Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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I Ill!!! Graduation Essays THE G. I. BILL OF RIGHTS By David Johnson NE of the numerous and complex problems that America must cope with immediately, one that will be even greater after the war, is that of the education of its returning veterans. A large percentage, approximately 1,000,000, of America's fighting men and women have voiced their desire for a higher education on their return from the conflict. Many of them have returned already. It will cost the government SF1,000,000,000, a very in- considerable amount when compared with the cost of the war sacrifices the boys have made. Just what educational opportunities and facilities do the colleges, univer- sities, and government of the United States offer to returning veterans? In a recent survey of thirty representa- tive educational institutions it was found that returning servicemen ad- justed themselves to the classroom with comparatively little difficulty, and that with a little leniency on the part of the school authorities with regard to admission requirements and the type of programs offered, the veterans out- stripped the civilian students. In gen- eral the majority of tl1e returning veterans displayed a temporary lack of initiative and inability to make de- cisions. It was, however, very evident that they had a much more serious attitude toward their studies and strove for the maximum benefits from them. The dificulty of readjustment by the minority was due to, as one service- man attending New York University remarked, Reacclimatizing myself to a college basis of education immedi- ately after army training. Most institutions offer a six to eight weeks' refresher course to servicemen, to get them into the studying habit and as a general adjustment period. To those who have not completed their high school education special non-credit subjects and courses are ofered. The greatest step this country has taken towards the education of its returning veterans is the UG. I. Bill of Rights. It was formulated roughly by Senator Thomas of Utah in 1944 and was revised and passed by Con- gress shortly after. Through this bill the government has tossed the whole educational program into the hands of American education. The bill gives the educators a great opportunity but also a grave responsibility. Under this bill veterans are eligible for full benefits

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an angle out of this world. And there is my dream telephone, one of those smooth, creamy-colored ones that only movie stars ever have. Oh, what's that little doodle up in the corner? Why, it 's Smitty. I really am a clever person. And last, but not least, here is my idea of a sundae: a triple decker with every kind of nuts, sauces, and fruits that would fit into a sundae dish, which I believe is much too small. Now, the last of my doodles have been gone over and, as I slump back into my favorite position, I try to re- member what I was thinking when I doodled these absurd figures. Ah, an English composition. I glance at the clock - it 's time for the bell to ring and what will Miss Blodgett say? I have nothing to pass in but this - my doodling. -Ruth Lindgren, '47 THE PASSING OF THE OLD FORD OAR iWith apologies to Oliver Wendell I-Iolmesl Ay, tear her battered numbers QE, Long has she run on high, And many a Packard voice has cussed To hear her rattling by. Beneath her we have tugged and sweat, While grease dripped on the floor, The Lizzie of the dusty roads ' Shall climb the hills no more. 22 Her mudguards, red with rust, and bent From many a parking crush, Her spark plugs choked, her timer Q fouled, - She plowed through mud and slush. No more she 'll bark her coughing way Through city traffic maze, The harpies of the junk yard pick The Ford of bygone days. Oh, better that her rattling frame Should yield in one grand crash, Her roaring shook the broad highway, I-Iave there her final smash. Fill to the brim her leaking tank, Open her throttle wide, And give her to the traffic cops, A flivver suicide. -Herman Nelson, '45

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if they were under twenty-five years of age on their induction into the service and were in the active military or naval service on or after September 11, 1940 and prior to the termination of World NVar ll, or if they have served ninety days in the service and their discharge was anything but dishonor- able. lf the veteran is discharged be- fore the end of the war, he must file his application within two years of the termination of the warg but if he is discharged after the end of the war, his application must be filed within two years of the day he was discharged. The government, by this bill, promises to pay a maximum of 95500 to cover the cost of tuition, books, equipment, lab- oratory, etc., to the school for one ordinary school year. To the veteran the government will pay 3650 a month for the time he is in school and for regular holidays and leave of not more than thirty days in one calendar year. If the veteran has one or more depen- dents, he will receive 3275 a month in- stead of 3550 on the same basis. The government really pays for everything except the G. I.'s room and board. But! pay may be reduced or withdrawn entirely if the student receives pay for work as part of his apprenticeship or training program. Any eligible G. I. may go to any private, public, or other school for the education of adults provided it is approved by the state approving agency which is to be designated by the Vet- erans' Administration as the approv- ing agency and provided he can meet the entrance requirements of the school. The school does not necessarily have to be in the state where the G. I. re- sides or even in the United States, so long as it is approved by some branch of the Veterans, Administration. How- ever, the school, not the Veterans' Ad- ministration, will determine whether he is acceptable as a student and whether he is qualified to pursue the course of training he selects. He must also keep up to the standards of the school, for if he cannot, his benefits under the bill may be discontinued. As to the length of time the veteran may attend school the bill provides that any veteran who is eligible, which is to be designated by the previously stated eligibility requirements, is eligi- ble for a minimum of one basic year and a maximum of four years educa- tion. In addition to the one basic year a veteran is eligible for a period of study equal to his or her service be- tween September 16, 1940, and the termination of the war. Special train- ing courses taken in the Army or Navy which were continuations of civilian courses taken prior to induction will not be counted if the training was completed. If, however, at the end of the first year the veteran has made satisfactory progress in the opinion of the institution he is attending, in ac- cordance with the regularly prescribed standards of the institution he will be allowed to continue his education for three more years at the expense