Temple offering free classes to Gulf vets

In an effort to show support for U.S. troops in the Middle East, Temple University administrators announced last week that the school would offer free classes to Persian Gulf war veterans. "This is part of what Temple is about," Gosliner said this week. Temple officials also said that they will provide scholarships to families of veterans, the spokesperson said. Dependents of veterans who are killed, listed as missing in action, taken prisoner, or permanently disabled will be eligible to receive a four-semester scholarship covering tuition. The family members must meet admission criteran to the North Philadelphia school to qualify for the scholarship. Currently, 50 members of the Temple community are serving in the Gulf, according to a statement. They include 38 graduate and undergraduate students, one professor and 11 Temple University Hospital workers. "When our own are going to war we wanted to see what we could do for them," Gosliner said. "Then we thought about how we could expand that and asked what we could do for those returning from the war." According to a Temple statement, students and faculty who are called to active duty during the conflict will receive an extension of health benefits coverage for six months instead of the federally mandated 30 days. All Temple faculty and students who are called to action or enlist in the military during the war will be granted a military leave of absence, which can last for up to four years. The scholarships will also apply to Pennsylvania residents who are permanently disabled during the conflict. "We are always very much engaged in the community," Gosliner said. "It's part of our mission to go beyond our immediate family, to see what we can do for the community, for North Philadelphia." Lieutenant Colonel David Carraway, who works in the Temple ROTC program, said that this move will provide returning veterans with an opportunity to start an education. "It will show that people are more appreciative of the returning vets than they were in Vietnam," Carraway said. Another Temple spokesperson, George Ingram, said that the Temple administration wanted to show support for the troops fighting in the Gulf. "We didn't want to just pass a resolution in support," Ingram said. "This will make things easier for returning vets, unlike what happened in Vietnam and Korea."

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