§3138.5. Military and veteran friendly campus; designation; process; eligibility; applications

A.(1) The legislature finds that military veterans need comprehensive, statewide support to aid them in transition from military service to enrollment in public postsecondary education institutions. This support should encourage such enrollment of veterans and address issues that may deter their participation in public postsecondary education. These issues include but are not limited to affordability, lack of awareness by postsecondary faculty and staff of veterans' culture, the need for orientation and mentoring programs designed specifically for veterans, and the facilitation of credit completion by veterans as efficiently and quickly as possible.

(2) The purpose of this Section is to provide formal recognition by the governor of state public postsecondary education institutions that successfully create a supportive environment for military veterans.

B.(1) The Board of Regents shall establish a process for a public postsecondary education institution to be designated as a "Governor's Military and Veteran Friendly Campus" beginning with the Fall 2015 semester.

(2) To be eligible to receive the designation as specified in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, an institution shall meet all of the following criteria:

(a) Adopt and fully implement the military articulation and transfer process as provided in R.S. 17:3165.2.

(b) Offer waivers from application fees to veterans.

(c) Offer specialized orientation programs for veterans that provide detailed information on the programs, services, and accommodations available.

(d) Adopt deployment and readmission policies that provide for the prompt readmission to the institution of veterans with the same academic status that they had when last attending or accepted for admission at the institution.

(e) Offer priority class scheduling to veterans that is at least as early as that offered to students enrolled in the honors college, athletes, students with disabilities, and spring invitational program participants, whichever occurs first. If the institution does not offer priority scheduling to any of these groups, the institution shall allow veterans to schedule classes at least one day prior to the general class registration for undergraduate students.

C. In addition to the eligibility criteria required in Paragraph (B)(2) of this Section, an institution shall meet at least three of the following criteria in order to receive the designation specified in Paragraph (B)(1) of this Section:

(1) Offer at least one course per fall and spring semester in history, political science, English, or mathematics that is specifically designed for and exclusively available to veterans or offer a course for credit that is specifically designed for and exclusively available to veterans and that focuses on introducing them to the college experience and covers issues of transition, leveraging benefits, and disability issues.

(2) Offer free tutoring to veterans.

(3) Host a workshop at least twice each year for veterans to provide instruction regarding career opportunities, interviewing skills, resume writing, and networking.

(4) Host a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program affiliated with a branch of the armed services.

D.(1) The Board of Regents shall develop an application process, including time lines for submitting applications, for institutions that are interested in receiving the designation specified in Paragraph (B)(1) of this Section.

(2) The Board of Regents shall review each application and shall submit such applications to the governor along with a written report that indicates if an institution meets the requirements specified in Subsections B and C of this Section to receive the initial designation by the governor.

(3) Designation of an institution as a "Governor's Military and Veteran Friendly Campus" shall apply for one year.

(4) After receiving the initial designation by the governor, an institution annually shall submit a renewal application to the Board of Regents in accordance with the time lines established by the board. Each renewal application shall include a report that contains all of the following information from the previous year as it relates to veterans:

(a) The number granted application fee waivers.

(b) The number who attended the specialized orientation program and a description of the orientation program.

(c) The number who participated in the priority class registration.

(d) The number who benefitted from the military articulation and transfer process as provided in R.S. 17:3165.2, the number of credits hours accepted through the transfer process, and a list of the courses credited through the transfer process.

(5) If the Board of Regents determines that the institution meets the requirements specified in Subsections B and C of this Section based on its renewal application, the institution shall receive the designation for that year. If the Board of Regents determines that an institution does not meet the specified requirements, the board shall provide written notice to the institution and the institution shall have forty-five days from receipt of the notice to correct or amend its renewal application. If the institution does not submit a corrected or amended application or if the corrected or amended application does not meet the requirements as determined by the board, the institution shall not receive the designation for that year.

E. For purposes of this Section, "veteran" shall have the meaning as provided in R.S. 13:5364.

Acts 2015, No. 232, §1.