Culver sends some help veterans' way [with video]
However, 2 ISU veterans say the proposed employment rights bill would only rehash rules that are already in effect at the federal level
Kyle Ferguson
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Gov. Chet Culver spoke on campus Thursday about the state of assistance for military veterans in Iowa.
His brief speech in the Durham Great Hall in the Memorial Union came after signing a new piece of legislation he feels will aid the process.
"This legislation will commit to ensure all Iowa veterans can return to the careers that they left behind," he said. "It is an insurance plan for those cadets in ROTC that plan to leave to do their duty."
Culver toured a veterans' home in Marshalltown before his stop at Iowa State.
"We're starting a $100 million plan to make that veterans' home one of the finest in the nation," Culver said. "There's a combination of federal and state money behind that, and hopefully we'll break ground on that in the summer."
He then complimented Iowa State on the quality of its ROTC program.
"This is one of the most accomplished military science departments in the nation," he said. "As an instance of how well they're doing, the battalion is ranked No. 3 in the nation in cadet average out of 273 battalions."
Some, however, had reservations about the effectiveness of the new legislation.
"The state is doing nothing new here," said Matt Pifkin, junior in agricultural systems technology. Pifkin is a veteran of Iraq who served with the 389th Engineer Battalion, an Army Reserve unit based out of Davenport.
"The USERRA legislation is almost the exact same setup. This is just at the state level instead of the federal level," Pifkin said.
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act states that it provides employment and re-employment rights for members of the armed forces, including reserve units and the National Guard.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Web site, "service members who leave their civilian jobs for military service" will be able to come back to their jobs "with the same pay, benefits and status they would have attained had they not been away on duty."
Russell Manske, sophomore in liberal arts and sciences-open option, is also a veteran. He served with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in the Air Force.
"I was hoping I would learn more about his position on helping veterans," Manske said. "But this is no real change. I'm also a little disappointed he didn't talk more."
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