to have,” Lawrence explained.
She elaborated on the challenges, citing frequent changes in faculty, methodologies, and inadequate feedback as deliberate tactics used by the institution to prolong her studies.
After seven years and exhausting her student loan benefits, Lawrence managed to graduate in 2022 after transferring to a different university.
“I want to prevent someone from signing up at a university that’s going to take advantage of them,” she noted.
The consequences of enrolling in subpar institutions can be severe, often resulting in wasted time and accumulating debt. Lawrence remarked, “My debt, compared to a lot of other folks, was very small, but I’ve heard of people taking on upwards of $425,000 in debt and having nothing to show for it.”
Recently, the Department of Education began discussions on updating its accreditation criteria, with further meetings anticipated shortly before final recommendations are made. William Hubbard, vice president for Veterans & Military Policy at Veterans Education Success, emphasized the importance of these revisions.
The advocacy group facilitated Lawrence’s trip to Washington, alongside an Army veteran who shared similar experiences. Hubbard highlighted the significance of their testimonies, particularly as public commentary was not permitted during the committee’s proceedings.
“It’s often helpful to hear directly from constituents and people who’ve been personally affected by these issues, and so they came from Texas and North Carolina to D.C. to share their stories and highlight some of the gaps in the system as it stands,” Hubbard stated.
While accreditation standards indirectly influence GI Bill distributions, they serve as crucial filters for maintaining educational quality within the system.
“Unfortunately, the system as it stands is really not working well, and that’s part of what they’re looking at at the Department of Education,” Hubbard added.
Despite the presence of a veterans group representative on the committee, Hubbard noted a predominant focus on cultural topics rather than on educational quality and outcomes.
“Accreditation, in theory, is supposed to determine the quality of an institution, and frankly, I’m not sure diversity issues are the make-or-break factor on that front,” he commented. “We’d really like to see them focus more on academic instruction and, ultimately, the outcomes of higher education — which are to get a career, get a good-paying job, and have strong workforce impact. That really hasn’t been the majority of the discussion and I think that’s a missed opportunity.”
